Pope Francisco has appointed Professor Jokin de Irala as an ordinary member of the Pontifical Academy for Life, of which he was already a corresponding member. Dr. de Irala is Professor of Preventive Medicine and Public Health in the School of Medicine and a researcher at the Institute for Culture and Society (ICS), both of the University of Navarra.

Saint John Paul II founded the Pontifical Academy for Life in 1994. It aims to promote the study of themes that touch on bioethics and law and relate to the promotion and defense of life.

Professor de Irala expressed his great joy at this appointment and his desire to continue collaborating from his area of ​​knowledge: "I will put at the service of the Academy my 25-year experience as a researcher and university professor, where I have worked for many years to transmit and give answers to profound questions related to love, sexuality and human life.”

Career path

Professor Jokin de Irala holds a degree in Medicine and Surgery from the University of Navarra. He completed a Master in Public Health in Scotland in 1987 and obtained a PhD in Medicine in 1990. In the year 2000, he completed a second doctorate in Public Health in the United States. Since 2011, he has been a professor of Preventive Medicine and Public Health.

He has served as Vice Dean of the University of Navarra’s School of Medicine. In addition to his teaching in the School of Medicine, he also teaches two classes in the University’s Master in Marriage and Family.

He has served as an evaluator of projects, participating actively in research groups financed by public and private entities. His scientific contributions include presentations and communications at national and international conferences, the publication of 12 books, 58 book chapters and 156 articles in academic journals.

He is coordinator and principal investigator of the multidisciplinary project Education of Human Affectivity and Sexuality within the Institute for Culture and Society (ICS) at the University of Navarra.

He has given numerous lectures in a variety of countries. He is also the author of popular books such as “El valor de la espera” (The value of waiting), “Nuestros hijos quieren querer. Pautas para una educación afectivo-sexual” (Our children want love: Suggestions for affective-sexual education), and “Nuestros hijos quieren saber: 60 preguntas sobre sexualidad” (Our children want to learn: 60 questions about sexuality). He is married and has 5 children.