The president of the Universidad de Navarra, Alfonso Sánchez-Tabernero, has named Dr. Secundino Fernández as Dean of the School of Medicine. Dr. Fernandez will substitute Dr. Jorge Iriarte, the Dean since 2010, who will continue with his teaching, research and healthcare roles in the field of neurology and neurophysiology.

Dr. Secundino Fernández received his medical degree from the Universidad de Navarra, from which he also received his Ph.D. (with honours), undertaken in the Laboratory of Human Physiology under the direction of Professor Jiménez Vargas, founder of the School. He completed his medical residency program in Otolaryngology in the Clínica Universidad de Navarra.

He has completed fellowships in the Department of Otolaryngology at the New York Medical College and in the Department of Head and Neck Surgery at the MD Anderson Cancer Center (Houston, Texas). He has had spells of research in the Centre for Evidence Based Medicine of the University of Oxford and at the Macy Institute of Harvard Medical School. His research is focused on laryngeal physiology and pathophysiology and voice disorders. He is the author of several books, monographs and numerous publications in his field and a reviewer for national and international journals. He lectures for the Master in Phonetics and Phonology of the Spanish National Research Center, and he is a member of the Royal Academy of Medicine (2001) and of the Board of Directors of the Spanish Society of Otorhinolaryngology and Cervical-Facial Pathology (2009).

Dr. Secundino Fernández is presently Professor in Otolaryngology and director of the Clinical Training Unit of the School of Medicine at the Universidad de Navarra. He is a medical consultant in the Otolaryngology department of the Clinica Universidad de Navarra, where he leads the laboratory for laryngeal pathophysiology and voice disorders.  From 2006 until the present, he has served as vice-dean of students and academic affairs in the Medical School.

The new Dean recognizes the big push forward that Dr. Iriarte has given to the School by leading projects such as the implementation of the degree adapted to the EHEA, start-up of the International Program and the surgery-oriented program, and creation of the units of Medical Education, Research Training, and Clinical Training. "During his years as Dean we have seen, also, consolidation of activities in the Simulation Centre, and there has been a major boost in the strategic relationship with alumni of the Faculty," points out Dr. Secundino Fernández. The president, too, expressed his appreciation of and great gratitude to Dr. Jorge Iriarte.