Francisco J Blanco
Francisco J Blanco (Cee, A Coruña, 1963) is Professor of Rheumatology at the University of A Coruña, Head of the Section of Clinical and Translational Rheumatology at the University Hospital of A Coruña and heads the Rheumatology Research Group at the Biomedical Research Institute of A Coruña (GIR-INIBIC) and the Advanced Research Centre of the UDC (CICA-UDC). He is a Corresponding Academician of Rheumatology of the Royal National Academy of Medicine of Spain and Corresponding Academician of the Royal Academy of Medicine and Surgery of Galicia, Doctor of Medicine and Extraordinary Award from the University of A Coruña (UDC) and directs the San Rafael Foundation-UDC Chair. He is the International Coordinator
of the Human Proteome Project on Rheumatological and Autoimmune Diseases
initiative at HUPO, and is part of the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) Group, the RICORS REI at ISCIII-Madrid and the Spanish Society of Rheumatology (SER) for the study of Osteoarthritis.
He graduated in Medicine and Surgery at the USC, and completed the Rheumatology specialty via MIR at the Hospital 12 de Octubre in Madrid. He was a Research Fellow at the University of California San Diego (1993-95), Secretary General of the Osteoarthritis Research Society International (OARSI) between 2013 and 2015 and member of the Steering Committee from 2009 to 2013. During the years 2016-2108 he was
Alternate Member Representing Clinicians in the Committee for Advanced Therapies (CAT) of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and since 2010 he is an expert in the area of Rheumatic Diseases of the EMA. He has been Deputy of the Technical Commissions for the evaluation of "chronic diseases and inflammation" and "biotechnology, bioengineering and genomic technologies" of the ISCIII-FIS. He was the Research Coordinator of the Juan Canalejo Hospital (1998-2008) and the Scientific Director of INIBIC (2008-2021).
His contributions in the scientific field have been very influential in both basic and clinical research, having a profound impact mainly in the understanding of the pathogenesis and diagnosis of Osteoarthritis (OA). He has published more than 400 articles in JCR, with a cumulative impact factor of over 1950, and which accumulate more than 18,450 total citations. He has directed 29 doctoral theses. The H index (ISI-WoS, RID C-3192-2014) is 69. In Google Scholar I have accumulated 24,202 total citations and my H index is 80. He has contributed as an editor in 6 books and as a co-author in more than 40 book chapters.
Based on this career, the OARSI has awarded him the Basic Award for Best Researcher in 2017. He has also received the Barrie de la Maza Award from the Royal Academy of Medicine and Surgery of Galicia in 2003, 2007 and 2017, the Innovation Prize from the European Spa Association (ESPA), the Marcial Campos Award in 2016 and the Xunta de Galicia awarded him the Young Researcher Award in 2001.