Between the warm lullaby of the island breezes of
Havana and the cozy embrace of the eastern hills of
Bogotá, the life of the teacher and researcher Lilia del Riesgohas unfolded. She has learned to enjoy
the contrasts of the two lands she loves, Cuba and
Colombia. The first gave her birth and the tools to
train as a professional in the field of medicine; the
second has allowed her to build a robust career in
academia and research, with a range of achievements that
have made her a benchmark for her colleagues and students.
For 18 years, she has been walking the corridors and classrooms
of Universidad del Rosario, seeking to sow the seed of
knowledge in hundreds of young people who happily nourish
themselves from her classes.
“When I arrived in Colombia I felt in a very
welcoming environment and I was able to
develop in all aspects: in teaching, but also in
research. When you emigrate, it feels strange
initially, but I always felt very embraced, that
makes me very happy,” she says.
The first impact when arriving in a strange
land was the intense cold accompanied by the
dense clouds that frequently dress the Bogota
sky, but as with everything in life, she ended
up getting used to it and already feels fully
adapted or “flattened”, as they say in Cuba.
Before moving to Colombia she worked
as a doctor in Cuba; there she specialized in
Clinical Biochemistry and ventured as a researcher
in the field of neurosciences. Then
came the great leap: she emigrated in 1995 to
Bogotá, where she began to work in research,
in projects related to nervous system disorders
and metabolic diseases of people of different
ages. “I like that this specialty I chose
has the three main areas: I have been able to
dedicate myself to healthcare work with patients,
as I did for some time, also research
work and teaching,” she says.
And that longing became a reality in Colombia,
where she has been able to practice
in different areas. She performed her social
service in the Unit of Biology of Procreation
of the Maternal and Child Institute; there
she participated in metabolic studies of newborns
and their mothers.
She ventured into teaching at Universidad
Nacional and after a year she arrived to Universidad
Distrital where she left her mark for
almost a decade. By these strange coincidences
of life, in 2005 she learned that there was
a vacancy at Universidad del Rosario, where
the echoes of his good work with students
came and gave her the yes to start writing a
new story.
“From the beginning it was very satisfying,
a very smooth transition,” says the teacher,
who has taught biochemistry to medical,
rehabilitation and graduate students. At first
it was part of the Faculty of Medicine and
Health Sciences but later it was linked to the
Faculty of Natural Sciences.
In the Méderi University Hospital she continued
with the study of metabolic markers
of perinatal hypoxia in newborns, a crucial
topic in her professional career. But what is
the purpose of these studies, and why has
Professor Lilia dedicated a significant part of
her life to them? In summary, her research
helps identify factors that may influence the
development of disorders that mothers and
newborns have during the perinatal period.
The primary goal is to achieve the survival of the baby and
have proper neurodevelopment.
“Biomarkers are molecules, compounds that are detected
in blood and that can give us an approximation
of the level of neurological damage that the child is suffering.
Based on this, a decision can be made so that the
child has frequent medical monitoring during the first
years and thus achieves the best possible development,”
she explains.
One of the health problems that newborns can present
is perinatal asphyxia, aggression caused to the fetus
or the newborn by the lack of oxygen and/or the lack of
an adequate tissue perfusion (definition of the Therapeutic
Diagnostic Protocols of the Spanish Pediatric Association)
very common at that stage of life. “The child can
suffer metabolic alterations due to a decrease in oxygen
supply at the time of delivery, which can cause neurological
damage that sometimes manifests itself in their school
stage,” she notes.
Currently, Professor Lilia intends to investigate,
together with the team of the Méderi
University Hospital, the impact of Covid-19
on pregnant women who suffered from the
disease, how it manifested in children and
whether complications occurred in the perinatal
period (from 2020 to date).
She emphasizes that research is essential
for humanity; that is why she insists on the
need to expand knowledge about the great
problems that prevail in a society.
“There are many environmental factors
that are permanently affecting the development
of populations: migration, displacement,
poverty and its consequences, malnutrition
or malnutrition. All of this impacts
the progress of society. That is why we need
to start with research at all levels. We have to
do a multidisciplinary study that covers all
aspects,” he emphasizes.
Her work is widely recognized by her colleagues.
Professor Alejandro Ondo, who considers
her a mentor, attests to this. He shares
that when he came to work at Universidad
del Rosario and faced the challenge of teaching
biochemistry to medical students, being a
biologist by profession, “Teacher Lilia” helped
him identify his teaching potential and adjust
his knowledge to the needs of students. “She is
a person who is always willing to collaborate;
who is curious and creative, and who is constantly
considering how the work we do at the
teaching and research level can be improved.”
In this way, she has earned the respect of an
entire academic community that recognizes
the valuable contribution of the outstanding
and beloved teacher during that path worked
at Universidad del Rosario.
Lilia del Riesgo Prendes,
professor in the School of
Medicine and Health Sciences,
Universidad del Rosario.
“The teacher is always motivated”
Throughout that time, Professor Lilia has enjoyed
the appreciation and recognition of her
students, who, in return for her teaching and
dedication in classes, have repeatedly chosen
her as one of the best teachers in the Faculty.
The secret: “The teacher is always motivated,”
she sums it up herself.
Not surprisingly, she has received several
awards for his pedagogical work in Colombia:
Juan Agustín Uricoechea y Navarro Teaching
Excellence Award 2011; Distinguished Professor
at Universidad del Rosario 2010; Recognition
of Academic Excellence for the evaluation
of teaching performance from the first
semester of 2003 to the first semester of 2005;
and Recognition of the Scientific and Investigative
Work of the teachers of the School of
Medicine and Health Sciences, among others.
In addition to her clinical research, she has
devoted much of his time to improving pedagogical
models, working hard on methodological
improvement.
“The work with the students gratifies me
enormously, more than anything else. This
close relationship that I establish with them
contributes a lot to improving the learning
strategy and teaching methods,” she says.
As Professor Ondo says, she is a person who
is always considering what the student needs
to learn according to their professional profile
and the disciplinary area they have chosen, to
adapt the classes to these needs. “I think she
does a very outstanding teaching job to get
students to identify and value the importance
of biochemistry in the professional field they
have chosen for their future.”
“When I arrived in Colombia I felt in
a very welcoming environment and I
was able to develop in all aspects: in
teaching, but also in research. When
you emigrate you feel strange initially,
but I always felt very embraced; that
makes me very happy.”
And he adds that for that and much more
the students profess enormous respect and
affection. “They see her as a very warm, approachable
person whom they can rely on,
someone for whom they easily develop fondness
and empathy. She has fought hard to
make biochemistry a course that is taught
with love and that students find their taste
and learn it also with love,” she adds.
And that affection is clearly mutual, as the
researcher shows, who expresses that the students
with whom she interacts daily manage
to transmit all their vitality and enthusiasm.
“They are young people, with their whole
lives in their eyes and in their hearts. That inspires
you a lot.”
A Physician by Conviction
Although she was born in one of the epicenters
of medicine in the region, Professor Lilia
confesses that her choice was one of conviction.
“I studied medicine for a very personal
motivation. It is an inclination I had since I
was a child, and thank God I've been able to
walk this path. I am fortunate because I studied
the career that I like and I have developed
my whole life and my profession in that career,”
she says enthusiastically.
Today, from the classrooms of Universidad
del Rosario, she looks back with gratitude and
continues to see the future with hope. Now
she is not only a doctor by conviction dedicated
to her professional mission, but also a
complete part of Universidad del Rosario in
every sense of the word: “I have been very
honored since the first day I set foot here.
The atmosphere is very familiar, supportive;
it makes you feel at home. And when you sit
in the house, you feel good. That is the spirit
of the University at all venues and at all levels.
You do not feel any different with the directives
or with your close classmates, or with
the students... with anyone. Everyone is in an attitude of great
collaboration, of finding solutions,” she emphasizes.
It should also be noted that she is Colombian, not only legally,
but also with heart and soul; an island and Andean woman,
who is debated before two nostalgias: “When I'm in Cuba I
miss the dynamism of Bogotá much more than I miss Havana
being here. However, here I always remember Havana a lot. It
is a mixture of sensations that has enriched my spirituality.”
"Working with students greatly fulfills
me, more than anything else. The
close relationship I establish with them
contributes significantly to improving
the learning strategy and teaching
methods."
However, there is something that no one will ever be able
to get out of his DNA: her love for the sea, the memory of the
port of her hometown, where she watched daily the playfulness
of the waves. “I missed that a lot, and I still miss it, because
when you’re an islander, it’s hard to start getting used
to the mainland.”
And although Bogotá has no sea, it has given her a career
full of gratification and satisfaction. She knows that, like the waves, life is in constant motion and, in the end, she will always
be able to visit Cuba when the soul longs for the soft
singing of the warm waters of the Caribbean. Therefore, once
a year, she tries to return to her roots.
Her personality could also be considered a mixture of
both places. Although she considers herself demanding, responsible
and disciplined in all aspects of her life, an enthusiastic
spirit emerges in her. “I see things from a good point of
view, with that face with which I think you have to see things
in life. Enjoy all the moments. The everyday is what fills you
the most. If one is living with all the fullness and possibilities,
age is a secondary issue.”
This is corroborated by Professor Alejandro Ondo: “She
is a cheerful person, who, in general, always seeks to see the
best of every moment and be in a good disposition. She is a
very tender woman, with a strong vocation of mom, that is
why she is always aware and in the care of other
people.”
Professor Lilia is convinced that “everything can
be improved in this world”, that nothing is completely
done. This is why she cares every day, not
only about being a better person, but also about
improving her pedagogical and investigative work.
For this reason she continues to travel between
the classrooms and clinics, where she has been
able to weave his dreams and contribute a great
fee to improve the quality of life of patients; where
she has been able to pay for the vocation of her
students; where she has managed to build bonds
with colleagues who admire and honor her legacy;
where she has left an indelible imprint of love for
knowledge.
