Former Head of the Laboratory of Immunogenetics
Amado Salvador Peña, Professor of Gastrointestinal Immunology in the “VU”University Medical Center (VUmc) in Amsterdam, the Netherlands 1991 – 2007, he was founder and Head of the Laboratory of Immunogenetics in the VUmc in 1992. The Research Laboratory was first under the umbrella of the Department of Gastroenterology, since the 1st February 2005 in the Department of Pathology and since 2013 in the Department of Medical Microbiology and Infection Control. He was a senior staff member of the Department of Gastroenterology in the VUmc (1991-2005).
Since January 2008 he is Professor Emeritus of the VU University medical centre at the Laboratory of Immunogenetics (Head Prof. S.A. Morré).
His main interest is in research is translational research in immunogenetics of chronic inflammatory, autoimmune diseases and in personalzed medicine. He was born in El Salvador. He completed his Secondary School in the Jesuit College “Colegio Centro America”,Granada, Nicaragua, Central America. He studied medicine in Madrid (Universidad Complutense:1960-1966), Spain and trained in internal medicine with Prof. J.M. Pajares at the “Hospital de la Princesa” in Madrid (1963-1966). He obtained the Educational Council for Foreign Medical Graduates Certificate (ECFMG) in 1966 and obtained a Ph.D. degree (D. Phil. Oxon) in the University of Oxford, UK in 1971. He was trained in gastroenterology in Oxford, England, with Dr. Sidney C. Truelove (1966-1971) and in Leiden, the Netherlands with Prof. A.J. Charles Haex. He worked in an academic position in the University of Leiden, Leiden, The Netherlands (1971-1991). He trained in immunology in Bethesda, U.S. at the National Institutes of Health with Dr. W. Strober (1975-1976). He is a regular reviewer for several journals in gastroenterology, immunology and genetics. He is Section Editor for Gastroenterology of the European Journal of Internal Medicine 2008-2014 He was Member of the International Advisory Board 2010-2013 of the Annals of Gastroenterology, the official journal of tje Hellenic Society of Gastroenterology He is one of the Deputy Editors of Official Jorurnal of Research Institute for gastroenterology and Liver diseases: Gastroenterology and Hepatology from bed to bench He is a member of ResearchGate net
Professional Memberships
He is a member of several societies of gastroenterology and immunology, including the American and Dutch Societies of Gastroenterology. He is an Honorary Member “Medalla de Oro” (Gold Medal) of the Spanish Society of Gastroenterology (SEPD), the “Asociación Castellana de Aparato Digestivo (ACAD)” as well as the Hungarian Society of Gastroenterology (Honorary Membership). He was Medical Patron of the European Federation of Crohn and Colitis Associations (EFCCA). In 1998 he has been elected “Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians” (London, U.K.). He is a senior member of the IOIBD. He was made a “Knight of the Order of the Netherlands Lion” in September, 2000 on the merits of his dedication in celiac disease research and patient care. He wasInternational Director of the IBD Unit in the Hospital Clínico San Carlos with Dr Julio García Paredes, Madrid Spain 1999 – 2002. He received the “Joanna and David B. Sachar”, International Award and Visiting Professorship in Inflammatory Bowel Disease at the Mount Sinai, New York, USA in 2003. He has been appointed as “visiting professor” in the University of Alcalá de Henares, Spain January -May 2006. On the first of May 2006 he was elected as Fellow of the American Gastroenterological Association (AGAF). In 1998 he was elected “Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians” (London, U.K.) [ image 9kb ] On the 13th of October 2007 he was elected Professor Honoris Causa of the Catholic University of Cordoba, Argentina. [ image 84kb ] Since 2010 he is a member of the external board of professors of the University of Seville, Spain: “Curso de Experto Universitario en Enfermedad Celíaca” and since 2013 “Actualizacion de conocimientos en la enfermedad celíaca: orientación sanitaria (I Edición)” Since July 2011 Member of the advisory board of “Asociación de Celíacos y Sensibles al Gluten de El Salvador (ACELYSES).As an AGA Fellow (AGAF). He achieved the highest level of membership in the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) and recognized to have made a significant contributions to the field of Gastroenterology and was honored with an AGA Fellowship ribbon during DDW® 2009 in Chicago by the AGA.
Extramural Funding Prous Science Fellowships 2000-2003 (three year grant); CCFA Senior Research Award 2002-2003 (two year grant); European Gastric Cancer Research (EURGAST) FP5 European Union 2001-2004 (INFOBIOMED) FP6 European Union 2003-2006. IBDChip FP6 European Union 2006-2009
Publications and Director of PhD Thesis Peña, A.S. (Author) (PubMed) Director of 18 PhD thesis (See “Thesis section” in this Website)