News

During the development of the XI International Workshop of the Equity LA Project, in preparation for the International Conference to close the project, the team of researchers in Chile received on Monday 24 the sad news of the death of the Director of the School of Public Health, Dr. Patricia Frenz, which led to suspend all activities, except those related to the completion of the project, which were moved, for one day, to the Regional Medical College.

 

The farewell took place on Wednesday, June 26, at the time when the first day of the International Conference began. At the inauguration, in an atmosphere of solemnity and mourning, the principal investigator of Equity LA II in Chile and deputy director of the School of Public Health, Dr. Pamela Eguiguren, paid tribute to Dr. Frenz, which ended with a minute of silence shared with the audience.

 

Dr. Patricia Frenz, whose contributions to public health are recognized nationally and internationally, had become, in September 2017, the first woman director of the School of Public Health of the School of Medicine of the University of Chile, to which she had belonged since 2008. She had a wide training in two main areas: Doctor of Public Health, Surgeon of the University of Chile and Lawyer (Juris Doctor) of the School of Law of the New York University (USA).

 

The subjects she studied in depth in teaching and research were the development of public policies in health and the environment, equity and social determinants of health, methods in social epidemiology, analysis of inequalities in health and access to health, with special interest in chronic diseases. During the last few years, he conducted research on health reform, social rights and guarantees in health, primary care and urban health, leading national and international teams. She was also a consultant for WHO/PAHO on issues of equity and social determinants of health.

 

As an international community of the Equity LA II Project, we regret the great loss that Dr. Frenz's departure signifies and we thank her for her support to national and international public health, as well as for her constant support to our research.

 

We also want to leave our condolences in these sad moments to her family, to the university community of the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Chile and to all those who had the joy of knowing her.