In light of the stressful conditions of uncertainty and vulnerability brought about by the coronavirus pandemic, we wanted to learn how people with a deeper understanding of the issue live it.
José María Martín Moreno is a full university professor of the Preventive Medicine and Public Health at the Universitat de València. A PhD in Epidemiology and Public Health from Harvard University, he dedicated his life to public healthcare. His professional career includes prevention of epidemics, non-communicable chronic diseases, cancer control, nutrition, and the policies adopted via the healthcare system management, and so on. We look at the class of professionals whose CV is so impressive that it intimidates any person preparing an interview about the researcher. And yet, from the first minutes of conversation giving a glimpse of a private life of the person, you realize that you speak to someone close, who will surely tell you a good story.
During one of such online conversations, we asked the professor what he thinks about the current situation and what he is doing these days in the times of confinement and uncertainty. José María cannot leave behind his teaching vocation and encyclopaedic training and continues slipping data and scientific concepts into the conversation in a very natural way: “The ides of March have brought about a new reality, inviting an unusual guest - COVID-19. The ides were the days of omen for the Romans, and March was dedicated to Mars, the god of war. We are currently in a kind of war, of confrontation, and our role now is to protect ourselves altogether through confinement and distancing so as not to infect one another and do the things properly.”
The experts ensure that, to tackle the issue, we can take control over our decisions and plan our action plan to neutralize the feeling of helplessness. Being aware of this fact, Dr. Martín Moreno continues working at the university and offering his service remotely: “We continue working using the new technologies; in my case, we go on with the research topics with the help of WebEx, Zoom, Skype, LinkedIn, twitter, WhatsApp, email - everything we have within our reach. To teach Clinical Epidemiology or manage the Master’s programme in Public Health and Health Management, I use the Virtual Classroom.”
The doctor wanted to send a message of hope: “I believe that this important event proves the words of Nietzsche that what doesn’t kill us makes us stronger. With this spirit, we will do whatever it takes to continue with the essential things.”
A good thing of this unprecedented crisis is that, in our vulnerability, we develop our social senses and the need to be closer to people. Undoubtedly, José María is one of those people that we should get to know better as soon as the crisis is over.
