Rios earns Panama’s Medal of Honor
Adan Rios, MD, professor in the Department of Internal Medicine, received the General Victoriano Lorenzo Medal of Honor, on June 7 in Panama.
The General Victoriano Lorenzo Medal honors Panamanian heroes of the Independence of Panama from Colombia who distinguish themselves for their humble origins and dedication to the indigenous and rural populations of Panama. Rios was presented the award by President of Panama Laurentino Cortizo Cohen at the Government Palace of the Province of Panama.
He received the award alongside poet Alvaro Menéndez Franco, who was nominated for the Nobel Prize for Literature. Additionally, the award was granted posthumously to Evangelos Koumanis and Haralmbos Tzanetatos, distinguished Greek immigrants who contributed to the welfare of the Panamanian people as well as Sor Idian Reiss Flores, director of the oldest orphanage in Panama City.
Rios was honored for his role in founding a nursing school in a rural area of Panama, where there was no availability of such education, and for his work with an international conference of medicine that brought some of the best scientific minds from the United States to Panama for more than a decade.
More recently, Rios began raising funds for and visiting all outlets of the Casa Esperanza (House of Hope), a Panamanian NGO which provides homes for children at social risk. The foundation currently helps 3,500 children in Panama.
Rios is internationally renowned for his work in HIV-associated malignancies and the treatment of tumors with biological response modifiers. His work has been recognized with several awards including the 2001 MD Anderson Cancer Center Distinguished Alumnus Award, the 2003 George Washington University Presidential Medal Award, and the 2008 UTHealth Houston Minority Services Award for his efforts on behalf of the education of minority students in the science and health fields.