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Medical Ethics at the Present Time
INTERVIEW
Interview with Dr. Ana Luis Caballero Elvira, chairwoman of the ethics committee of iBiomed My name is Ana Luisa Caballero Elvira. I am Mexican and hold an undergraduate degree in clinical nutrition from the Universidad del Valle de Atemajac. Shortly after graduating, I was invited to collaborate as a clinical trial coordinator. At first I imagined this would involve work as a researcher, developing protocols and putting them into practice. In fact, a very different type of work awaited me, both astonishing and highly satisfying, as the development of new pharmaceuticals involves a great deal of background work that few of us are aware of. Moreover, there is the satisfaction of helping patients and even becoming a part of their lives.
After working for three years as a dietitian/nutritionist in the nutrition department of the Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social, the Mexican public health system, I had the opportunity to become assistant head of the department and also to teach internal courses on various subjects. I was recently selected to coordinate the undergraduate program in applied nutrition, which the institution offers as part of its strategic ongoing training plan for its employees. Nevertheless, for personal reasons I decided to continue to work as a clinical trial coordinator, accepting an invitation to join the iBiomed team. I am grateful to the director for his confidence in me and for a subsequent invitation to join the ethics committee, where I began by acting as secretary. I am currently chairwoman of the committee. Mexico definitely remains a developing country, especially in the area of health care. One proof of this is that the expected life span of Mexicans has gone from 42 years in 1940 to 75 years in the year 2000 (1).
