When we decided to discuss the “welcoming internationals” theme, Mert Erginkaya was among the first names that came to mind. Mert has been a close friend for over six years, and I’ve always felt he represents the Champalimaud Foundation (CF) community at its best. This piece is his story and, in a way, a bit of mine, because I was lucky enough to be part of Mert’s CF journey.

When Diego Carrasco first saw Lisbon from the air fifteen years ago, the city looked like a watercolour: terracotta rooftops glowing above the Tagus River. “I remember seeing the roofs from the plane,” he says. “It was so romantic. I thought this city is so old, and at the same time, so new.”
It was 2010, and Carrasco, a young Colombian doctor, had been selected to come to Portugal through a government programme that invited Latin American doctors to work in Europe. “I felt welcome from the very beginning, as it was the government itself that had opened the door.”

It was Friday evening, November 7th, and the entrance hall of the Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown didn’t look like itself. Where one would normally expect calm and quiet, the space pulsed with energy, the clinking of pots, the low hum of conversation, the scent of coriander, roasted pumpkin, and the promise of so much more.

Host

Adriana Sánchez Danés, PhD, Cancer and Stem Cell Biology Lab

Venue

Seminar room

James Watson was an outstanding figure in science, having carried out crucial work in the discovery of the structure of DNA, which earned him the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1962. His essential discoveries in the field of biology were decisive in shaping the course of Science as we know it today.

Colorectal cancer remains one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths in Portugal, and awareness with knowledge can save lives.

Programme

Polyps, what they are and how they’re treated, Ricardo Rio-Tinto, Champalimaud Foundation

When can we avoid surgery for rectal cancer, Laura Fernandez, Champalimaud Foundation

Minimally invasive surgery, José Azevedo, Champalimaud Foundation

The role of exercise, Pedro Saint-Maurice and Carla Malveiro, Champalimaud Foundation

“I was a psychedelic teenager. Then, at 18, I had a bad trip with LSD, and became very paranoid”, explained Jules Evans to his audience at the event that took place at Champalimaud Foundation, at the beginning of the month, under the title “Psychedelic Therapy: From Evidence to Equity”. Today, Evans is the founder and Director of the Challenging Psychedelic Experiences Project, the leading resource for post-psychedelic difficulties and what helps people recover from them.

Host

Corinna Gebehart, PhD, Sensorimotor Integration

Venue

Seminar room

The distinction recognises in addition to Leonor Beleza’s outstanding contribution to strengthening the friendship between Portugal and France, her lifelong dedication to causes of shared importance including the promotion of democracy, the advancement of gender equality, the improvement of healthcare systems, and the support of medical and scientific research.

The ceremony took place at the French Embassy in Portugal, at the Palácio de Santos, in the presence of the highest-ranking dignitaries.

Fred Hollows was an extraordinary man, “one of the most interesting people to have come out of the area of ophthalmology for many years, because he was a real disruptor”, said Nicola Watkinson, chair of the Fred Hollows Foundation UK, during an interview she gave us when she was in Lisbon, in September, to receive the 2025 António Champalimaud Vision Award.