• The CRS (Controlled Release Society) is the leading worldwide scientific organization in the area of controlled release of drugs
    • María José Alonso’s lab has pioneered numerous discoveries in the field of Pharmaceutical Nanotechnology and Nanomedicine
    • These are new recognitions of the outstanding career of Professor Alonso by international scientific institutions, after her election to the US National Academy of Medicine, to the prestigious College of Fellows of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering’s (AIMBE) and to the CRS College of Fellows
    • Alonso also received the “CRS Founders Award” granted by this scientific organization in 2018 

The Controlled Release Society (CRS, Inc) has announced the distinction of María José Alonso, Professor of Biopharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Technology at the University of Santiago de Compostela (USC), with two major awards, the ‘CRS Distinguished Service Award’ and the ‘Women in Science Award’. These awards will be giving to Maria José during the 2020 CRS Annual Meeting in Las Vegas.

The Controlled Release Society grants the Distinguished Service Award to a CRS member who has provided sustained, effective, and outstanding service and leadership to CRS. The award is not automatically given each year, only in the years when there is an exceptional member who fits the criteria. Only seventeen scientists have received this award since 1995. Alonso is the fourth woman being honored with this distinction, which recognizes her outstanding research career.

Together with this honor, Alonso will receive the CRS Women in Science Award, an honor granted to a woman scientist who must be internationally recognized for outstanding contributions in science and technology.

These are new recognitions of the outstanding career of Professor Alonso by international scientific institutions, after her election to the US National Academy of Medicine in 2016, to the prestigious College of Fellows of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering’s (AIMBE) in 2017, and to the CRS College of Fellows in 2018.

Alonso’s research trajectory

María José Alonso’s lab (https://www.usc.gal/grupos/mjalonsolab/) has pioneered numerous discoveries in the field of Nanopharmaceutical Technology and nanomedicine. She has coordinated several research consortia financed by the WHO, the Gates Foundation and the European Commission. She is the author of over 280 scientific contributions with more than 17,800 cites (H factor 73) and the inventor of 22 patent families. Because of the quality of her scientific articles she has been among the TOP TEN in Pharmacology (Times Higher Education international ranking, Thomson Reuters, 2010).

She also serves on the editorial board of 11 journals and she is Editor-in-Chief of the Drug Delivery and Translational Research. In 2006-10, she was the Vice-rector of Research and Innovation of the USC. She has advised the Ministry of Sciences and Innovation in the elaboration of the Law of Sciences, Technology and Innovation, and, she has been part of the advisory council of the Ministry of Health in Spain.

She has received numerous awards, including the ‘King Jaume I Award’ on New Technologies, the ‘Maurice Marie Janot Award’, the ‘CRS Founders Award’, the ‘María Josefa Wonenburger Award’ and the ‘Castelao Medal’. She is also a member of three Academies in Spain and the US National Academy of Medicine.

 A long commitment with the CRS

María José has also held responsibilities in several scientific societies, among them the CRS. She first contributed to the CRS as the Founder of the Spanish-Portuguese Local Chapter (1994), later as a Governor (1995), as a member of the Board of Scientific Advisors (2012), as a Director-at-Large (2013), as a Secretary (2016), as a President Elect (2017), as a President (2018-2019) and, currently, as a Past President. She is also a member of the CRS College of Fellows, the most prestigious level of membership in CRS, counting with 102 scientists from all over the word.

The Controlled Release Society (CRS) is a global organization, with a membership network representing over 1,000 professionals, whose main goal is “Advancing delivery science and technology to solve global challenges”. In that sense, CRS, the leading worldwide society in this field, gathers delivery scientists, engineers, clinicians, and technical professionals in a multidisciplinary network oriented to broaden the knowledge and the applications of delivery science and technology.

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