3rd Jacques Suaudeau Award for Best Research in Bioethics.
The International Chair of Bioethics Jérôme Lejeune has announced the results of the 3rd Jacques Suaudeau Award (2025), a distinction recognizing the best research work in Bioethics developed within the UFV–Jérôme Lejeune Foundation University Master’s Degree in Bioethics.
In this edition, the jury awarded the prize to Mª Ángeles Mellén Rodríguez, Lecturer in Genomics at Francisco de Vitoria University and researcher in neuroepigenetics and rare diseases, in recognition of the quality and depth of her academic work.
The winning study, entitled “Ethics and Regulation in the Creation of a European Registry of Patients with Rett Syndrome: Foundations for an Ethics Committee within Rare Disease Associations,” addresses a particularly relevant issue in the current context of biomedical research: how to establish clear and responsible ethical frameworks for data management and for collaboration between researchers, patient associations, and healthcare institutions. The work was recognized for its methodological rigor and its ability to provide concrete criteria that place the person and human dignity at the center of research.
The Jacques Suaudeau Award aims to promote reflection and research in Bioethics by recognizing works that, in addition to a solid academic foundation, offer an ethical perspective capable of guiding scientific practice. The prize consists of the publication of the winning work by the publishing house of the Jérôme Lejeune Foundation.
The award is named after Jacques Suaudeau (1941–2022), a physician and priest closely linked to the Jérôme Lejeune Foundation and an internationally recognized figure in Bioethics. Throughout his life, Suaudeau devoted his intellectual and pastoral work to reflecting on the major ethical challenges of contemporary medicine, convinced that scientific progress cannot be separated from respect for human life and human dignity.
With this decision, the International Chair of Bioethics Jérôme Lejeune once again highlights the academic excellence of the submitted works and the international scope of the UFV–FJL Master’s Degree in Bioethics, continuing to promote a Bioethics that accompanies scientific research with rigor, responsibility, and a focus on the human person in their entirety.
More information about the Jacques Suaudeau Award and its regulations is available here.
