Home | News | Luis Paz-Ares named Doctor of the Year at ABC Salud Awards

Luis Paz-Ares, Head of the H12O-CNIO Lung Cancer Clinical Research Unit. / Laura M. Lombardía. CNIO

Luis Paz-Ares, Head of the H12O-CNIO Lung Cancer Clinical Research Unit, has been named Doctor of the Year at this year’s ABC Salud Awards, in recognition of a career that combines clinical care, teaching, and research.

Paz-Ares is Head of Medical Oncology at Hospital Universitario 12 de Octubre and Head of the Thoracic Oncology and Clinical-Translational Research Group i+12. He is one of the leading figures in medical oncology both nationally and internationally and is widely recognized for his scientific contributions to the treatment and management of lung cancer, particularly small cell lung cancer. In this field, he has played a prominent role in the development of new biological and immunological targets, as well as personalized therapeutic strategies to combat one of the most aggressive subtypes of the disease: small cell lung cancer.

He has led numerous international clinical trials that have helped transform the treatment of this type of cancer. Among them is the phase 3 IMforte study, the result of a decade of research. Its findings were presented at ASCO 2025, where they were one of the highlights of the international congress, while the results were simultaneously published in The Lancet. The trial showed that the combination of lurbinectedin and atezolizumab, administered as maintenance therapy, significantly improves survival in patients with advanced small cell lung cancer. These results led to FDA approval in late 2025 and EMA approval in mid-June as the first maintenance treatment option in this setting, thereby improving patients’ prognosis.

Dr. Luis Paz-Ares is also Professor of Medicine at Complutense University of Madrid. Throughout his career, he has received numerous awards, including the Heine H. Hansen Lectureship Award for Small Cell Lung Cancer, presented by the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC) in 2024; the Nóvoa Santos Award, presented by the Association of Galician Physicians (Asomega) in 2025; the Merco-OdS Award in 2024 and 2025, in the category of most highly regarded medical specialists, for his work in Medical Oncology; the Santiago Ramón y Cajal Diploma from the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), in recognition of his contribution to research; and the Argonauta Award from PharmaMar in 2024, recognizing his career and contribution to cancer research.

In addition, in 2024 Paz-Ares was one of two researchers leading a project on small cell lung cancer that received €10 million in funding from the Spanish Association Against Cancer (AECC), the largest grant awarded by the AECC for cancer research up to that point. The project brings together 40 research groups from 31 institutions.

The jury, chaired by former Health Minister Ana Pastor, comprised Beatriz Domínguez-Gil, Director of the Spanish National Transplant Organization; José Miguel García Sagredo, Secretary-General of the Royal National Academy of Medicine; Javier Urzay, Deputy Director-General of Farmaindustria; Constitutional Law Professor Federico de Montalvo; former Health Minister Julián García Vargas; and ABC Society Editor-in-Chief Nuria Ramírez de Castro.

Following the jury’s decision, the awards will be presented at ABC headquarters on October 7.

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