Carlos Bravo came from Lorca, in Murcia, to the University of Navarra to study Medicine. After six years of effort and tenacity, in 2015 he graduated with the best transcript of the entire academic center (65 honors, 10 outstanding and 1 B) and it was time to present himself to the spanish medical residency program. 5 hours later he had taken the best exam and a month later, he became the issue one among more than 12,000 applicants. In this interview he recounts the details of a successful career that has only just begun. 

Where were you when you found out that you had obtained the issue 1 among 12,497 applicants?
The Ministry of Health published the results at 00:01 on March 8. I was at home in Lorca, with my parents and my brother, all four of us awake and expectant. The first congratulations I received that same night was from Dr. Jaime Baladrón, director of the Academy spanish medical residency program Asturias, where I had prepared for the exam. The next morning, Dr. Secundino Fernández, Dean of the School, tutor of mine during the degree program and director of my work Fin de Degree, did not take long to contact me at contact .

After this great news, it was also time for an important decision. What now?
The choice of place is, without a doubt, my next challenge in sight. When you have all the doors open to you, it's not so easy to choose. There are a lot of "distractors". I've thought a lot, but I'm not sure yet. Neither the specialization program nor the place. I like almost all of them, but it is not the same to study a subject as the daily internship of the specialization program. I have made a list with the specialties that most attract me: Cardiology, Neurology, Hematology, Dermatology, Ophthalmology and some more. They are completely different from each other, but I have enjoyed studying each of them. So, to break the tie, I am assessing other practical aspects. So I think the deciding factor is going to be the visit to the hospitals. I am going to focus my visits on Murcia and Madrid. My goal is to choose a place that allows me to progress in my training project without "breaking" with the concerns I had when I entered 6 years ago. That is to say, to make a decision that is true to myself.

We've talked about the future, but looking back, why are you so proud to have studied at the University of Navarra?
The University has been the catalyst for my personal growth and evolution. I am an introverted, reflective person, I like to walk slowly and quietly without attracting attention, but every step I took at School resonated intensely within me. Indeed, I am happy with the decision I made seven years ago. At the University of Navarra I got everything I was looking for: scientific-technical, professor and human quality. I left plenary session of the Executive Council of knowledge, experiences and friends, with the feeling that I had built my project staff in the right direction.

However, what would you highlight the most from the project that School of Medicine offered you?
Undoubtedly, then and now, I think that my most enriching experience was studying the pathway Biomedical research . Since I was very young I have felt a great interest and curiosity for the natural sciences, especially Biology. When I was in second grade high school diplomaI won the Biology Olympiad in Murcia, I ranked among the first eight places in the Spanish Olympiad and I won a gold medal in the III Iberoamerican Olympiad. After this biological journey, it was clear to me that I wanted to enter contact with the world of biomedical research during the university period. From 2010 to 2014, I attended the pathway of research Biomedical in the laboratory of Cancer Gene Therapy directed by Dr. Hernandez-Alcoceba. His totally selfless dedication and patience with a young medical student eager for knowledge but who did not even know how to pipe, are the greatest example of quality professor and human that I can highlight at the end of my "Pamplona trip".

And beyond academics, what has it given you?
The human factor. Since the Ministry of Health published the results of spanish medical residency program I have received an avalanche of congratulations via whatsapp, sms and email. More than half of these messages come from former colleagues of the School. Many of them did not even have my issue cell phone or e-mail address, but neither this nor other obstacles typical of such important dates prevented them from bothering to contact me at contact . In all their messages, they told me of their joy and pride in a sincere way. Can there be anything more important than sincere and sympathetic recognition from your peers?

A committee and an inspiring physician

After so much success, is there any committee that you could give to future medical students?
The obligation to be humble, that is, as the Royal Spanish Academy expresses: "to know one's own limitations and weaknesses and to act agreement with this knowledge". That said, students should know that the secret of "academic success" is that there is no secret, but three basic pillars: motivation, work and companionship.

What class doctor would you like to be in the future? Would you like to be like someone else?
The models with the greatest influence on me, apart from the great "ideal" figures such as Gregorio Marañón, Santiago Ramón y Cajal or Severo Ochoa, are those people whose stories have intersected with mine. Obviously, my parents are my first, closest and most important example. I owe them everything, from my genes to unconditional support. Both are health professionals, my father is a family doctor and my mother is a pharmacist, so they are also presented to me as a professional model , of constant effort and work . At the University I have also met extraordinary doctors who, as my professors, have left a deep impression on me. To name some and not others seems unfair to me. Thanks to all of them I have learned that Medicine is science and art in an indivisible way.