The Senate of the Dominican Republic recognizes the trajectory of Dr. Daisy Acosta Valerio, Researcher at UNPHU

Dr. Daysi Acosta, director of the National Brain Bank (BNC-UNPHU) and researcher at Universidad Nacional Pedro Henríquez Ureña (UNPHU), was recognized by the Senate of the Dominican Republic, for her contributions in the field of neuropsychiatry, geriatric psychiatry and forensic psychiatry in the country.

Dr. Acosta was the president of the World Alzheimer’s Association, the only woman in the world to hold that position. She has more than 40 publications in indexed journals of impact; she has carried out important research related to this degenerative disease and other neurological pathologies, and in addition, in his role as a professor at UNPHU, she has contributed to the training of hundreds of Dominican doctors.

The scroll of distinction was handed over to Acosta by Mr. Eduardo Estrella, president of the Senate, who highlighted the vocation of service and the professional legacy of the psychiatrist.

Upon receiving the scroll Dr. Daysi Acosta said, “What a joy to grow old and to have efforts recognized.” She thanked the Senate, all the people who have supported her in her academic development, as well as her children, to whom she apologized for all the absences demanded by her career.  She expressed, “This is not just for doing research, writing articles; for every little step you need guides, colleagues and I have a lot of that.”

Mr. Eduardo Estrella said: “When you want you can; coming from a remote area, studying, preparing as a doctor is an example for everyone, that willing is power. We in the Senate are honored to acknowledge a woman like her.” 

At the event were present on behalf of the university: Dr. José Guillen, Director of Special Projects; Claudia Acra Despradel, Director of Research; Dr. José Luna Muñoz, scientific advisor at BNC-UNPHU and Rosiil Rodríguez, project manager of Vice-Rectory Research, Link and Internationalization Projects. The event was held in the Senate on November 23, 2022

About Daisy Acosta

She is a Dominican neuropsychiatrist, geriatric psychiatrist, and forensic psychiatrist. Acosta is the vice president of the Dominican College of Neuropsychology and is the vice president of the Dominican Society of Psychiatry.

In 1977 she graduated as a doctor at Universidad Nacional Pedro Henríquez Ureña (UNPHU), ​She is principal investigator of the Dementia Research Group 10/66 at the Dominican Center. 

Between 1980 and 1984, he worked in Psychiatry at Saint Francis General Hospital in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. She was Head of the male psychiatric unit at Woodville State Hospital, which closed in 1992, and worked at the Buttler Community Mental Health Center, Fairfield, Ohio, USA.She is a teacher at Global Mental Health, and a founding member of the Dominican Alzheimer’s Association (ADA). She has written several books on dementia, including ‘’Alzheimer’s disease: diagnosis and treatment. A Latin American Perspective”, in collaboration with Luis Ignacio Brusco.