Dr. José María Benlloch Baviera has been honored with the 2026 Professionalism Award from Rotary Valencia Puerto. This recognition distinguishes his scientific career, his contribution to biomedicine, and a professional path marked by research, innovation, and service to society. The award ceremony took place last Friday, May 15th, at the Hotel Westin Valencia, during the XXVI edition of this prestigious accolade.

The event gathered Rotarian members, representatives of entities, sponsors, collaborators, family, and friends of the club. During the evening, the focus was placed on Benlloch's figure and the significance this award has gained in Valencia over its 26 editions. Historically, the award has recognized profiles and entities such as Luis Martí Bonmatí, María García de la Riva, Carlos Simón Vallés, the Banco de Alimentos de Valencia (Valencian Food Bank), or the Unidad Militar de Emergencias (Military Emergencies Unit).

A Doctor of Physical Sciences and a research professor at the CSIC (Spanish National Research Council) at the Institute of Instrumentation for Molecular Imaging (I3M), a joint center of the CSIC and the Universitat Politècnica de València (Polytechnic University of Valencia), José María Benlloch is considered an international benchmark in biomedicine. His work has focused on applying particle physics techniques to molecular imaging, a field in which he has developed a notable research career.

Among his main contributions is the promotion of the first research group in biomedical imaging in Spain. Furthermore, he has published over 290 international scientific articles, coordinated around thirty research projects, holds several patents, and has fostered technology-based companies linked to biomedical engineering.

His career has also been recognized with highly relevant awards, such as the Rey Jaime I Award for New Technologies in 2008 and the National Research Award Leonardo Torres Quevedo in 2014. During the gala, the president of Rotary Club Valencia Puerto, Marcos Correal, highlighted a career that combines professional excellence, human quality, and a vocation for service.

The award ceremony also had a charitable component. In this edition, the beneficiary entity is the Asociación por Marta Calvo Burón (Association for Marta Calvo Burón), with which Rotary Valencia Puerto will collaborate on an educational initiative aimed at adolescents. The initiative will focus on talks in schools to prevent, raise awareness, and protect against the impact of social media. Mariano Navarro spoke on behalf of the association, outlining the entity's work and the importance of reinforcing awareness and prevention from educational and social spheres.

The evening continued with a dinner and a performance by Los Rítmicos, in a gathering that combined professional recognition, solidarity commitment, and Rotarian fellowship. With this new edition, Rotary Club Valencia Puerto maintains one of its most consolidated awards and once again emphasizes careers capable of uniting professional merit and human values.