António Rendas - Portugal
Aga Khan University
António Rendas was the Rector of the NOVA University Lisbon, between January 2007 and September 2017. He was President of the Council of Rectors of Portuguese Universities from 2010 to 2014 and during that period member of the Council of the European University Association, as Portuguese representative.
With a degree in Medicine from the Medical School of the University of Lisbon, António Rendas earned his PhD in Experimental Pathology (pulmonary hypertension) from the Cardiothoracic Institute, University of London, in 1977.
From 1974 to 1978 he was a researcher in the University of London, Brompton Hospital and in Harvard Medical School, Children´s Hospital Medical Center. In 1979 he returned to Portugal where he developed his academic career that he keeps until today in the NOVA Medical School, NOVA University Lisbon, as Full Professor of Pathophysiology.
At NOVA, he served has Dean of the Institute of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (IHMT) and of the NOVA Medical School, among other positions.
António Rendas has played several top roles at national and international levels such as Vice-President of the Portuguese Society of Pneumology, and Coordinator of the Council of Medical Education of the Portuguese Medical Association. Currently he is member of the Steering Committee of the Network of Universities from the Capitals of Europe (UNICA), Vice-President of the Health Cluster Portugal and member of the Board of Trustees of Aga Khan University.
His research interests focus on the physiology and pathophysiology of respiration, biomedical evaluation of aging, medical teaching with emphasis on problem-learning and conceptual maps, university governance, institutional autonomy and strategic planning using performance indicators. He is author or co-author of over 200 publications including communications, scientific articles, books and book chapters.
He has coordinated and participated in several national and international consultancies in areas like medical education, with the adoption of innovative pedagogical methods and also in the development of international biomedical research networks.