It is with great sadness that we leave this tribute to the life and work of Don Carlos A. Villaverde Grote. Don Carlos A. Villaverde, a native of La Laguna (Tenerife), died in San Cugat del Vallés (Barcelona) on December 30th, 2025, at the age of 92, surrounded by his family.
We believe that the journal of the Spanish Society of Arteriosclerosis (SEA) is the ideal setting to pay tribute to him and his legacy as a doctor and scientist, taking into account all the work and great drive with which Carlos contributed to the study of arteriosclerosis in Spain.
At the Spanish Society of Thrombosis and Haemostasis (SETH in its Spanish acronym), which Carlos himself had founded a few years earlier, he promoted the creation of an arteriosclerosis working group and in 1985, its first national conference was held: the symposium entitled “Lipids and Arteriosclerosis”.
Luis Masana was interested in forming a solid lipid research group, so they joined forces to encourage other colleagues working in the area to join the initiative. Finally, the organising committee of the Spanish Society of Arteriosclerosis was set up, chaired by Carlos Villaverde. The initial statutes were finalised in December 1986, and in January 1987, the documents of the new Scientific Society were presented to the Registry of the Catalonian government, Generalitat de Catalunya.
On April 27th, 1987, the first meeting of the Spanish Society of Arteriosclerosis, SEA, took place, as recorded in the Book of Abstracts of the Arteriosclerosis Satellite Symposium, within the framework of the III National Conference of SETH (Spanish Society of Thrombosis and Haemostasis) in Palma de Mallorca. Those plans came to fruition and the first Board of Directors of the SEA was elected in Palma, with Rafael Carmena as president and Carlos Villaverde as vice-president. Since then, many presidents have succeeded Carmena at the head of the Society, all of them having been specialists of recognised prestige who have contributed to the growth and consolidation of the SEA.
Three of its presidents sign this obituary: Lina Badimon, who was his doctoral student; Lluís Masana, who maintained a close professional and personal relationship with him since the founding years; and the current president, José López-Miranda. During his term of office, Lluís Masana appointed Carlos Villaverde as Honorary Member of the SEA. It was Lluís's wish that Juanjo and Lina Badimon present the commemorative plaque, at a ceremony full of emotion and recognition (photo).
Over the years, SEA has become a solid and strong society, made up of members who have led knowledge in the field of atherosclerosis, lipids and cardiovascular risk factors, both nationally and internationally.
Carlos, with his keen interest in contributing to the advancement of medical science in Spain, was instrumental in laying the foundations for what were to become scientific societies devoted to addressing the causes of what was then, and even still is today, the leading cause of death. Thanks to Carlos’s initiative, thrombosis and atherosclerosis were given a framework within which they could be actively addressed and studied, and two prestigious societies have continued to make strides, with the participation of numerous members to this day.
Carlos Villaverde's professional career began as a pharmacologist at the Almirall Laboratories, then later he orientated his career to a more academic and scientific field when he moved to the Institute of Pharmacology within the Juan de La Cierva Board of Trustees of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) in Barcelona. It was at the CSIC where his teachings impacted a large number of young people interested in cardiovascular pharmacology and more specifically in atherothombosis and the cardiovascular system.
Those of us who were his disciples can say that he taught us to take our first steps in science, and in a lab. He provided us with the knowledge of the basics of clinical pharmacology that has helped us so much throughout our professional careers. In addition, he encouraged us to broaden our horizons and go abroad, to expose ourselves to new ways of thinking and working. In those times when it was very difficult to find a salary for a young researcher in Spain, Carlos tirelessly sought opportunities so that we could continue with our work, aimed at obtaining our dissertation and/or doctoral thesis. How many toxicity studies on new molecules we had to carry out to contribute to the project development that supported the training of those young scientists.
Carlos Villaverde trained numerous doctors and scientists who have reached extremely high levels in their respective careers, both in Spain and abroad. His scientific legacy has been, and continues to be, excellent, transmitted down through the doctoral students of his own doctoral students.
When in the 90s, we, the undersigned, Juan José Badimon and Lina Badimon, were recruited at the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, our assessment was not only based on our articles and scientific career but also on the academic positions held at that time by the disciples we had trained. If this same yardstick had been applied to Carlos Villaverde, his teaching and scientific activity would have deserved the highest rating.
Among the colleagues who coincided simultaneously in his department were Lina Badimon, Juan José Badimon, Eva Bastida, Ginés Escolar, Teresa Padró, Rosa Hernández, Esther Peña, and many others who were his disciples before and after our time.
Carlos, may you rest in peace. You have gone but we will not forget you.
