Santiago, Chile – Dr. Attila Csendes, a renowned Chilean surgeon and academic, has been awarded the National Prize for Medicine 2026, Chile’s highest honor in the field. The recognition acknowledges his more than six decades of contributions to digestive surgery, specialist training and medical research, as announced by the University of Chile.
Born in Hungary, Csendes arrived in Chile as an eight-year-classic refugee, an experience that profoundly shaped his commitment to medicine and humanitarian principles. He began his medical studies at the University of Chile in 1959, embarking on a career that would establish him as a leading figure in Chilean and Latin American surgery.
Csendes’s early career was influenced by the loss of his mother to gastric cancer and the example of his father, a military physician. He quickly focused on abdominal surgery and, following his medical training, pursued further study at the Hospital del Salvador, integrating surgical practice with research into underlying disease processes. A pivotal moment came in 1969 when he attended the First Gastric Cancer Course in Japan, an experience that proved instrumental in introducing and developing the concept of early-stage gastric cancer detection and treatment in Chile and throughout Latin America.
Further expanding his expertise, Csendes received a scholarship from the National Institutes of Health in the United States in 1970, allowing him to join the center led by Dr. Morton Grossman in Los Angeles, a globally recognized institution for digestive diseases. He also undertook advanced training in Denmark, focusing on duodenal ulcer surgery and pioneering work in esophageal manometry.
In 1982, Csendes was appointed Professor of Surgery at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Chile, becoming one of the youngest individuals to achieve that academic rank. He subsequently led the Department of Surgery at the Hospital Clínico in multiple terms, playing a key role in its national and international prominence.
Throughout his career, Csendes has been a prolific researcher, publishing approximately 600 articles both nationally and internationally. He championed evidence-based surgical practices, promoting prospective and randomized studies to strengthen clinical research and integrate Chilean surgery into international academic circuits. He was also a pioneer in the introduction of surgical endoscopy and the development of bariatric and metabolic surgery in Chile, beginning in the early 1990s.
Beyond his clinical and research work, Csendes has dedicated himself to training generations of surgeons at the Hospital Clínico Universidad de Chile, fostering an academic tradition that combines patient care with teaching, research, and community outreach.
“The University of Chile congratulates Professor Emeritus Attila Csendes on his recognition with the National Prize for Medicine 2026,” said Rosa Devés Alesandri, Rector of the University of Chile. “Professor Csendes’s outstanding work at the Faculty of Medicine and the Hospital Clínico positions him as a mentor to multiple generations and one of the most relevant figures in digestive surgery nationally and internationally. His life story and brilliant academic trajectory are a source of inspiration and pride for the entire University.”
Miguel O’Ryan, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Chile, added, “Attila Csendes has been a surgeon ahead of his time; an example to follow for new generations of academic surgeons, which are sorely needed for the future of academic medicine.”
Eduardo Tobar, Director General of the Hospital Clínico Universidad de Chile, stated that the award “constitutes a tremendous pride for the University and, of course, for our Hospital,” emphasizing Csendes’s role as a reference point for surgery and surgical training within the institution. Gonzalo Cardemil, Director of the Department of Surgery, echoed this sentiment, highlighting Csendes’s contributions as a researcher, team builder, and ongoing collaborator with the academic community, even after his retirement.
Dr. Csendes himself expressed his gratitude, stating, “I am deeply moved to receive this recognition, which is the culmination of 56 years of work in academic surgery at the Hospital Clínico of the University of Chile, where not only are patients operated on, but research is conducted, a great deal of teaching and outreach work is carried out.” He also acknowledged the crucial support he received from the Department and the Hospital Clínico throughout his career.
Csendes’s achievements have been previously recognized with his designation as a Master of Chilean Surgery in 2006 and as Professor Emeritus of the University of Chile in 2012. He also holds the distinction of being the first Chilean admitted as an honorary member of the American Surgical Association, one of the oldest and most prestigious surgical societies in the world.
The National Prize for Medicine, awarded since 2002 by a consortium of Chilean medical organizations, recognizes professionals who have excelled in clinical practice, scientific contribution, specialist training, public service, and ethical commitment to the advancement of medicine in the country.
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