A doctor specialising in cancer diagnosis and research and emeritus professor at the University of Porto, he was considered the «Most Influential Pathologist in the World» by the British magazine “The Pathologist” in 2015.
He is director of IPATIMUP (University of Porto Institute of Molecular and Cellular Pathology and Immunology) and founder of the Institute of Health Research and Innovation at the University of Porto (i3S).
He chaired the European Society of Pathology (1999 to 2001), where he became Secretary-General (1989 to 1997), and he was the vice-president of Health Cluster Portugal (2008 to 2017) .
He chaired the School Council of the National School of Public Health at Nova University Lisbon (2009-2014) and the National Council of Clinical Academic Centres (2015-2021).
He was awarded the Pessoa Prize (2002), the Viva Science Grand Prize (2016), the Gago Prize for the Development of Science in Europe (2018), an Honorary Fellowship at the Royal College of Pathologists (2018) and the SEAP Pio del Rio Hortega Prize (2019). He was decorated with the Commendations of Officer and Grand Officer of the Royal Order of Norway (2003 and 2010) the Grand Cross of the Order of Prince Henry (2004) and the Grand Cross of the Military Order of Saint James of the Sword (2017).