Kalil takes office at the National Academy of Medicine

The cardiologist This Friday (May 22, 2026) Roberto Kalil Filho became a full member of the (National Academy of Medicine), one of the main scientific institutions in the country. The president (PT), ministers of the Federal Supreme Court and the government and artists participated in the event, held in Rio. This was the first time that a president of the Republic was inaugurated by a member of the academy.

Kalil took over the #1 seat at the gym. He succeeds pulmonologist José Manoel Jansen. In a speech, the doctor defended the SUS (Unified Health System), the fight against misinformation and the preservation of the humanistic character of medicine. Read Kalil’s speech [PDF – 80kB].

Watch the video of the ceremony:

President Lula’s personal doctor, Kalil stated that the ANM should occupy space in the public debate and act as a scientific reference.“The country needs voices that speak about science without demagoguery. Health without populism. Medicine without spectacle”he declared. The cardiologist defended the public health system and classified universal access to treatments as an ethical obligation.

During his speech, Kalil criticized the spectacularization of medicine and warned of the risks of misinformation on health topics. For him, doctors need “defend science without arrogance” e “combating misinformation without losing the capacity for dialogue”.

The doctor also stated that technological advances do not replace the human dimension of the profession. “Technology transforms medical practice, and it is wonderful that it does so. But it does not replace compassion. It does not replace empathetic listening. It does not replace moral responsibility in the face of other people’s suffering”these.

When dealing with the advancement of artificial intelligence in medicine, Kalil stated that clinical judgment remains indispensable. “The clinic remains the moral center of medicine”he declared.

In another excerpt, the cardiologist summarized his view on the role of science and medicine, saying that “cScience without ethics is dangerous” e “technology without humanism is empty”.

Kalil also paid tribute to historic names in Brazilian medicine, such as Adib Jatene and Silvano Raia. He asked that medicine remain committed to human dignity and collective hope.

At the end of his speech, the doctor paraphrased the singer and composer Gilberto Gilwho attended the ceremony in person. “Against physical and moral darkness, let there be at least the flame of a candle until we reach the light of the moon”he stated. Kalil said that “if the night invents darkness, light invents moonlight”.

PRESENT AT THE CEREMONY

In addition to Lula, the following also participated in the ceremony:

• Janja Lula da Silva – first lady;
• Geraldo Alckmin – vice-president;
• Lu Alckmin – deputy first lady;
• Alexandre Padilha – Minister of Health;
• Alexandre Silveira – Minister of Mines and Energy;
• Nísia Trindade – former Minister of Health;
• Luis Felipe Salomão – vice-president of the STJ (Superior Court of Justice);
• Alexandre de Moraes – vice-president of the STF;
• Viviane Barci de Moraes – lawyer and wife of Alexandre de Moraes;
• Eduardo Cavaliere – mayor of Rio;
• Gilberto Kassab – national president of the PSD;
• Moreira Franco – former governor of Rio de Janeiro;
• Aloizio Mercadante, – president of BNDES;
• José Seripieri Filho – owner of Amil;
• Gilberto Gil – musician and composer;
• Flora Gil – businesswoman and wife of Gilberto Gil;
• Jorge Moll – president of the Board of Directors of Rede D’Or;
• Marco Aurélio Carvalho, lawyer at Grupo Prerrogativas.

CAREER

Roberto Kalil Filho is 66 years old. Born in São Paulo, on July 7, 1959. He is one of the most renowned and influential cardiologists in Brazil. He holds the positions of president of the Board of Directors of the hospital, general director of cardiology at the hospital and full professor of cardiology at the hospital.

In his career as a doctor, Kalil treated several presidents of the Republic, ministers, businessmen and artists. He often says that, as a doctor, you cannot differentiate between a patient based on their position.

He graduated in medicine in 1985 from the Santo Amaro University, in São Paulo. He completed a medical residency at Hospital das Clínicas and Instituto do Coração, specializing in internal medicine and cardiology. After 4 years of residency, he went to the United States and studied at the University for 3 years, where he did basic research and published works in the area of ​​coronary disease in international journals, completing his doctorate and post-doctorate.