Dr. Alcino Silva - Grand Officer of the Order of Prince Henry the Navigator

During the Centennial Festa do Espírito Santo in San Diego, Dr. Antonio Braga, Secretary of State for Portuguese Communities, on behalf of the President of the Republic of Portugal, awarded Dr. Alcino Silva, Professor of the Departments of Neurobiology, Psychiatry and Psychology at the University of California, Los Angeles the tittle of Grand Officer of the Order of Prince Henry the Navigator.
Dr. Silva was recognized for his outstanding work on molecular and cellular cognition. Dr. Silva's lab is focused on deriving explanations of cognitive processes that integrate molecular, cellular and behavioural mechanisms and to find treatments for cognitive disorders. His team recently showed that is possible to reverse conditions associated with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) and tuberous sclerosis, two of the most common genetic disorders that cause learning disabilities and is located at UCLA.
He was born in Portugal, went to Angola, Africa at three years of age and returned to Portugal at the age of 12. After completing his studies, and due to the difficult after the 1974 revolution, he came to the United States to continue his studies and establish himself as a world renown scientist and researcher.
Congratulations to Dr. Silva on his career achievements and for the award bestowed upon him by Portugal.

José M. L. Alves
Vista, CA