The king and queen of Spain awarded the Gold Medal of the Mutua Foundation, the monarchs’ favorite philanthropic foundation, to USC’s Juan A. Asensio on March 3.

Asensio received this honor for his work on difficult injuries and difficult problems in trauma surgery, including his work in cardiac, thoracic and vascular injuries and exsanguination research, along with trauma-prevention work and human-rights advocacy.

Fellow award recipients included these prominent physicians and scientists: the Institute of Human Virology’s Robert Gallo and Luc Montagnier, president of the World Foundation for AIDS Research and Prevention, who were co-discoverers of HIV’s link to AIDS; the University of Pittsburgh’s Thomas Starzl, an organ transplantation pioneer; the University of Oregon’s Donald Trunkey, a national and international leader in trauma surgery; and Rochester University’s Seymour Schwartz, internationally recognized surgeon and former president of the American College of Surgeons.

King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia presented the medals at a ceremony in Madrid. Medal recipients then gathered for a luncheon before giving a series of scientific presentations. Asensio delivered a presentation titled “Difficult Injuries and Difficult Problems: A Trauma Surgeon and His Social Conscience in America.”

The Mutua Foundation is one of Spain’s most prestigious academic, scientific and philanthropic organizations. Previous recipients of this medal have included internationally known scientists and physicians, some of whom have garnered the Nobel Prize or other scientific awards.

Asensio was until recently professor of surgery at the Keck School of Medicine of USC and unit chief for the trauma “A” surgery service in the division of trauma surgery and surgical critical care. He departed USC in February to become chief of the division of clinical research in trauma surgery and professor of surgery at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ) and UMDNJ-University Hospital at Newark.