A total of 19 physicians from primary care centres and hospitals of the Catalan Health Institute (ICS) have been distinguished with one of the Awards for Professional Excellence of the Official College of Physicians of Barcelona (COMB, in the Catalan acronym). Among them, four Vall d'Hebron professionals who combine health care work with research at VHIR. The awards ceremony took place yesterday, November 14th at the Axa Auditorium in Barcelona.Since 2004, the COMB gives these awards according to a jury of medical professionals, in recognition of the trajectories based on honesty, commitment, altruism, integrity, work well done and excellence. The awards are divided into 7 areas of action: hospital care, primary care, other healthcare areas, medical education, biomedical research, humanities, cooperation and management, and healthcare equipment.The Vall d'Hebron winners are:In the field of hospital care, Dr. Antonio Román Broto, physician of the Pneumology Service of the Vall d'Hebron Hospital and principal investigator of the VHIR's Pneumology Research Group.In the field of biomedical research, Dr. Alfons Macaya Ruiz, of the Paediatrics Service of the Vall d'Hebron Hospital and head of the VHIR's Paediatric Neurology research group.In the field of humanities, cooperation and management were awarded Dr. Núria Serre Delcor of the Unit of Tropical Medicine and International Health Vall d'Hebron-PROSICS Barcelona and Dr. Antoni Soriano Arandes, of the Paediatric Service of the Vall d'Hebron Hospital and researcher of the VHIR's Immunodepressive Paediatric Patient Infection research group.For the complete list of winners: http://bit.ly/Premis_COMB