Juan Jesús Gestal Otero is Professor Emeritus of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, Director of the Chair of Medical Hydrology-USC-Balnearios de Galicia.

Juan Jesús Gestal Otero is, above all, a public health professional: Degree in Medicine from the USC (1964-1970), PhD from the University of Navarra (1974), specialist in Preventive Medicine and Public Health and in Occupational Medicine and doctor of the National Health Corps by competitive examination (1975).

He has held the positions of Deputy Provincial Chief of Health of A Coruña (1976-1980) and Director of the Secondary Center of Hygiene and Local Chief of Health of Santiago (1981-1985).

Since he finished his degree in 1970, he has been linked to the Chair of Hygiene and Health (nowadays Preventive Medicine and Public Health) occupying all the positions of the teaching career up to the position of Professor (1988).

Alongside the teaching activity he has performed research and care activity as Head of Service of Preventive Medicine at the Hospital Clínico Universitario de Santiago until his retirement in 2017, being then appointed Professor Emeritus and continuing until today with the Direction of the Chair of Medical Hydrology (since its creation in 2009).

He has also been Director General of Public Health (1996-1997) and Dean of the Santiago School of Medicine (2011-2017).

He is numerary academician of the Royal Academies of Medicine (since 1995) and of Pharmacy of Galicia (since 2003).