Spanish
It was July 2017 and Solmayra Vargas was going on stage to receive the Roche Journalism Award in Health, a recognition that not only validated a series of reports on skin cancer, but also a way of understanding journalism: as an educational tool, as a bridge between science and community. The Venezuelan journalist, trained in communication and health education, had spent the last few months traveling between coastal and Andean communities, collecting stories and myths about photoprotection. The result, "Piel bajo la lupa" (Skin under the magnifying glass), became one of the most awarded and replicated pieces in the region.
Talking to Solmayra is discovering that each piece of data can be told as a story. For her, scientific rigor is not at odds with narrative warmth. "The most important thing is not only to know how many cases of melanoma there are per year, but what a mother thinks when she sees a spot on her child's back and doesn't know what to do," she explained in one of the talks after the award. Her method is clear: listen first, translate later. Convert statistics into simple questions. Use real-life examples to talk about health.
Your winning project combined print reports, podcasts, infographics, and a television documentary. It spoke with oncologists, patients, and teenagers who didn't apply sunscreen because they wanted to "look better." Each piece concluded with a concrete action: check a mole, consult a doctor, share the content. Two months after the documentary aired, hospitals registered an increase in dermatological consultations. The videos were used as a pedagogical resource in public schools. The hashtag #PielBajoLaLupa (SkinUnderTheMicroscope) was trending among young people who discovered that health can also be told from Instagram.
But beyond the award, what defined the moment was Solmayra's speech. Upon receiving the award, she spoke not of herself, but of those who had shared her story. "This award is for those who have not read science written with letters of hope," she said. It was her way of reminding the audience that journalism is not just information, but also empowerment.
After Roche, her work found new platforms. She received a scholarship to train in data visualization, launched a chatbot that answers questions about skin lesions, and produced a podcast series on advances in teledermatology. Her content has reached thousands of users who no longer see sunscreen as a luxury, but as a routine. She trained young journalists who today tell health stories from press rooms or TikTok accounts. She also collaborated with NGOs that use her resources in rural medical days.
What distinguishes Vargas is not only knowledge, but the way he puts it at the service of the people. There is no drama in his style, but there is urgency. There is no unnecessary technicality, but there is depth. He knows that changes begin when the audience recognizes itself in what it hears. And in "Piel bajo la lupa", the entire region was reflected. The series had an echo in neighboring countries, where it was subtitled and replicated by educational television stations.
The journalist has insisted on the need to include the prevention of skin cancer in the school and work agenda. She has designed manuals for teachers, alliances with pharmacies, and tutorials for hairdressing and beauty salon staff, where the first warning signs are often detected. Her concept of health is intersectoral: it involves family, community, companies, and the media.
Almost a decade after that recognition, her name remains linked to a journalism that doesn't stay on the surface. Solmayra defends communication with a clinical eye and neighborhood language. She has been a speaker at dermatology conferences, a trainer of community spokespersons, and the author of guides for journalists specializing in health. Her legacy is simple and powerful: to tell to care. And in times of hoaxes, alarmist headlines, and information overload, her work demonstrates that the truth can also move, educate, and save.
The case of Solmayra Vargas and the 2017 Roche Prize remains as an example of how a well-crafted chronicle can have the same impact as a vaccine: to prevent through knowledge, to save through the word. Her voice was not only awarded, it was heard. And it continues to resonate.
