Drauzio Varella

Antônio Drauzio Varella is a Brazilian doctor, educator, scientist and medical science popularizer in the press and TV, as well as best-selling author. In addition to medicine, Varella is a public commentator on issues such as prison conditions, social welfare, government, literature and his professed atheism and skepticism.
Varella came from a family of Portuguese and Spanish descent from São Paulo. He studied medicine at the Medical School of the University of São Paulo. While a student, he was one of the founders of a pre-med preparatory course with João Carlos di Genio and other colleagues, where he taught chemistry for several years. This course later became the largest private educational system in Brazil, the Universidade Paulista and the Sistema Objetivo. Varella received the Prêmio Jabuti literary award in 2000 for his book Estação Carandiru.