Doctoral Programme in Health Sciences from the Universitat Internacional de Catalunya

Head of research line: Dr. Cristina Monforte Royo

Objectives:

• To study the protective and precursory factors of the suffering of people diagnosed with terminal illness and their families.
• To further our understanding of the needs of people with advanced illness and their families.
• To analyse the different treatments for alleviating the suffering of both patients and their families following a diagnosis of advanced illness.
• To investigate the impact of and approach to suffering and the desire to anticipate death in patients with advanced illness.
• To develop diagnostic, support and treatment models for patients and families.
• To create learning models that provide professionals training on how to address the needs of people with terminal illness and their families. 
• Understanding and attending to the needs of people with advanced disease.
   

This line integrates a recognised and consolidated research group (2021-SGR-01379) and the WeCare Chair: End of Life Care.

The group’s object of study is suffering, particularly the desire to anticipate death (DAM) in people with terminal illness. In recent years, we have attempted to answer some of the most urgent questions about this phenomenon: What does it mean for those who experience it? Why do some patients, but not all, wish to die? How prevelant is it, and what factors trigger DAM?

Our research has been carried out from a multidimensional perspective (including physical, emotional, social and spiritual aspects) and encompasses not only patients, but also families and professionals. This group has contributed to improving:

a) the understanding and conceptualisation of DAM,
b) its detection and evaluation,
c) the identification and understanding of certain related factors,
d) the identification and evaluation of the needs of people with advanced illness,
e) the design, consensus and implementation of assessment models on the needs of people with advanced illness,
f) self-confidence among professionals to address and manage suffering and a desire to anticipate death in patients with advanced illness, and
g) the importance of providing patients in palliative care the opportunity to talk about death.

Website: https://wecare.uic.es/en/home/
 

Research and teaching team:

• Dr Cristina Monforte Royo
• Dr Albert Balaguer Santamaría
• Dr Iris Crespo Martin
• Dr María Fernández Capo
• Dr Andrea Mercedes Rodríguez Prat
• Dr Joaquim Julià Torras
• Dr Blanca Goñi Fusté 
   

For more information, please contact: Dr Iris Crespo (icrespo@uic.es) or Dr Andrea Rodríguez (arodriguezp@uic.es)

Head of the line of research: Dr Alberto Gallart Fernández-Puebla

Objectives:

The UIC Barcelona Health Education line of research focuses on two main areas:

• Health education, aimed at improving the population's knowledge of health and its determinants, and training future health professionals as health educators;
• Education in health sciences, aimed at improving the training of future health professionals to achieve professional excellence both in their technical skills and in their relational skills, self-management, inter-professionalism, prioritisation and decision-making.

Team of research professors

• Dr Alberto Gallart Fernández-Puebla
• Dr Jordi Castillo García
• Dr María Ángeles de Juan Pardo
• Dr Pilar Fuster Linares
• Dr Esteve Llargués Rocabruna
• Dr Ignacio Macpherson Mayol
• Dr María Luisa Martín Ferreres
• Dr Encarnación Rodríguez Higueras
• Dr Laia Wennberg Capellades 

For inquiries, please contact: Dr Alberto Gallart (agallart@uic.es)

Visit the research group webpage

Objectives:

• Application in clinical practice of the knowledge acquired in the biomedical and/or basic and/or experimental sciences laboratory, with the aim of improving healthcare.
• To understand the mechanisms of the disease, as well as its demographic, epidemiological and/or socioeconomic determinants, as well as its clinical characteristics, diagnostic and/or therapeutic procedures, prognostic factors and/or preventive measures.
• To analyse best practices in terms of activity, quality, safety, efficiency and satisfaction, at the level of care, professional, organisational, institutional and/or health system itself, as well as in the field of public health and/or health policies.

Head of the research line: Dr Josep Maria Badia

Team of research professors

• Dr Alfonso Antón López
• Dr Rafael Fernández Fernández
• Dr Rafael Ignacio Barraquer Compte
• Dr Paloma Puyalto de Pablo
• Dr Esperanza Luisa Gómez Durán
• Dr José María Serra Renom
• Dr Ramón Grimalt Santacana
• Dr Pedro Álvarez Díaz
• Dr Antonio Sánchez

For more information, please contact: Dr Josep Maria Badia (jmbadia@uic.es)

Objectives:

• Improve scientific knowledge and establish improvements in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of communicable diseases.
• Deepen the understanding of the human microbiome and its relationship with states of health and disease.
• Integrated application of epidemiology, clinical and microbial genomics for the surveillance of the circulation of infectious agents, epidemic outbreaks and evolution of antibiotic resistance.

Head of the research line: Dr Carmen Muñoz-Almagro

Team of research professors

• Dr Esther Calbo 
• Dr Josep Mª Badia 
• Dr Pedro Brotons 
• Dr Lucia Boix 
• Dr Jose Mª Guardiola 
• Dr Jordi Rello 
• Dr Carmen Muñoz-Almagro 

For more information, please contact: Dr Carmen Muñoz-Almagro (cmunoza@uic.es)

Head of the line of research: Dr. Carlos García Forero

Objectives:

To characterise the health determinants of the population in our environment.

• To evaluate the implemented health policies.
• To develop public health policies of primary, secondary, tertiary and quaternary prevention to reduce the impact of non-communicable diseases in the population.
• To find new biological markers for the correct characterisation of health determinants.

Team of research professors

• Dra. Ivet Bayés Marín
• Dr. Joan Bosch Sabater
• Dr. Carlos García Forero
• Dr. Adrián González Marrón
• Dr. Esteve Llargués Rocabruna
• Dra. Montserrat Virumbrales Cancio
• Dr. Juan Carlos Martín Sánchez

For further information, please contact: Dr. Carlos García Forero (cgarciaf@uic.es)

Head of the research line: Dr. Marcio Vinicius Fagundes Donadio

Objective:
This line aims to explore therapeutic exercise as a tool to improve people's health. It is divided into three sublines:

• Manual Physiotherapy and Therapeutic Exercise: Studies interventions aimed at musculoskeletal and neurological dysfunctions through the use of manual, instrumental techniques and therapeutic exercise, integrating technologies that enhance diagnostic precision and clinical effectiveness.
• Therapeutic Exercise and Movement Control: Explores how therapeutic exercise and motor control can address alterations of the locomotor system and the nervous system.
• Rehabilitation and Prevention in Cardiorespiratory Diseases: Investigates tools for assessing functional and aerobic capacity, as well as the use of physical exercise as a rehabilitation tool in patients with cardiorespiratory and metabolic diseases.   
   

Research and teaching team:

• Dr Rosa Cabanas Valdés
• Dr Silvia Ortega Cebrian
• Dr Pere Ramón Rodríguez Rubio
• Dr Marcio Vinicius Fagundes Donadio
• Dr M. Caridad Bagur Calafat
• Dr Daniel Romero Rodríguez
• Dr Andoni Carrasco Urribaren
• Dr Sara Cabanillas Barea
• Dr Monique Sartor 
• Dr David Blanco de Tena Davila
• Dr Carolina Climent Sanz
• Dr Aida Cadellans Arróniz

For more information, please contact: Dr. Marcio Vinicius Fagundes Donadio (mdonadio@uic.es) 

Head of research line: Dr. Román Pérez Antoñanzas

Objectives:

• Link multidisciplinary concepts from various fields such as biology, chemistry, materials science, physics, and medicine to develop medical devices that can enhance the regeneration or replacement of damaged organs.
• Understand and study the interactions between designed medical devices and living tissues.
• Learn methodologies and experimental techniques in the field of bioengineering and regenerative medicine.

Research lines:

The main objective is to establish new systems and devices that can stimulate the regeneration of damaged or injured tissue. The Bioengineering Institute of Technology (BIT) is divided into four main research areas:

1. Structures for Tissue Regeneration.

A key aspect of the research is to develop new biomaterials and structures capable of guiding cells toward specific lineages to stimulate the regeneration of damaged tissue. This will be achieved by adjusting the chemical and physical properties of biomaterials to mimic the native structure of tissues and organs. 

2. Biomolecule Delivery Systems.

Our goal is to mimic the regenerative pathways of native tissues by releasing multiple molecules involved in tissue regeneration. This objective will be achieved through the sequential distribution of therapeutic molecules or ions. The aim is to develop systems that can be easily applied in 3D printing to enable molecule placement in specific locations. 

3. Cell therapy

The objective is to develop protocols that allow for cell differentiation using more efficient strategies than current ones. This can be achieved through the encapsulation of cells capable of releasing signaling molecules to surrounding tissues. The goal is to develop bioinks for 3D bioprinting of cells.

4. Dental materials 

This research line aims to improve the materials currently used in the dental field, such as endodontic materials and dental implants. The focus is on enhancing their performance and increasing the success rate of implanted materials by preventing infection and improving osseointegration.
 

Research and teaching team

• Dr Román Pérez Antoñanzas
• Dr Miguel Angel Mateos Timoneda
• Dr Begoña Bosch Canals
• Dr Jennifer Olmos Buitrago
• Dr Emilio Castro Otero
• Dr Soledad Pérez Amodio
• Dr Xavier Marimón Serra
• Dr Alejandro Portela Ontaño
• Dr Behnam Mobaraki

For more information, please contact: Ms. Anna Medina (amedinap@uic.es).

Head of research line: Dr Federico Hernández Alfaro and Dr Miguel Roig Cayón

Objectives:

Treatment and rehabilitation of oral disability. To further explore the treatment of processes that cause oral disability, the treatment of sequelae caused by maxillofacial tumour disease, osteochemionecrosis of the jaws, trauma, maxillomandibular atrophy due to edentulism, maxillofacial developmental alterations and dental pathology. The Treatment and Rehabilitation Team for Patients with Oral and Maxillofacial Disability is the result of the merger of three research teams and focues on the comprehensive restoration of patients’ oral and facial function. This encompasses everything from problems in the jaw and maxilla to bone reconstruction procedures and conservation and restoration techniques in endodontic dentistry. The objective is to unify all research that involves the holistic and comprehensive treatment of patients:

• Comprehensive reconstruction project for people with oro-facial disability.
• Rehabilitation project in maxillary atrophies.
• Dental autotransplantation project.
• Treatment project for obstructive sleep apnea.
• Minimally invasive digitised orthognathic and reconstructive surgery project.
• Project for the creation of computer programs for clinical decision-making in patients with oral pathology.
• Personalised reconstructive medicine project.
• New technologies in endodontics.
• Projects in the treatment of TMJ dysfunction.
   

Research and teaching team:

• Dr Federico Hernández Alfaro
• Dr Miguel Roig Cayón
• Dr Josep Cabratosa Termes
• Dr Fernándo Duran-Sindreu
• Dr Francesc Abella Sans
• Dr Jordi Gargallo Albiol
• Dr Andreu Puigdollers Pérez
• Dr Marta Vallès Rodríguez
• Dr Marta Satorres Nieto
• Dr Juan Gonzalo Olivieri
• Dr Pablo Altuna Fistolera
• Dr José Antonio González
• Dr Jordi Caballé Serrano
• Dr Adaia Valls Ontañón
• Dr Marc García Font
• Dr Jordi Tomas Aliberas
• Dr Oscar Salomó Coll
• Dr Samir Aboul-Hosn Centenero
• Dr Susana García González
• Dr Jorge Bertos
• Dr Maria Giralt Hernando

For more information, please contact:

Periodontics: Dr Cristina Vallés (cristinavallveg@uic.es)

Surgery: Dr Maria Giralt Hernando (mgiralt@uic.es)

Orthodontic: Dr Andreu Puigdollers Pérez (andreup@uic.es)

Endodontics: Dr Francesc Abella Sans (franabella@uic.es)

Objectives

This line focuses on the study of infectious pathologies of the oral cavity caused by various pathogens. It centers on the early identification of these diseases, the development of effective preventive strategies, and the implementation of innovative treatments. Furthermore, through a multidisciplinary approach, it also investigates the interaction between oral infections and their impact on systemic health, contributing to the advancement of knowledge in the field of public health

Head of the Research Line Dr José Nart Molina

Team of Research Professors

• Dr Cristina Vallès
• Dr Jose Nart
• Dr Neus Carrió
• Dr Gonzalo Blasi
• Dr Alberto Monje
• Dr Matteo Albertini
• Dr Beatriz de Tàpia
• Dr Vanessa Ruiz
• Dr Carolina Mor
• Dr Blanca Paniagua
• Dr Marta Muñoz

Those interested may contact Dr Cristina Vallès Vegas

Head of research line: Dr Núria Casals Farré

Objectives:

The molecular, cellular and physiological study of neurons and their integration into the organism as a whole.

Currently, the research sublines are as follows:

• Hypothalamic control of energy metabolism and obesity prevention.
• Transport of AMPA glutamate receptors and their role in cognition.
• Molecular bases of hereditary spastic paraplegia.
• Regulation of axonal transport by nutrients.
• In vivo functional imaging of brain circuits for sensory, predictive and attention processing.
• Cerebral bases of language processing and learning.
• Interaction between synaptic plasticity and brain waves as a molecular mechanism of learning and memory.
• 4D functional mapping of dendritic spine plasticity in models of autism spectrum disorders.

Research and teaching team

• Dr Núria Casals Farré
• Dr Rosalía Rodríguez Rodríguez
• Dr Rut Fadó Andrés
• Dr Miguel Baena Muñoz
• Dr Sebastián Ignacio Zagmutt Caroca
• Dr West Kristian Paraiso
• Dr Begoña Díaz Menéndez
• Dr Miguel Bosch Pita
• Dr Andrea Santuy Muñoz

For more information, please contact: Dr Núria Casals (ncasals@uic.es)

Head of research line: Dr Roni Helene Grace Wright

Objective:

Team formed with the aim of studying different aspects of cellular physiology and pathology, especially proliferation. Some of the questions it addresses are:

• Analysis of the role of new cyclins in tumours.
• Cellular response to nutrient limitation.
• Study of the role of nuclear ATP in metastasis.
• Discovery and cellular validation of potential cancer biomarkers in 3D spheroids and CAM in vivo models.

Research and teaching team:

• Dr Roni Helene Grace Wright
• Dr Josep Clotet
• Dr Samuel Bru
• Dr Eva Quandt
• Dr Martí Aldea
• Dr Javier Jiménez
• Dr Joan Marc Martínez

For more information, please contact:

• Tumour cell metabolism (Polyphosphate): Dr Samuel Bru Rullo (sbru@uic.es)
• Mechanisms of tumour cell proliferation by Atypical Cyclins: Dr Eva Quandt (equandt@uic.es)
• Mechanisms of aggressive cancer progression: Dr Roni Helene Grace Wright (rhgwright@uic.es)

Head of research line: Dr Mayka Sánchez 

Objective:

This research line is part of the SGR group: 2021 SGR-00561- GRC- Hereditary Haematology and Iron Metabolism.

This SGR is comprised of researchers from the Research Group in Iron Metabolism: Regulation and Diseases at UIC Barcelona and external researchers from VHIO, FTM, Hospital Clínic de Barcelona, Hospitals HM Nens de Barcelona, ICO-Badalona-HGTiP.  

This team has been formed with the aim of studying different aspects of iron metabolism and other hereditary haematological diseases at the molecular, cellular, genetic and pathophysiological levels. 

The group’s objectives are:

• To improve the genetic diagnosis of diseases related to iron metabolism and other hereditary haematological diseases using NGS panels in cooperation with BLOODGENETICS and WHOLE GENIX SL.
• Discovery and functional characterisation of new diseases related to iron metabolism and other hereditary haematological diseases through WES and WGS.
• Development of telemedicine tools to improve the diagnosis and management of patients with hereditary haematological diseases and diseases related to iron metabolism.
• Discovery of new mRNAs regulated by IRPs through molecular and cellular studies in cell lines and in vitro and in vivo studies.
• Development and improvement of bioinformatics tools to predict mRNA elements called Iron Response Elements or IREs. 

At present, the research lines are as follows:

• DIAGNOSIS AND GENE THERAPY IN CDA. Translational research on Congenital Dyserythropoietic Anaemias (CDA), a rare type of hereditary anaemia, to improve its diagnosis and develop innovative therapies such as Gene Therapy for Type II CDA.
• NEW GENES IN IRON METABOLISM – IRP/IRE Regulatory System. Basic research on new mRNAs that contain an Iron Response Element (IRE) and are post-transcriptionally regulated by Iron Regulatory Proteins (IRPs).
• NEW DISEASES, NEW GENES AND NOVEL MUTATIONS IN HEREDITARY HAEMATOLOGICAL DISEASES AND DISEASES RELATED TO IRON. Transnational research on the discovery of new human diseases and new mutations in hereditary haematological disorders and iron-related diseases. 
• CLINICAL GUIDELINES, TELEMEDICINE TOOLS, BIOINFORMATIC TOOLS AND PATIENT SUPPORT (HEMOCHROMATOSIS AND RARE ANAEMIAS), NANOTECHNOLOGY AND HAEMATOLOGICAL DISEASES. Multiplexed nanobiosensors for instant diagnosis and classification of anaemia at the point of care. 

Research team:

• Dr Mayka Sánchez
• Dr Gonzalo Hernández Viedma
• Dr Rodrigo Fraile-Beneitez
• Dr Sandra Fernández Moya 
• Dr Maite Maus (VHIO)
• Dr Inés Hernández-Rodríguez (IJC-HGTiP-ICO Badalona)
• Dr Álvaro Díaz Conradi (UIC/Hospital HM Nens BCN)
• Dr Cristina Chantal Sanz Marcelo (Hospital Clínic Barcelona)
• Dr Cristian Tornador Antolín (Fundació Teresa Morató)

For more information, please contact: Dr Mayka Sánchez (msanchezfe@uic.es).