Dr Maite Garolera has been appointed professor of Psychology at UIC in a ceremony held on 20 July at the Consorci Sanitari de Terrassa (CST), highlighting the collaboration between UIC and the healthcare institution, which is part of the network of university hospitals affiliated with the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences.

Dr Marta Mas, vice-rector for Teaching Staff and Academic Organisation at the University, welcomed those in attendance and introduced Dr Manel Balcells, physician, former minister of health of the Government of Catalonia and director of the iBÉ Hub, who delivered the laudatio in honour of the newly appointed professor.

In his address, Dr Balcells highlighted the human dimension of Dr Garolera’s achievements, alongside her academic and professional accomplishments, as well as her enthusiasm, energy and commitment to innovation.  He also emphasised her clinical, research and teaching career, and her ability to connect research with clinical practice and technology to address challenges such as longevity, chronic illness and cognitive decline.

Dr Maite Garolera then delivered her inaugural lecture, entitled “From Person to Person”, in which she reflected on her academic, clinical and research experience and the principal areas of work that have shaped her career.

During her address, she underlined the importance of continuing professional development, interdisciplinarity and scientific rigour. “From the outset, I have always been clear that research and clinical practice must go hand in hand,” she said. In this regard, she explained that her principal research areas share a common purpose: “To understand cognitive impairments, study their underlying mechanisms and transform knowledge into interventions that are useful for people.”

A career focused on neuropsychology and technological innovation

Dr Garolera holds a PhD in Psychology, is a specialist in Clinical Psychology and an expert in Neuropsychology. She also holds master's degrees in Healthcare Institution Management and eHealth. She also completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in the United States.

Her research has focused particularly on the study of cognition and the development and application of new technologies in this field. She is currently involved in several research projects, including Virtual Mets, funded by the La Marató Foundation, which aims to improve cognition in adults with metabolic syndrome through the use of immersive virtual reality.

Since 2019, Dr Garolera has been a lecturer in the Department of Psychology at UIC, where she teaches on the Bachelor's Degree in Psychology and the University Master's Degree in General Health Psychology.

As she explained during her address, Dr Maite Garolera works in an environment that integrates research, clinical practice and teaching. In this respect, her links with the Consorci Sanitari de Terrassa and UIC highlight the value of collaboration between universities and university healthcare centres in promoting education connected to clinical practice and research with an impact on society.

Closing the ceremony, Dr Marta Mas highlighted the way the new professor's career brings together research, clinical practice and teaching, and noted that her appointment to the professorship of UIC marks the beginning of a new phase of collaboration between the University and the Consorci Sanitari de Terrassa. Dr Mas also emphasised Dr Garolera’s commitment to people and to research that begins in clinical practice, is transformed into knowledge and returns to people through tangible impact and useful interventions.

The appointment further strengthens collaboration between UIC and the healthcare system and consolidates a model based on the connection between the education of future professionals, clinical practice and research with an impact on society.