On Monday 1 December, Dr Josep M. Badia was appointed professor of Surgery at UIC Barcelona, during an event held in the Aula Magna at Granollers General Hospital, a centre affiliated with the University, which was attended by numerous health professionals, researchers, instructors, colleagues and students from the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences.
Dr Esther Calbo, dean of the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences at UIC Barcelona, was tasked with welcoming the attendees and introducing Dr José M. Balibrea del Castillo, professor of Surgery and director of the Research Chair in Surgery at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, who presented Dr Badia’s merits. Among these, he mentioned his commitment to ethics, intellectual endeavours and public service, with particular emphasis on his dedication to preventing suffering through surgery, research and teaching. Dr Balibrea also highlighted Dr Badia’s contribution to initiatives such as the VINCat programme and Surgical Infections Observatory, which have helped transform clinical practice. Along these lines, Dr José M. Balibrea also commented on Dr Badia’s role as a leading professional during the pandemic, his capacity to combine rigour, humanity and critical thinking and his key role in training successive generations of surgeons.
Afterwards, the newly appointed professor delivered his inaugural lecture entitled “Surgical Infection: An Unfinished Task”. During his speech, Dr Badia reflected on a professional career shaped largely by the study and prevention of surgical infections. He also presented his main scientific contributions, including pioneering studies on the treatment of abdominal infections, the use of biomarkers such as CRP and PCT and his involvement in surveillance projects such as VINCat and in consensus guidelines on antibiotic therapy.
Dr Badia also explained the importance of active surveillance and the use of evidence-based bundles, which have been shown to significantly reduce surgical infections. Lastly, he stressed the need to improve the clinical implementation of existing guidelines and adopt practical tools such as checklists to bridge the gap between scientific evidence and everyday clinical practice, in efforts to reduce postoperative infection rates.
A graduate in Medicine from the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona and holder of a PhD in Medicine and Surgery from the same university, Dr Josep M. Badia also holds a Master’s Degree in Hospital and Health Service Management from the University of Barcelona.
He began his career in El Mar University Hospital, where he specialised in General and Digestive Surgery. He later served as an attending surgeon at hospitals including Badalona Municipal Hospital, the Mataró Health Consortium and Mataró Hospital. In 2000, he joined Granollers General Hospital as director of the Surgery Service, and is currently director of the Surgical Infection Unit.
As a researcher, Dr Josep M. Badia focuses on two main areas: reducing surgical site infections, particularly in colorectal surgery, through the study of prophylactic approaches, and developing surveillance programmes and bundles to bridge the gap between scientific evidence and clinical practice in surgical safety, achieving a significant impact on healthcare.
Since 2009, Dr Badia has been a member of the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences teaching staff, where he is head of the Area of Surgery and, since 2023, directs the Translational Research line in the Doctoral Degree in Health Sciences, offered by the Doctoral School at UIC Barcelona.
The event was held at Granollers General Hospital thanks to its affiliation with UIC Barcelona as a university partner, united around a shared commitment to work together towards a university and healthcare model that integrates education, clinical care and research.
