Doctorate in Health Sciences
Lines of research
The configuration of the Universitat Internacional de Catalunya’s Doctoral Programme in Health Sciences reflects our current educational and training course offering.
Within this, we offer the lines of research detailed below, all of which are formed by an expert group of lecturers with proven research experience.
Coordinator:
Dr. Albert Balaguer
LINE 1: PALLIATIVE CARE FOR END OF LIFE AND CHRONIC ILLNESS. COMMUNICATION WITH PATIENTS.
Head of the research unit: Dr. Cristina Monforte
Objectives:
- Study of the biological and psychological factors that lead patients to want to die.
- Develop models of diagnosis and of accompaniment and treatment, for the patients and for their family.
- Develop learning models to train professionals.
This line of research integrates a recognised consolidated research group (2017-SGR-1004) and the Company Chair “WeCare: End of life care.”
The group's subject of study is suffering, and particularly the wish to hasten death (WTHD) in people with advanced disease. Over the last few years, we have attempted to respond to some of the most pressing questions about this phenomenon: What does it mean for the individual experiencing it? Why may some patients, but not all, want to die? What impact does it have, and what factors may act as triggers?
Our research has been carried out from a multidimensional perspective (including physical, emotional, social and spiritual) and seeks to encompass patients, families and professionals. This group has contributed to improve: (a) the understanding and conceptualization of the WTHD, (b) its detection and evaluation and (c) the identification and better understanding of some related factors.
Team
- Dra. Cristina Monforte
- Dr. Albert Balaguer
- Dr. Josep María Porta
- Dra. María Fernández Capo
- Dra. Begoña Díaz
LINE 2: HEALTH EDUCATION.
Head of the research unit: Dr. Albert Gallart
Objectives:
The research line "Health Education UIC Barcelona" works in two main areas:
- Health Education, aimed at improving knowledge of health and its population factors and training future health professionals as educators in health;
- Health Science Education, aimed at improving the training of future health professionals to achieve professional excellence in both their technical competencies and in their interpersonal, self-management, prioritisation, decision-making and inter-professional skills.
Team
- Dr. Albert Gallart
- Dr. Esteve Llargués
- Dra. Mireia Llaurado
- Dr. Lluís Giner
- Dra. Encarnación Rodríguez
- Dra. María Ángeles De Juan
LINE 3: TRANSLATIONAL, CLINICAL AND APPLIED RESEARCH.
Head of the research unit: Dr. Xavier Corbella
Objectives:
- Apply in clinical practice the biomedical, basic sciences and/or experimental knowledge acquired in the laboratory, with the aim of improving health care.
- Understand the mechanisms of disease, as well as the demographic, epidemiologic, and/or socio-economic factors that influence it, in addition to its clinical characteristics, diagnostic procedures and/or therapeutic, prognostic factors and/or preventive measures.
- Analyse best practices in terms of activity, quality, safety, efficiency and satisfaction, at care, professional, organisational, institutional levels and/or as regards the health system itself, as well as in the field of public health and/or health policies.
Team
- Dr. Xavier Corbella
- Dr. Alfonso Antón
- Dr. Rafael Fernández
- Dr. Rafael Barraquer
- Dra. Paloma Puyalto
- Dra. Esperanza Gómez Duran
- Dr. José María Serra Renóm
- Dr. Ramón Grimal
LINE 4: INFECTIOUS DISEASES: PREVENTION, DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT.
Head of the research unit: Dr. José Nart
Objectives:
- Study scientific progress and establish medical improvements in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of infectious diseases.
- Study the interrelationship and translation of the various infectious diseases.
- Improve the general patient health, reducing the risk of infections and inflammatory diseases.
Team
- Dr. José Nart
- Dra. Carmen Muñoz Almagro
- Dra. Esther Calbo
- Dr. José María Badia
- Dr. Andrés Matteo Pascual
- Dr. Antonio Santos-Alemany
LINE 5: STUDY OF HEALTH DETERMINANTS.
Head of the research unit: Dr José M. Martínez Sánchez
Objectives:
- Characterise the determinants of the health of local populations.
- Assess the health policies implemented
- Develop public health policies for primary, secondary, tertiary and quaternary prevention to reduce the impact of non-communicable diseases in the population.
- Find new biological markers for the correct characterisation of health determinants.
Team
- Dr. José M Martínez-Sánchez
- Dr. Juan Carlos Martín-Sánchez
- Dr. Carlos García Forero
- Dr. Joan Bosch Sabater
- Dra. Cristina Lidon Moyano
- Dr. Adrián González Marrón
LINE 6: PHYSIOTHERAPY ASSESSMENTS AND PERFORMANCE IN CONTROLLING MOVEMENT.
Head of the research unit: Dr Mª Caridad Bagur Calafat
Objectives:
In this line, the main research objective is to analyse the mechanisms of assessment and performance of physiotherapy in the processes involved in control and execution of movement.
Team
- Dra. Mª Caridad Bagur Calafat
- Dra. Rosa Mª Cabanas Valdés
- Dra. Montserrat Girabent Farrés
- Dr. Ramón Olivé Vilás
- Dr. Pere Ramón Rodríguez Rubio
- Dr. Ernesto Herrera Pedroviejo
LINE 7: BIOENGINEERING AND REGENERATIVE MEDICINE.
Head of the research unit: Dr. Roman Perez Antoñanzas
Objectives:
- Interlink multidisciplinary concepts from several areas such as biology, chemistry, materials science, physics and medicine to develop medical devices that can improve the regeneration or replacement of damaged organs.
- Understand and study the interactions between the medical devices designed and living tissue.
- Learn experimental methodologies and techniques in the field of Bioengineering and Regenerative Medicine.
Team
- Dr. Javier Gil Mur
- Dr. Román Pérez Antoñanzas
- Dr. Luis Maria Delgado Garoña
- Dra. Mireia Hoyos Nogues
LINE 8: BASIC AND CLINICAL RESEARCH APPLIED TO DENTISTRY
Head of the research unit: Federico Hernández-Alfaro and Dr. Miguel Roig Cayón.
Objectives:
Treatment and Rehabilitation of Oral Invalidity. Study in depth the treatment of the processes responsible for oral invalidity and treatment of the consequences of tumoral maxilofacial disease, osteochemionecrosis of the maxilaries, trauma, maxilomandibular atrophy due to edentulism and alterations in maxilofacial development.
Team
- Dr. Federico Hernández Alfaro
- Dr. Miguel Roig Cayón
- Dr. Josep Cabratosa,
- Dr. Fernándo Duran-Sindreu
- Dr. Francesc Abella
- Dr.- Javier Mareque
- Dr. Jordi Gargallo Albiol
- Dr. Andreu Puigdollers
- Dra. Montserrat Mercade
LINE 9: NEUROSCIENCE RESEARCH
Head of the research unit: Dr Núria Casals
Objectives:
The molecular, cellular and physiological study of neurons and their integration in the organism as a whole. At present, the sub-lines of research are the following:
- Neuronal control of energy homeostasis and the prevention of obesity.
- AMPA glutamate receptor transport and its role in cognition
- Molecular basis of hereditary spastic paraplegia
- Regulation of axonal transport by nutrients
- Functional imaging in vivo of brain circuits for sensory, predictive and attention processing
- Plasticity of cortical brain circuits
- Dysfunctionality of neuronal circuits in psychiatric illness
Team
- Dra. Núria Casals
- Dra, Rosalía Rodriguez
- Dra. Rut Fadó
- Dr. Miguel Baena
- Dr. Pau Mezquita
LINE 10: RESEARCH IN CELL PHYSIOLOGY AND HEREDITARY HAEMATOLOGIC DISEASES
Head of the research unit: Dr. JOSEP CLOTET
Objective:
A team consisting of biologists with the objective of studying various issues related to the field of cell physiology:
- Control of the cell cycle of Saccharomyces cerevisiae.
- Analysis of the role played by new cyclins in relation to tumours.
- Cellular response to the limitation of nutrients.
- Genetic diagnosis of iron metabolism disorders and other hereditary haematologic diseases.
Team
- Dr. Josep Clotet
- Dr. Javier Jiménez
- Dra. María Ponte Cardoso Ribeiro
- Dr. Samuel Bru
- Dra. Natalia Ricco
- Dra. Mayka Sánchez Fernández
- Dr. Jaume Reventos Puigjaner
- Dr. Miguel Ángel Carrasco
More information and contact
Sonia Soriano
ssoriano@uic.es
+34 93 504 20 00
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