About me
I am medical doctor specialized in Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases. I completed my PhD in medicine and defended my thesis in 2016 at the University of Barcelona in Spain and thereafter I was working as Assitant research professor at the Barcelona Institute for Global Health where I lead the Migrant Health reserach group. In 2018, I moved to Sweden and I currently work as research specialist at Karolisnka Institutet and also affiliated to the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal).
In addition, I have collaborated as a consultant for several international United Nations agencies (i.e., International Organization for Migration) to enhance the data collection and data analysis of health related conditions in migrants in North African countries and also in Europe.
Since January 2022, I am the secretary of the executive committee of the Study group on infections and travellers of the European Society for Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ESCMID)
Research description
My main research interest is migrant health with a particular focus on the evaluation of public health interventions aimed to improve the health of migrants at different levels of care (Primary care, antenatal care, blood banks…). In the past years I gained experience in the development systematic reviews and evidence-based guidance on screening of infectious diseases in migrant populations. Among others, I have collaborated with ECDC in the development of European guidelines for the screening of infectious diseases in migrants. More recently, my research interest has also focused on the design of innovative tools or devices to improve migrant health interventions.
Teaching portfolio
I am a frequent lecturer on Infectious diseases epidemiology, neglected tropical diseases and also on migrant health for graduate students (MSc an PhD students) at Karolinska Institutet and also at international level, in other Msc of other universities (London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine in UK, University of Barcelona and University of Granada in Spain, among others).
In addition, since 2019 I am the leader of the course Applied Epidemiology 1 - distribution of health within the Msc programme in Public Health Sciences, Epidemiology track.
I have been the main supervisor of more than 10 Msc students
Education
- PhD in Medicine, Cum laude. International mention. Facultat de Medicinan, University of Barcelona (Spain), 2016
- MSc degree in Tropical Medicine and International Health, London School of Tropical Medicine, and Hygiene, London (UK), 2009
- Diploma in Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, London (UK), 2009
- Specialist in Internal Medicine. Hospital Universitari Bellvitge, Barcelona (Spain) 2008
- Degree in Medicine and Surgery. University of Granada (Spain), 2002
Academic honours, awards and prizes
- Strategic research programme in Sweden - Epidemiology, (SFO-Epidemiology). 2022
- Guest researcher of the KI, Swedish Research Council for Health Working Life and Welfare-FORTE (50,000 €).August 2019 – February 2020.
- Collaboration with the Catalonian Public Health Agency. Chagas disease screening programme in pregnant women and their children. 2015 to 2018.
- Executive committee of the study group on infections in Travelers / migrants. European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infections (ESCMID). 2022- present .