The conference was hosted by Dr. Josep Comín, Chairman of the Research Committee, and welcomed by Dr Fernando Fernández Aranda, Scientific Director of IDIBELL. Comín and Fernández Aranda emphasized the escalating dedication of Bellvitge Hospital and the South Metropolitan Territorial Management to research, as demonstrated by the steady rise in awarded grants.
At the beginning of the event, Dr Gabriel Moreno presented the findings of his project initiated in 2017, focusing on the impact of cell death in brain death donation and its effects on organ function in the recipient. Following that, Dr Guillermo Cuervo and Dr Francesc Escrihuela presented the outcomes of their project, which aimed to optimize the management of Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia.
Subsequently, the researchers, who were awarded grants this year, received their respective grants.
The grants for clinical research projects were awarded to Dr Andrea di Marco, from the Cardiology Service, for his project titled "Deep Septal Pacing to Prevent RV Pacing-induced Cardiomyopathy: Randomized Clinical Trial DEEP," and to Dr Ariadna Padró for her project titled "Characterisation of Polygenic Dyslipidemias: From Theory to Practice."
Additionally, the intensification grants for pre-doctoral health professionals were awarded to Dr Jacint Sala from the Neurology Service, Dr Francisco Escrihuela from the Infectious Diseases Service, Dr Fernando de Frutos from the Cardiology Service, and Dr Dàmaris Berbel from the Microbiology Service.
Finally, the grants from the HUB-IDIBELL Research Committee Programme for Post-residency Training in Research have been awarded to Dr Marta Hernández Argudo, from the Pneumology Service, and Dr Laura Triguero, from the Cardiology Service.
The day concluded with a presentation by Dr Miguel Cainzos-Achirica, the director of the Cardiovascular Disease Research Group at Parc de Salut Mar/IMIMIM and coordinator of Preventive Cardiology and Cardiovascular Rehabilitation at the Cardiology Service of Parc de Salut Mar. During his talk, Dr Cainzos shed light on the advantages and limitations of utilising Big Data to identify vulnerable populations in the field of cardiology. He exemplified his points by discussing the research he has led, in collaboration with various institutions including the Bellvitge University Hospital. The research focused on understanding the disparities in cardiovascular disease epidemiology based on the population's origins, particularly highlighting the higher cardiovascular morbidity and mortality rates among residents in Catalonia with origins in Bangladesh or Pakistan.
Cainzos also introduced the Pul-Cat study, initiated by Parc de Salut Mar in collaboration with Bellvitge University Hospital and four other Catalan centres. This study entails a systematic intervention aimed at translating and culturally adapting all informational materials, discharge medication plans, and patient sessions to the languages of Pakistan and Bangladesh. The goal is to improve communication and provide culturally sensitive care to patients from these communities across the participating centres