The First Talent Gironí Conference on Research and Health, organized by the Public Health Agency of the Girona Provincial Council (Dipsalut) and the Girona Biomedical Research Institute Dr. Josep Trueta (IDIBGI) at the Girona Provincial Council’s Cultural Center, has recognized the research work of healthcare professionals in the Girona region.
During the event, grants from two biomedical research support programs carried out in hospitals were awarded: on one hand, the Talent Gironí grants, aimed at healthcare professionals beginning their research careers, and on the other, grants for research projects in Girona’s regional hospitals. Both programs promote clinical and translational research to improve health and healthcare in the Girona region. The ten awarded projects cover a wide variety of topics of interest to enhance healthcare.
As stated by the third vice-president of the Girona Provincial Council and delegated president of Dipsalut, Maria Puig Ferrer, "this conference is born within the framework of the agreement we have with IDIBGI. The goal is for it to continue, to highlight the health research conducted in Girona’s regional hospitals, to bring these local references closer to the public, and to give them visibility."
Marga Nadal Sánchez, director of IDIBGI, emphasized the importance of fostering research among healthcare professionals: "Healthcare professionals are the ones who identify clinical challenges. That is why they must be able to research how these challenges can be addressed. Grants like these are key to providing them with the resources and time necessary to balance research and clinical practice."
In its third edition, the Talent Gironí program, driven by Dipsalut, IDIBGI, and the Official College of Physicians of Girona (COMG), has awarded two post-residency grants to allow healthcare professionals to combine clinical practice with research in IDIBGI groups for one year, extendable to two.
One of the awarded projects is that of Roser Fort Culillas, an oncologist at the Catalan Institute of Oncology in Girona. Fort is joining IDIBGI’s precision oncology research group to develop a pilot project for implementing an innovative genetic technique to improve the diagnosis and personalized treatment of breast cancer in young women. The other awarded project is that of Carlos Moliner Abós, a cardiologist at the University Hospital Dr. Josep Trueta, who is joining IDIBGI’s cardiovascular genetics research group to study how genetics can improve the prediction of disease progression in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy.
This program is open to any healthcare professional who has completed their specialized training, including doctors (MIR), nurses, pharmacists, and psychologists.
As the president of the Official College of Physicians of Girona, Dr. Josep Vilaplana, recalls, “the COMG supports research with this and other initiatives. To create these grants, we reviewed what was being done in other countries for young professionals who had already completed their specialty training and wanted to delve into research. We liked it and were able to bring it to our region. After three editions, we have already awarded five grants, and with the 2025 call, it will be six.”
Support for research in regional hospitals
To decentralize research and boost it in regional hospitals, Dipsalut and IDIBGI have created new specific grants for projects promoted by the hospitals in Palamós, Figueres, Blanes-Calella, and Olot. In 2024, exceptionally, two calls were held, receiving a total of 26 applications, and funding eight projects with an investment of €30,000. Grants for regional healthcare institutions are open to professionals in disciplines such as medicine, nursing, psychology, physiotherapy, and obstetric-gynecological nursing.
From the Maresme and Selva Health Corporation (CSMS), the awarded project by Alberto Zamora develops an artificial intelligence algorithm to prevent cardiovascular diseases in patients with high cholesterol. Additionally, Xavier Sabaté and Montserrat Vilà’s project, which works on a platform to optimize the surgical process in inguinal hernia and transurethral resection procedures, was also recognized.
Regarding the Health Foundation of Empordà (FSE), the projects of Laura Robles, who will implement an innovative tool for the rapid assessment of geriatric patients in emergency departments, and Víctor Torres, who is studying the use of a digital application to improve diagnosis and screening in the pediatric population, have been acknowledged.
From the Olot and Regional Hospital Foundation of La Garrotxa (FHOCG), the selected projects include that of Joan Carles Trullàs, who is validating prognostic tools for geriatric patients with hip fractures, and that of Ferran Campillo, who analyzes exposure to a type of persistent pesticide and its relationship with neonatal health in La Garrotxa and Mexico City.
The awarded projects from the Integrated Health Services of Baix Empordà (SSIBE) include the study led by Sara Soria on the effectiveness of self-collected vaginal-cervical samples for detecting sexually transmitted infections, and the project led by Moisés Barrantes, which investigates screening strategies in patients suspected of having heart failure in primary care.
These initiatives reflect the commitment of Dipsalut and IDIBGI to enhancing biomedical research in Girona and bringing it closer to clinical practice. The First Talent Gironí Conference on Research and Health has served to highlight this research talent and strengthen collaboration between healthcare and scientific institutions.
The 2025 calls for both grants are now open. On one hand, a grant has been opened to free up time for research in the post-residency call of Talent Gironí, with a deadline of April 20, 2025, and on the other, the application period for one of the four grants for regional hospital research projects is open until April 1, 2025.
About IDIBGI and the collaboration agreement with Dipsalut
The Girona Biomedical Research Institute Dr. Josep Trueta (IDIBGI) conducts translational research to improve health and patient care. IDIBGI is organized into twenty-four research groups distributed across five scientific areas (cardiovascular and respiratory, metabolism and inflammation, neurosciences, oncohematology, and mental health), bringing together more than four hundred professionals, including healthcare workers and basic researchers, in the Girona region.
IDIBGI is a public sector private-law foundation of the Government of Catalonia, and its board includes the Departments of Health and Research, the Catalan Health Institute (ICS) in Girona, the Institute of Health Assistance (IAS), the Catalan Institute of Oncology (ICO) in Girona, and the University of Girona. IDIBGI is a CERCA center (Research Centers of Catalonia).
In February 2024, after more than ten years of collaboration, the Public Health Agency of the Girona Provincial Council and IDIBGI signed a framework agreement to carry out various joint initiatives and to promote and develop research and knowledge transfer on health-related topics, considering that both institutions share common interests and objectives in the fields of health and data science.
Photo credit: Miquel Millán
