Dipsalut and the Institute of Biomedical Research of Girona (IDIBGI) in collaboration with the College of Physicians of Girona (COMG) have awarded the first Girona Talent Grant. This grant aims to promote research among healthcare professionals who have completed their residency. The winner of the first edition was Manjot Singh, who presented a research project based on the evaluation and monitoring of the public defibrillation program "Girona, cardioprotected territory".
The call "Post-residency Aid to the Gironí Talent" is promoted by DipSalut and IDIBGI with the support of the College of Physicians of Girona, and in collaboration with the University Hospital Dr. Josep Trueta, the Hospital Santa Caterina (IAS), the Catalan Institute of Oncology and the Institute of Diagnostic Imaging.
The grant allows the beneficiary to combine his/her healthcare activity with research activity, joining an IDIBGI research group for one year (extendable up to one more year). The winner is chosen through a competitive process that evaluates his/her career and the proposal of the research project he/she wishes to carry out with the grant, as well as the trajectory of the research group where he/she will join.
The grant was awarded last Thursday, March 31 at the COMG headquarters by the president of Dipsalut, Maria Puig, the director of IDIBGI, Marga Nadal, and the president of COMG, Josep Vilaplana. The event was also attended by the cardiologist Ramon Brugada, head of the Cardiovascular Genetics research group at IDIBGI, which is the group that Manjot Singh will join thanks to this grant.
The awarded Project
The "Girona, cardioprotected territory" program, a pioneer in Spain, was created by Ramon Brugada in 2011 and promoted by Dipsalut, and has implemented a public network of defibrillators throughout the province. The aim is that everyone has access to these resuscitation devices and can use them when someone suffers a cardiac arrest in a public space.
Through the Gironí Talent Aid, Manjot Singh will evaluate the results of the last ten years of the program by creating a scientific record of the uses of the defibrillator network. This analysis will be the most exhaustive carried out so far, and will study, for the first time, elements such as the profile of people who have suffered cardiac arrests, their neurological evolution, or if there is any specific profile that presents more chances of survival.
On the other hand, Manjot Singh's project also contemplates the creation of a method to apply the Girona model to other territories, as well as the evaluation of possible innovations that can be incorporated into the program, such as the transport of defibrillators in remote areas using drones. This research project will be carried out at IDIBGI in collaboration with Dipsalut, Hospital Dr. Josep Trueta and the University of Girona.
Two new positions will be opened soon, before the summer, within the framework of this grant.
