Graduation Ceremony Marks End of ISGlobal-UB 2023/2024 Master's Programmes

On July 5, 2024, the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences at the University of Barcelona buzzed with excitement. Students, along with their families and friends, gathered to celebrate the graduation ceremony of the 2023/2024 cohorts. These included the Master of Global Health, the Diploma of Global Health Fundamentals, and the Master of Clinical Research: International Health programs, delivered by the University of Barcelona and the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal).

The ceremony opened with congratulatory speeches by Núria Casamitjana, Director of Training & Education in ISGlobal and Quique Bassat, Director General of ISGlobal. They commended the hard work and innovative research projects of the students, wishing them success for the future. Stella Evangelidou, an expert in the area of mental health, followed as the faculty speaker, sharing encouraging words with analogies from Greek mythology.

The keynote speech was delivered by Robert Newman, Executive Director of AMP Health. His inspiring speech touched upon his personal journey in the field of global health, offering valuable lessons for the fresh graduates.

Bailey Crowley, Carolyn Pine, Naeema Hussein El Kout, Anete Mendes Muxlhanga and Logan Carter represented the students, as they shared their experiences with humour and gratitude.

Following the speeches, Masters’ and Diploma degrees were awarded to 38 students: 19 from the Master of Global Health including two from the tropEd Master's Programme in Global Health; one from the Diploma of Global Health Fundamentals; and 18 from the Master of Clinical Research: International Health track.

36 students successfully presented their final projects in July 2024 on a wide array of global health topics, ranging from basic science to health impact assessments. 

"We are proud of the excellent progress and research the students have made over the past year," expressed Núria Casamitjana. "They are undoubtedly well-equipped to tackle critical global health challenges worldwide."

Master of Clinical Research: International Health track

• Development of a lateral flow assay to detect anti-malaria antibodies in pregnant women for surveillance applications
• Studying the progression of afebrile malaria through Plasmodium falciparum molecular and serological analysis
• Determinants of increased antenatal viral load and its association with adverse pregnancy outcomes in African pregnant women living with HIV
• Socio-demographic and clinical determinants of teen club attendance and impact on health outcomes and adherence among adolescents living with HIV in Eswatini: A retrospective cohort study
• Post COVID syndrome and sleep breathing disorder association
• Influence of sociodemographic and mental health factors over mobility in Catalonia during the COVID-19 pandemic
• Acute kidney injury prevalence, and associated factors in patients with Lassa Fever: Insights from a prospective cohort study conducted in Nigeria (LASCOPE)
• Impact of transition from Efavirenz (EFV) to Dolutegravir (DTG) based antiretroviral therapy on metabolic disorders and liver function in adults with HIV: A retrospective cohort study in Eswatini
• Clinical features of Noma: A systematic review and meta analysis of individual patient data in case reports
• The value of healthy aging: A modeling tool to look at the economic impact of non-market activities in older populations
• Healthcare access and determinants of under-5 mortality in Sub-Saharan-Africa: A systematic literature review
• Identifying unmet sexual and reproductive health needs among women in the Mavrovouni refugee camp on Lesvos, Greece: A quantitative analysis of access, demand, and service availability
• Effect of dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine as intermittent preventive treatment of malaria on antiretroviral drugs in pregnant African women living with HIV
• The association between indirect exposure to nature and self-perceived stress among the adults in Barcelona and the influence of connectedness to nature
• Screening for depression with migrants in primary health care: a systematic review
• The role of gender, age and rurality in Benzodiazepine consumption in Catalonia. (2018 - 2022): A drug utilization study
• Epidemiological analysis of treatment tolerability and health outcomes in Chagas Disease: Insights from Salta, Argentina

Master of Global Health / tropEd Master of Global Health

• Evaluating pandemic preparedness: a comparative analysis of international monitoring and evaluation frameworks
• Designing a research protocol to evaluate healthcare workers´ preferences towards hospital antimicrobial resistance (AMR) interventions in Mozambique and Guyana (REVERSE)
• Incorporation of intercultural health within six Latin American countries: A literature review
• Diabetes in Nigeria and Burkina Faso: burden, health system response and humanitarian action
• Knowledge, attitudes and practices on noma among health practitioners in Zambezia province, Mozambique
• Closing the Gap: Examining primary care Hepatitis B virus referral adequacy
• Community dental services for underserved communities: A scoping review of literature
• A Health Impact Assessment (HIA) on a transport infrastructure proposal in the natural park and urban areas of La Garrotxa region, Spain
• Health impact of Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) in homes of older adults:A scoping review
• New urban models, a review on their quantitative impact on health and health determinants
• Association between armed conflict and access to child health services in Burkina Faso
• Translating Brazil’s Bolsa Familia cash transfer program to the Mozambican context: A policy recommendation
• Review of the evidence on immunisation and seroprevalence of polio, hepatitis A and hepatitis B in migrant populations: Vaccination coverage mapping, systematic review of seroprevalence data, and survey
• Understanding the immunisation of measles, mumps, rubella, diphtheria and tetanus in migrants. World maps, a systematic review, and survey
• Examining the role of intersectional stigma on barriers to HIV prevention services experienced by immigrant sexual minority men in Spain and the U.S.
• Determinants putting infants less than 6 months of age at risk of poor growth and development: A systematic review
• Community-based Hepatitis B screening for migrants and refugees in the EU/EEA (and Switzerland): A review of models of care
• Barriers and enablers for the detection of female genital mutilation among migrant women at primary health care 
• Maternal factors related to perinatal asphyxia deaths: a subanalysis from the CHAMPS network. From sources to systems and survival