Three ISGlobal Researchers Obtain ICREA Research Professor position

The Catalan Institution for Research and Advanced Studies (ICREA) has granted the prestigious position of research professor to Mònica Guxens and Davide Rasella, research staff at ISGlobal, and Anna Roca, who will join the team in February 2025. They thus join the four ISGlobal researchers who already have positions: Quique Bassat, Hernando del Portillo, Alfred Cortés and Xavier Rodó.

Attracting outstanding research talent

This institution, promoted by the Government of Catalonia, aims to attract and retain research talent of excellence in various areas of knowledge. ICREA positions are among the most prestigious recognitions in the international academic field, as they offer stability and resources to leaders of high-impact research. This call offered 20 senior research positions aimed at researchers from all over the world. Applicants had to have international experience, a track record of excellent research, and leadership skills to drive innovative projects.

Mònica Guxens, Research Professor at ISGlobal, is a Medical Doctor specialised in Preventive Medicine and Public Health. Her work focuses on analysing how various environmental factors, such as air pollution, affect children's growth and development, with particular attention to brain development and sleep. Additionally, she has extensive experience in birth cohort studies. In 2016, she won the prestigious Walter A. Rosenblith New Investigator Award from the Health Effects Institute in the United States, in recognition of her exceptional career and promising professional path.

Davide Rasella, Associate Research Professor and head of the Health Impact Assessment Group (HIAE) at ISGlobal, is a social epidemiologist. With over two decades dedicated to public health, his work focuses on evaluating interventions to mitigate poverty-related diseases and reduce inequalities in low- and middle-income countries. His expertise spans both health impact assessments and studies on prevalent diseases in disadvantaged settings, such as HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis.

Finally, Anna Roca is Professor in Infectious Disease Epidemiology at the MRC Unit The Gambia in the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, with more than 15 years of experience in Africa. Her work combines surveillance, diagnosis, clinical trials and evaluation of public health interventions, with a special emphasis on bacterial and viral pathogens. She has led studies on infection determinants and transmission routes, using various epidemiological methodologies.

This recognition by ICREA highlights the impact of their scientific contributions internationally, as the institution's key values are collaboration, international openness and excellence. Furthermore, it underscores the commitment of ISGlobal professionals to address crucial public health challenges and strengthens the institute's mission as a centre of reference in research and global health.