First Global Healthcare Institute created in Barcelona, to be led by Dr. Pedro Alonso
The Barcelona Global Healthcare Institute (ISGlobal-Barcelona) will work to improve healthcare for the most disadvantaged and break the vicious circle of sickness and poverty they are trapped in.
In order to combat forgotten illnesses -AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis, among others-, the new center that will be led by Dr. Pedro Alonso, director of the International Research Center in Health of Barcelona (CRESIB-Barcelona Hospital Clínic–University of Barcelona), will have an innovative focus based on four action areas: research, idea laboratory, training and consulting.
The Global Healthcare Institute is the result of collaboration between public and private institutions. The five founding members are the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Government of Catalonia, Barcelona Hospital Clínic, the University of Barcelona and the "la Caixa" Foundation. Other active participants will include the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Nelson Mandela Children's Fund and the Inbursa Foundation of Mexico, as well as internationally renowned personalities like Javier Solana, former top representative for Foreign and Security Policy for the European Union, and Graça Machel (Prince of Asturias award-winner for International Cooperation in 1998).
An event to present the new institute was held last Friday at the Palau de la Generalitat, presided over by the president of the Government of Catalonia, José Montilla; secretary of State for Cooperation, Soraya Rodríguez; president of "la Caixa", Isidre Fainé; director of the "la Caixa" Foundation’s International Area, Princess Cristina; director of the CRESIB, Pedro Alonso and the rector of the University of Barcelona, Dídac Ramírez. Catalan minister of Health, Marina Geli; general director of the "la Caixa" Foundation, Jaume Lanaspa, and Javier Solana were also in attendance.
Four areas of action on an international scale
Research at ISGlobal-Barcelona will be carried out with a network of top international centers and will focus on biomedicine in order to study the main challenges of global healthcare and propose solutions.
The laboratory of ideas, analysis and prospectives aims to contribute to the debate in the global healthcare field, as well as providing relevant information for leaders in politics, technology and management both in developed and developing countries.
The third main priority of this new center is to promote and share information on a national and international level. In order to do this, the center will coordinate global healthcare training, under the framework of the University of Barcelona –and in collaboration with other academic and scientific centers in Spain, Europe and the rest of the world- for researchers and professionals around the world, particularly those from the most disadvantaged countries.
The project also includes innovative multidisciplinary consultancy services in the global healthcare field, as well as promoting appropriate policies and practices to facilitate necessary improvements in this area.
The ISGlobal-Barcelona headquarters will be located in Palacio Macaya, on paseo Sant Joan. This is one of the modernist symbols of Barcelona, built in 1898 by Catalan architect Josep Puig i Cadafalch.