About us
Group leader:
Cristina O’Callaghan Gordo
Degree in Biology (University of Barcelona), master’s degree in Epidemiology (London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine), doctoral degree in Medicine (University of Barcelona). Principal investigator of BITAL. Associate professor in the Faculty of Health Sciences and director of the Master’s Degree in Planetary Health (UOC). Associate researcher at the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal).
Leader of the research line:
Margarita Triguero-Mas
Degree in Environmental Sciences (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona), master’s degree in Public Health and doctoral degree in Biomedicine (Pompeu Fabra University). Ramon y Cajal senior researcher at the Faculty of Health Sciences and member of teaching staff on the Master’s Degree in Planetary Health (UOC). Associate researcher at the Barcelona Lab for Urban Environmental Justice and Sustainability (BCNUEJ, ICTA-UAB) and the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal).
Marta Cosín Tomàs
Degree in Biochemistry from the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), a master’s degree in Public Health from Pompeu Fabra University (UPF), and a doctoral degree in Biomedicine from the Universitat de Barcelona (UB). Ramon y Cajal senior researcher at the Faculty of Health Sciences and member of the teaching staff of the Master’s Degree in Planetary Health (UOC). Associate researcher at the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal).
Members of the group:
Ariadna Moreno Gay
Degree in Chemical Engineering (Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya), master’s degree in Management and Innovation (Uppsala University, Sweden) and currently studying for a master’s degree in Medical Anthropology and Global Health (Universitat Rovira i Virgili). Project Manager at the Centre for Studies on Planetary Wellbeing at Pompeu Fabra University and research assistant for the CATA-Earth project at the UOC’s Faculty of Health Sciences. Former Planetary Health project manager at the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal).
Artur Coy Pérez
Degrees in Sociology and in Political Science and Public Management (UAB), and master’s degree in Public Health (UPF). Currently a PhD candidate in Biomedicine (UPF) and recipient of a predoctoral fellowship from the Severo Ochoa Excellence Program at the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), as part of the HEAT-Gravitas-BCN project.
Carola Domènech Panicello
Degree in Biomedical Sciences (University of Barcelona), master’s degree in Public Health (Pompeu Fabra University). Former research technician in environmental epidemiology in the BrainChild group at ISGlobal. Currently student of the PhD in health and psychology (UOC), working on the GreenME project, about nature and equity in mental health.
Clàudia Torrens Flores
Degree in Environmental Science (Universitat de Barcelona) and Master’s degree in Ecological Economics (ICTA-UAB). Currently working as a Research Technician on the GreenME project. Her research interests include the critical analysis of socio-ecological transitions, mental health, and education, among others, drawing on political ecology.
Daniela Cabutto
Degree in Nursing (University of Eastern Piedmont, Italy), master’s degree in Digital Health (UOC). Currently completing a master in Planetary Health and Research assistant and project manager for the Change-PH project. Former project manager and research assistant for EU4HEALTH projects.
Glòria Carraso
Senior research technician at the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), on the Climate, Air pollution, Nature and Urban Health (CANU) program. She is an environmental scientist focused in epidemiology and public health. She has participated in studies analysing the impacts of air pollution, physical activity, active transport, and different lifestyles and environments in relation to physical, mental, and cognitive health.
Guilherme Queiroz
Degree in Medicine (University of Coimbra), specialist in Preventive Medicine and Public Health (Portugal), master’s degree in Public Health (NOVA University, Lisbon). Currently pursuing a doctoral degree in Biomedicine at the Pompeu Fabra University, and INPhINIT fellow as part of the IndiLead project.
Guillem Rius Taberner
Degree in Environmental Biology (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona), master’s degree in Sustainable Development (Utrecht University). Currently pursuing a doctoral degree in Biomedicine at the Pompeu Fabra University, and INPhINIT fellow as part of the IndiLead project.
Lluís Mangot-Sala
Degree in Sociology (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona), Master’s degree in Sociological Research (Universitat de Barcelona), Master’s in Public Health (Pompeu Fabra University), and PhD in Medical Sciences (University of Groningen; the Netherlands). Currently a postdoctoral researcher at ISGlobal (HEAT-Gravitas project), he is also an affiliated researcher at the Unit of Occupational Medicine (Karolinska Institutet; Stockholm), and associate lecturer at the Universitat de Vic – Fundació Universitària del Bages (UVic-UCC).
Mireia Llimós
Degrees in Political and Administration Sciences (Pompeu Fabra University) and Humanities (Universitat Oberta de Catalunya). Postgraduate degree in Cultural Management (IDEC-UPF) and diploma in Public Health (UPF Barcelona School of Management). Master’s Degree in Planetary Health (Universitat Oberta de Catalunya, Pompeu Fabra University). Currently pursuing a doctoral degree in Biomedicine (Pompeu Fabra University). Academic coordinator of the master’s degree in Public Health (UPF-UAB).
Mònica López Vicente
Degree in Psychology (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona), master’s degree in Neuroscience (Universitat de Barcelona), and doctoral degree in Biomedicine (Universitat Pompeu Fabra). Former researcher on environmental epidemiology at Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal) and at Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam (Netherlands). Currently providing support to BITAL group.
Nacho Sánchez-Valdivia
Degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics (Pompeu Fabra University, Autonomous University of Madrid, and Carlos III University of Madrid). Master’s degree in Urban and Metropolitan Studies (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona) and Master’s degree in Public Health (Pompeu Fabra University). Currently working as a technician for the Childhood Obesity Prevention Program in Catalonia (POICAT) at the Public Health Agency of Catalonia (ASPCAT), and as a course instructor on the Master’s Degree in Planetary Health (UOC). Formerly worked as an analyst in science-to-public-policy transfer in planetary health at the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), and as a public health technician at the Barcelona Public Health Agency (ASPB).
Shannon Leigh O’Brien
Degree in Gender and Environmental Sciences (Loyola Marymount University), master’s degree in Public Health (Pompeu Fabra University). Currently a predoctoral fellow of the Health and Psychology programme at the UOC and associate researcher at the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal) as part of the IndiLead project.
Zachary Zeiger
Bachelor’s degree in psychology with neuropsychology (Bangor University); master’s degree in European studies (KU Leuven); master’s degree in environmental science (University of Antwerp); Environmental Coordinator A certificate (University of Antwerp). Currently attending a PhD programme in clinical and health psychology (UAB) as a TOUCH Cofund scholar on the GreenME project, working across three research groups: AGORA (UAB), BCNUEJ (UAB), and BITAL (UOC).
External collaborators:
Álvaro Falcón
Degree in Biology (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona), with master’s degrees in Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Biomedicine (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona) and in Bioinformatics and Biostatistics (Universitat Oberta de Catalunya). Currently working as a research technician in the Barcelona Life Study Cohort (BiSC), within the EVOLVE program, contributing to the project “Towards Precision Paediatrics: Placental Biomarkers of Neurodevelopment.”
Carme Carrion Ribas
External collaborator of BITAL
Doctoral degree in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (UB), master’s degree in Biotechnology (UB, UAB and UPC), Master’s Degree in Conflictology (UOC) and Master’s Degree in Planetary Health (UOC-UPF). Currently Serra Hunter associate professor on Public Health at the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Girona (UdG). Leader of the eHealth Research Group (2021 SGR 00578).
Hana Vespalcová
Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Experimental Biology (Masaryk University, Czech Republic). PhD in Environmental Health Sciences (RECETOX, Masaryk University, Czech Republic). Currently a postdoctoral researcher at ISGlobal, working on the PERGOLA project.
Josep Maria Antó
External collaborator of BITAL
Senior Research Professor at ISGlobal, Professor Emeritus of Medicine at Pompeu Fabra University in Spain, co-chair of the Lancet Countdown in Europe, founder and co-director of the Master’s Degree in Planetary Health (UOC) and member of the Advisory Board on Sustainable Development (CADS).
Marta Pahissa Espluga
Environmental scientist (UAB), with master’s degrees in Scientific Communication (UPF) and Sustainability (UAB). Director of the Planetary Health Development Centre (FSM/ISGlobal) and visiting scholar at ISGlobal. With a hybrid background across the social, corporate and health sectors, her work advances planetary health through innovation, cross-sector collaboration and the integration of sustainability into healthcare and territorial policies.
Paula de Prado-Bert
Degree in Human Biology (Pompeu Fabra University), master’s degree in Public Health and doctoral degree in Biomedicine (Pompeu Fabra University). Predoctoral researcher (2018-2022) at the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal). Currently a postdoctoral researcher at the Barcelona Lab for Urban Environmental Justice and Sustainability (BCNUEJ, ICTA-UAB). She has also joined the GreenME project with a Juan de la Cierva award.