Catalan Institute of Oncology

Catalan Institute of Oncology

Spain

The Catalan Institute of Oncology (ICO) is a public non-profit comprehensive cancer organisation with a high international recognition (i.e., WHO Collaborating Centre for Tobacco control and WHO HPV Information Centre). On top of cancer care and prevention, specialised training, and research, ICO develops primary cancer prevention and implementation research through its Cancer Prevention and Control Programme and Cancer Epidemiology Research Programme. ICO is partnering with both the Catalan Health Service (CatSalut), which is the unique purchaser of public services for all 7.7 million Catalonian citizens, and the Public Health Agency of Catalonia (ASPCAT), which is responsible amongst other tasks for Public Health policies and programmes for the Region. In PIECES, the close collaboration between the three entities will allow access to all the public healthcare network in Catalonia, comprised by 71 hospitals, 371 primary care centres, and 96 intermediate care centres.

Esteve Fernández

Esteve Fernández is the Director of the WHO Collaborating Center for Tobacco Control, Head of the Cancer Prevention and Control Program and the Tobacco Control Unit of the Catalan Institute of Oncology. He is also a Professor of Epidemiology and Public Health at the University of Barcelona. He has worked in the epidemiology of cancer, especially in tobacco and other risk factors, as well as the analysis of trends in cancer incidence and mortality. Currently, the main area of his research is tobacco control. Recently he has been appointed by the Catalan Minister of Health as the new President of the Advisory Council on Smoking in Catalonia.

Cristina Martínez

Dr. Cristina Martínez is a Senior Researcher and Adjunct at the Tobacco Control Unit of the Catalan Institute of Oncology (ICO), as well as Associate Professor at the University of Barcelona (UB) and Adjunct Professor at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF). She has designed several tobacco control programs aimed at transferring scientific knowledge into practice in healthcare services. Her main research lines include the evaluation of programs and the transference of research into practice by applying health policy measures at local, national and international levels. The specific content of her research includes tobacco control in healthcare services, applied research, and the regulatory framework of tobacco control policies.

Clara Mercader

Clara Mercader is a Research Assistant and Project Manager at the Tobacco Control Unit (UCT) of the Catalan Institute of Oncology (ICO). She holds a degree in Pharmacy from the University of Barcelona (UB, 2009), a Master in International Health and Cooperation from the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB, 2014) and a Master in Health Education from the University of Lleida (UdL, 2014). She is also an associate professor at the University of Lleida.

Clara Fábregas

Clara Fábregas is a journalist and works currently as the communications officer for the Tobacco Control Unit (UCT) of the Catalan Institute of Oncology (ICO) in Barcelona. She has previously worked in several media outlets as a journalist and also in corporate communications departments. She is in charge of managing the internal and external communication of the ‘PIECES Project’.

Jassia Zafar

Jassia holds a degree in Nutrition and Dietetics from the University of Barcelona (UB) and a Master’s degree in Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Nutrition, Chronic Diseases, and Healthy Ageing from the same university. She has gained practical experience in the clinical field at Hospital HM Delfos, in nutritional consultancy at CESNUT, and in conducting a clinical study at the Polyphenol Research Group, where she studied the effects of peanut consumption on various health parameters in adolescents.She is now starting her PhD, contributing to the PIECES project, which focuses on the implementation and evaluation of cancer prevention interventions across Catalonia.

David Fernández

David holds a BSc in Nursing from the University of Lleida (2019) and a BSc in Biomedical Sciences from the University of Barcelona (2023). He works currently in the Biostatistics Team of the Tobacco Control Unit (UCT) of the Catalan Institute of Oncology (ICO). He has previously worked as a nurse in different health centres and as a health promoter in the Blood and Tissue Bank of Catalonia.