Biography

I graduated in Medicine and Surgery from the University of Barcelona and completed my PhD in 1989 at the Autonomous University of Barcelona. I specialized in Medical Oncology at Vall d'Hebron Hospital in Barcelona. After finishing my residency, I secured a position as a medical oncologist through a public call at the General Hospital of Elche, where I worked alongside the General Hospital of Alicante.


For family reasons, I returned to Barcelona and worked at various regional hospitals before rejoining my statutory position in the Medical Oncology Service at Germans Trias i Pujol Hospital, under the direction of Dr. Rafael Rosell (1997). With the reorganization of healthcare in Catalonia, the Catalan Institute of Oncology (ICO) took over oncological care in the region (2003), overseeing multiple specialties, including neuro-oncology, gynecologic cancer, sarcomas, and unknown primary tumors.

During my tenure at ICO, I held several key roles, including serving as a member of the Pharmaco-Therapeutic Commission (2003-2017) and the Research Ethics Committee at the University Germans Trias i Pujol Hospital (2003-2015), where I later became Vice President (2015-2019). Additionally, I served as President of the Internal Scientific Committee of the Research Institute Germans Trias i Pujol (2018-2019).
In 2009, I became the Head of Care for the Medical Oncology Service at ICO (2009-2017), which provided invaluable insight into the challenges of oncological care. Additionally, I founded the first Neuro-Oncology Committee at the center in 1987 and later became the coordinator of the Neuro-Oncology Functional Unit, as well as the ICO’s Transversal Reference for CNS tumors.

My passion for research has grown over the years, with a specific focus on brain tumors. I was a founding member of the GEINO group, serving as its President and currently remain an active member. I am also involved with the EORTC Brain Tumor Study Group, and have served on the Scientific Committee of the European Association of Neuro-Oncology (2015-2020) and the Scientific Committee for several editions of the ESMO Congress. Additionally, I have contributed to the development of various European guidelines for the treatment of brain tumors (2014-2021) and those from SEOM.

I have directed or am currently directing 15 doctoral theses, 9 of which focus on brain tumors. As a Principal Investigator, I have secured multiple scholarships from ISCIII and Fundació La Marató TV3, all of which were dedicated to CNS tumors. I have also been invited to speak at numerous national and international conferences.

In January 2023, I ended my contractual relationship with ICO Badalona but continue as an Associate Researcher with the Badalona Applied Research Group in Oncology (B-ARGO Group) at the Institut d'Investigació Germans Trias i Pujol (IGTP) in Badalona, Spain. I also continue to see patients in the private healthcare system at the IOB Institute of Oncology.