The UVic-UCC will have a doctoral programme in Medicine and Biomedical Sciences

The University of Vic - Central University of Catalonia will have a new doctoral programme in Medicine and Biomedical Sciences starting next year. The University System of Catalonia Quality Agency has given the green light to the programme - the University's eighth. Registration for new entrance will begin in the next academic year, and a total of 15 places will be available in the first year and 20 in the second and subsequent years.

The programme will train researchers in the fields of clinical and biomedical research in two doctoral lines: on the one hand, medicine, which will include areas of work such as medical education, patient safety, clinical epidemiology and ageing, chronicity and healthcare integration models. On the other, the field of biomedical sciences, focusing on cellular and molecular biology, clinical and translational research and new therapeutic strategies.

Theses aimed at improving healthcare practice

One of the primary objectives of the new programme will be to produce theses aimed at improving healthcare practice by introducing technological innovations and a multidisciplinary perspective on knowledge and research. The new programme will involve 18 researchers from the various faculties and centres at the UVic-UCC, linked to eight research groups: Bioinformatics and Medical Statistics (BEM), Chronicity (C3RG), Data Analysis and Modeling (DAM), Digital Care, Sports and Physical Activity (GREAF), Medicine, Quantitative BioImaging (QuBI Lab) and Tissue Repair and Regeneration (TR2Lab).

"This multidisciplinary team of researchers has enabled us to pass the verification process established by the AQU by guaranteeing the quality of a new doctoral programme," says Antoni Tort, director of the Doctoral College  at the UVic-UCC. In addition, according to Tort, "the approval of the new programme is an endorsement of the work done by the School in recent years, and certifies the quality of the research carried out at the University on the doctoral courses." The verification process was led by Marta Otero, vice-dean for Research of the Faculty of Medicine, and Núria Roca, of the Doctoral Studies Office.

UVic-UCC, external and international students

The doctoral programme in Medicine and Biomedical Sciences aims to attract both UVic-UCC students and external and international students. At the same time, it follows on from the bachelor's and master's degrees courses that the University currently offers in the Health Sciences and Life Sciences field. It is also the culmination of the implementation of the academic and research structure linked to the University Hospital of Vic, and consolidates the current research lines of the research groups mentioned above.

This new programme joins the seven programmes that the UVic-UCC is already running at its Doctoral College: Bioinformatics; Experimental and Technological Sciences; Comprehensive Care and Health Services; Law, Economics and Business; Gender Studies: Culture, Society and Politics; Educational Innovation and Intervention, and Translation, Gender and Cultural Studies. A total of 190 students registered for doctoral programmes in the 2017-2018 academic year, and a total of 24 theses were read.