Dr Ramon Pujol will be the future dean of the Faculty of Medicine of the UCC-UVic, and Joan Guanyabens will be general manager of the Foundation for Advanced Health Sciences Studies (FESS)

The future dean of the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Vic - Central University of Catalonia (UVic-UCC) has been announced. Ramon Pujol, a doctor in Medicine and a consultant in Internal Medicine, has been appointed by the Board of Trustees of the Foundation for Advanced Health Sciences Studies (FESS), the institution owning the Faculty of Medicine, after the proposal by the rector of the UVic-UCC, Jordi Montaña. The future dean has extensive experience in medicine, medical teaching, research and health management, and his profile gives the Faculty experience in the process of implementing projects. His main priorities include completing the team of teaching staff that will teach in the faculty, and implementing a syllabus that is innovative from the educational and clinical point of view, focusing on the needs of the population and the community.

Ramon Pujol gained his doctorate in medicine from the University of Barcelona (UB) and became a consultant in Internal Medicine (1977) at the University Hospital of Bellvitge (HUB), where he worked for much of his career: he was coordinator of the Emergency service and head of the Internal Medicine Service - a position he had also held previously at Granollers General Hospital. In the field of university teaching, Pujol was a senior lecturer for many years at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Barcelona, where he has been director of the Department of Clinical Sciences in recent years. He chaired the Faculty's Teaching Innovation committee and the teaching committee at the University Hospital of Bellvitge. His other positions have included the presidency of the Catalan Internal Medicine Society, the Catalan Medical Education Society, the Spanish Internal Medicine Society (SEMI) and the European Federation of Internal Medicine (EFIM).

Joan Guanyabens - general manager of the FESS

Meanwhile, the Foundation for Advanced Health Sciences has appointed Joan Guanyabens to the position of general manager. Guanyabens graduated in Medicine and Surgery from the University of Barcelona, and holds a Master's degree in Hospital Management from ESADE. His career has associated with the use and application of information and communication technologies (ICT) for innovation in the health sector for over 30 years, in both the public and private sectors. Among other positions, he has been Secretary for Strategy and Coordination in the Information and Information Technologies System of the Government of Catalonia's Ministry of Health, the Chief Executive Officer of the Catalan Health Quality and Evaluation Agency (AQuAS), Director for Organisational Development at UDIAT, the Diagnostic Information Systems Centre of the Parc Taulí Health Corporation, and an assessor, auditor and expert on ICTs and Health in European Union programmes. He has also been involved in university teaching on innovation and ICTs in healthcare at various centres and institutions, and has undertaken R+D+i projects.

Both Guanyabens and Pujol have been appointed by the Board of Trustees of the FESS after passing an open public competitive process involving a committee consisting of representatives of the Balmes University Foundation and the Bages University Foundation, as well as external experts who prepared the shortlist. The appointment of the Dean of the Faculty of Medicine was also backed by the positive proposal by the rector of the UVic-UCC. A total of over 130 people entered the two calls for candidacies.

Last October, the board of the Inter-University Board of Catalonia (CIC) approved the inclusion of the UVic-UCC's degree in Medicine in programming for the 2017-2018 university academic year. The project is currently awaiting validation of the syllabus from the University Quality Agency (AQU) and the concession of the 90 places requested by the Ministry of Education. The Faculty of Medicine at the UVic-UCC will focus on community and comprehensive training for doctors, one of the areas of healthcare with the most demand, to respond to peoples' needs. The syllabus incorporates innovative items from the pedagogical perspective, such as teaching based on resolving clinical cases, a focus on small groups, personalised teaching and internationalization. The new faculty will be located in Vic and will have a teaching unit in Manresa. It will be private, self-financing, and will have a system of grants providing financial assistance for between 10% and 15% of the students and an innovative loans system.