The pediatrician and epidemiologist Quique Bassat (Barcelona, 1974) has been appointed general director of the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal) replacing Antoni Plasència, who has led the entity since 2014. Bassat has been elected through an international public call by a selection committee that has valued his accredited scientific, clinical and translational career, and his commitment to the mission and values of ISGlobal. “His experience in the field, his ability to lead multidisciplinary teams, and his innovative vision were key aspects in the committee's final assessment,” the institution states.
Bassat has been honored and excited. “ISGlobal plays a crucial role in promoting global health and equity, and I am eager to continue working, in my new role, alongside the incredible team of professionals that make up ISGlobal to continue driving our positive impact around the world” , he claimed.
Bassat is a researcher at Icrea (Catalan Institute of Research and Advanced Studies), researcher at the Sant Joan de Déu hospital, director of the malaria and neglected parasitic diseases program at ISGlobal, as well as an associate professor at the UB. In his professional career, which includes long stays in a health center in Mozambique, he has combined clinical work with biomedical research in infectious diseases that affect the poorest and most vulnerable populations.
Antoni Plasència, specialist in public health and preventive medicine, informed the entity's board of trustees in June of his intention to end his 9-year mandate in which the institution has established itself as an international benchmark in research and translation in global health. “I am convinced that the leadership that is beginning will contribute, with the commitment and cooperation of the entire ISGlobal community, to a stage of new advances and recognition, keeping our science with heart at the center,” he said.
ISGlobal is the product of an alliance between the la Caixa Foundation and academic and government institutions to contribute to the efforts of the international community regarding health challenges in a globalized world.
