The UCT expands its cross-functional team with three new hires

The Tobacco Control Unit (UCT) of the Catalan Institute of Oncology (ICO) has recently welcomed three new members to its cross-functional team: two new researchers and a communications specialist. 

Isabel Barroso, who wholds a degree in Human Nutrition and Dietetics from the University of Barcelona (UB) and a Master’s degree in Preventive Medicine and Public Health from the University of Granada, joins the team as a researcher on the ‘Smoke-free Homes’ project. This initiative, addressed to families with children whose parents smoke, aims to adapt and test the effectiveness of an intervention consisting of various activities for families to learn about the benefits of not smoking at home.

Laura Perdiguero, who joins the unit as a project manager, studied Physiotherapy at the University of Valladolid. She was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship in August 2021 to pursue a Master’s degree in Public Health and Epidemiology at the University of South Florida (USF), in the United States. Throughout her professional career she has worked as a research assistant at USF and also as a neurological physiotherapist at the Cerebral Palsy Association (ASPACE). Her main research interests include social determinants of health, behavioural change, implementation science and global health.

Clara Fábregas joins the team as the new communications officer. She holds a degree in Journalism and has worked for several media outlets. She will be in charge of bringing greater visibility to the UCT’s activities and communicating the right messages about the reality of smoking to society in general through the media. In addition, she will manage both internal and external communications for the ‘PIECES Project’, an initiative funded by the European Union that aims to develop, evaluate and disseminate a tool that will facilitate the implementation of cancer prevention programmes.