EIT Health Spain has renewed its Governing Board

Gender parity and collaboration of all the stakeholders in the healthcare sector, keys in the new Board of EIT Health Spain

EIT Health, the leading European body for innovation in healthcare, has renewed its Governing Board at the General Assembly of the EIT Health Spain Association held on May 20. As of this month, the persons elected will represent all the associates in its governing board for the next two years.

The new members of the Board are: Francesc Iglesias, deputy to the management of the Institut Català de la Salut (ICS), as the new president; Mercè Segarra, Vice-Rector for Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Transfer at the University of Barcelona, as vice-president; and Josep Lluis Falcó, CEO of Genesis Biomed, as secretary.

The board is also completed by three other excellent professionals who will assume the three memberships: Jaume Ribera, professor at IESE Business School; Ana María Carriazo, technical advisor for Institutional Relations at the Ministry of Health and Families of the Andalusian Regional Government, representing the Andalusian Health Service (SAS); and Elena Torrente, deputy director of digital health development at DKV Health and Wellness.

The new team brings to the board many years of experience in healthcare innovation, education and entrepreneurship and represents the whole healthcare value chain: two industrial partners, two healthcare providers, two educational institutions and includes, at the same time, two health systems and patient representation. In addition, Europe’s leading innovation body is committed to gender balance and diversity in the new Governing Board.

The new members of the EIT Health Spain Governing Board

Francesc Iglesias is Deputy Director of the Institut Català de la Salut (ICS) and new president of the board. He holds a degree in Economics, a Master’s degree in Hospital Management and PADIS from IESE. He has developed his professional career in the field of healthcare management, strategic and organizational consulting, and Public Health Administration. He has held various responsibilities in centers such as Hospital Clínic de Barcelona, Hospital de San Juan de Dios de Esplugues, Badalona Servicios Asistenciales and Consorcio Sanitario de Anoia. He has been Executive Advisor in the Cabinet of the Ministry of Health and in the last twelve years of his professional career, he has carried out managerial tasks for the Catalan Health Institute, ICS. Currently, he is also Manager of the ICTUS Foundation and President of the Associació de pacientes Superar l’ICTUS de Barcelona.

Mercè Segarra, Vice-Rector for Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Transfer of the University of Barcelona and new vice president of the board. Professor of Materials Science and Metallurgical Engineering at the University of Barcelona, where she has held various management positions, she is in charge of the promotion of spin offs and the development of patents and licenses, R&D collaboration with private bodies and the promotion and incubation of student start ups.

She is part of the research group Centro de Diseño y Optimización de Procesos y Materiales (DIOPMA) and her research activity has resulted in more than 100 articles in indexed journals, and she has participated in more than 50 research projects. She currently coordinates the Ibero-American Network of Renewable Energies and Environmental Care (RIbERA), in which 30 universities and research centers from 13 countries participate.

Josep Lluis Falco, Co-Founder and CEO of GENESIS Biomed and new secretary of the board, holds a PhD in Chemistry and an MBA. With 23 years of experience in the biomedical sector, he has worked at Sanofi, Ferrer, Fundació Bosch i Gimpera, Asphalion and Antares Consulting, in addition to founding 5 technology-based start-ups, being the CEO in one of them (ImmunNovative Developments). He has also been an associate professor at the Institut Químic de Sarrià. For the last 4 years he has been managing his own company GENESIS Biomed, is Board member in 3 start-ups and mentors several initiatives.

Ana María Carriazo, Technical Advisor for Institutional Relations, Ministry of Health and Families of the Andalusian Regional Government and current member of the Board of EIT Health Spain, is a Doctor of Medicine in the Public Health program, specialist in Preventive Medicine and Public Health, and has extensive experience in European projects and has been responsible for the participation of the body in European and international initiatives since 2007. She previously worked in the Andalusian Health Service, with various responsibilities (health information systems, digital health, portfolio of services, among others), where she began her professional career in 1988.

Elena Torrente, deputy director of digital health development at DKV and new member of the board, is a political scientist specialized in the health sector and has 15 years of experience in the field of innovation and digital health, both in the public and private sectors. In addition, Elena Torrente is a member of the WHO’s list of experts in digital health.

Jaume Ribera, professor at IESE Business School and new member of the board, holds a PhD in industrial engineering from the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya and in mathematical systems theory from the University of Florida, as well as a master’s degree in operations research from the same university. He was president of the European Operations Management Association (2004-2007) and previously served as secretary of the U.S. Operations Management Association (1992-97) and has served on the editorial boards of the International Journal of Operations and Production Management and the Harvard Business Review China.

The new president of the Board of EIT Health Spain, Francesc Iglesias, states that: “the main objective of this Board is to continue on the path of the transformation of the healthcare system, innovation and digital transformation, and to continue boosting collaboration between all the stakeholders in the sector, as well as increasing the involvement of the Administrations and healthcare providers in the Spanish innovation ecosystem as a fundamental part of the future. We have to look to the future with the firm conviction that we can continue improving the citizens’ lives.”

The new board, in close collaboration with EIT Health Spain CEO Cristina Bescós, is committed to continuing the Spanish Hub’s indispensable contribution to the entity’s growth and transformation prospects in the coming months and years. “The new Board will continue with the mission of driving innovation in healthcare and supporting the transformation of the healthcare system. Last year alone, from Spain, we led 37 European projects and supported 55 startups, which raised up to €67 million in funding, and we will succeed with this new board in

becoming the main healthcare alliance in our country and in Europe,” concludes Cristina Bescós, Managing Director of EIT Health Spain.