Jordi Gracia-Sancho, head of the Liver Vascular Biology research group at IDIBAPS and until now deputy scientific director of the Liver and Digestive Diseases area (CIBEREHD) has been appointed as the new scientific director of CIBEREHD. This appointment was official during the CIBER Governing Council held on December 20.
In his new role, the scientific director emphasizes "the importance of continuing the legacy of research of excellence in the Hepatic and Digestive area of the CIBER, with the commitment to foster collaborative research both within the CIBEREHD and with other areas of the CIBER."
Between 2006 and 2015 Jaume Bosch, now emeritus researcher in the Liver Vascular Biology group at the Clínic-IDIBAPS, chaired CIBEREHD. And he was succeeded by Jordi Bruix, emeritus researcher of the Hepatic Oncology group (BCLC) of Clínic-IDIBAPS, between 2015-2020.
Academic and professional career
His academic background includes a BSc in Biochemistry from Rovira i Virgili University, with undergraduate research training focused on hemochromatosis at London Metropolitan University. Likewise, he carried out predoctoral studies focused on the pathophysiology of portal hypertension at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Barcelona and completed his postdoctoral training at the Center of Excellence in Vascular Biology - Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston. In 2012, he obtained a "Ramón y Cajal" contract, subsequently progressing to his current position.
His research focuses on hepatic vascular pathophysiology, with a special focus on the role of hepatic sinusoid cells and their interactions, in acute and chronic liver diseases, as well as in the aging process. His publication track record includes more than 125 original articles and peer-reviewed reviews. Additionally, he is a visiting professor at various educational institutions in Spain and Europe, and co-leads a variety of educational initiatives, including the LiverSeminars Program, as well as different symposiums focused on liver research.
Dr. Gracia-Sancho has been an invited speaker at several national and international conferences, including the annual meetings of the European, American, and Asia-Pacific Hepatology Associations. He has played significant roles as a member of the Scientific Committee of the Spanish Association for the Study of the Liver (AEEH) and the Steering Committee of the Portal Hypertension Special Interest Group of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD). Currently, he is a member of the Board of Directors of AEEH, the Basic Research Committee of AASLD, and the Steering Committee of the Baveno Consortium. In recognition of his excellence, he was the first Spanish researcher to be awarded the Emerging Leader Award from the European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL) in 2016 and has recently been named a “Fellow” of the American Hepatology Association.
