MARIA ISABEL CURA-GONZALEZ

Isabel del Cura is a medical doctor, specialized in Family and Community Medicine, and holds a PhD in Epidemiology and Public Health from the Autonomous University in Madrid, Spain. She is currently employed as Head of the Primary Care Research Unit of the Madrid Health Service and as Professor at the University Rey Juan Carlos of Madrid, Spain. Isabel is affiliated to the Aging Research Center at Karolinska Institutet, working on the topic of multimorbidity in the older population within Amaia Calderón-Larrañaga’s group. More specifically, she is interested in the definitions and operationalizations of chronic diseases and multimorbidity, and in the occurrence, patterns, risk factors, and consequences of multimorbidity in the older population.

Memberships

• President of the Technical Evaluation Committee for Epidemiology, Public Health, and Health Services Projects of the Health Research Fund of Carlos III Health Institute, Ministry of Science and Technology between 2014-2018.
• Member of the National Guideline Plan GuiaSALUD, Ministry of Health, Consumer Affairs, and Social Welfare from 2015. She is currently the Director of one of its Scientific Committees.
• Member of the Executive Committee of the IMPACT Precision Medicine Cohort Spain from 2021.
• Member of the Executive Committee, and Group Leader of the Network for Research on Chronicity, Primary Care, and Health Promotion (RICAPPS) RD12/0001/0012, RD21/0016/0027 Carlos III Health Institute from 2022.
• Member of the Executive Committee, and Group Leader of the Network for Health Services Research on Chronic Diseases (REDISSEC) RD21/0016/0001 Carlos III Health Institute from 2012 to 2021.
• Member of the Gregorio Marañón Health Research Institute. Leader of the Multimorbidity, Chronic Diseases, and Health Outcomes Group from 2021.
• Member of High-Performance Research Group in Clinical and Community Epidemiology Innovation at Rey Juan Carlos University.
• Member of the Scientific Advisory Council of the Foundation for Biomedical Research and Innovation in Primary Care of the Community of Madrid from 2015.
• Member of the External Scientific Advisory Committees of the IdiSNA Navarra Health Research Institute (from 2022), Galicia Sur (from 2023), I+12 12 de Octubre Hospital Madrid (from 2023), and IBS Granada Health Research Institute (from 2024).

Education
1992: Graduated in Medicine, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Spain

1995: Specialized in Family and Community Medicine at Hospital Severo Ochoa, Leganés, Madrid

2003: Master’s in Research Methodology, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Spain

2004: PhD in Epidemiology and public health, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Spain

2022: Master's in Medical Anthropology and Global Health, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Spain

Academic honors, awards and prizes
SEMFYC National Award 2021 for Research Career in Family Medicine.

• Multimorbidity and the characterization of chronic diseases highlighting the role of social inequalities.
• Comparative effectiveness research centered on the effectiveness of health interventions integration of PROMS, PREMS, and Patient Experience.
• Research implementation and transfer to clinical practice
• Polypharmacy, drug prescription appropriateness, and adherence to treatment.
• History of health and disease

Current and past 10-year projects

• PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR. Multimorbidity in the National Health System: Population characterization and impact of its patterns and trajectories in older adults (LOXO MM-SNS Project). PI 22/00768.
• PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR. IMPACT Cohort. Predictive Medicine Program - Precision Medicine Infrastructure associated with Science and Technology (IMPaCT) 2021-2026. MP/00021. PMP22/00003.
• PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR. Effectiveness of the MULTIPAP-Plus intervention in young elderly with multimorbidity and polypharmacy to improve prescription in primary care: Cluster randomized controlled trial. PI 18/01515.
• PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR. Effectiveness of the MULTIPAP intervention in young elderly with multimorbidity and polypharmacy to improve prescription in Primary Care: Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial. PI 15/00572.
• PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR. Randomized non-inferiority clinical trial on the efficacy of oral vitamin B12 treatment compared to intramuscular treatment in patients with serum vitamin B12 deficiency. EC10-116.
• PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR. Analysis of the discourse on the impact of COVID-19 on the mental health of professionals and patients. QRAP MIND COVID. COVID2020-23.
• CO-INVESTIGATOR. Stratification of Patients using advanced Integrative modeling of Data Routinely acquired for diagnosing Rheumatic complaints (SPIDeRR). ID101080711.
• CO-INVESTIGATOR. Future of Artificial Intelligence Trained for Heart Failure detection and Upgrading Latest technology: FAITHFUL, Determining Efficacy of an Artificial Intelligence based System for Heart Failure Detection through Interpretation of Electrocardiograms: a pragmatic cluster randomized clinical trial. DECISION. 2023-SUD-3860.
• CO-INVESTIGATOR. AffecTive basEd iNtegrateD carE for betteR Quality of Life (TeNDER). ID875325.
• CO-INVESTIGATOR. HARMONIzation and integrative analysis of regional, national and international Cohorts on primary Sjögren's Syndrome (pSS) towards improved stratification, treatment and health policy making. ID731944 / RIA731944.

• Professor of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, Family and Community Medicine and Geriatrics and Public Health, and Introduction to Medicine in the Medicine Degree of the School of Health Sciences at Rey Juan Carlos University, Madrid, Spain.
• Professor of Clinical and Epidemiological Research Methodology in the Madrid Health Service and in the Master's programs of Epidemiology and Public Health at the National School of Public Health, Madrid, Spain, and in the Master's program of Patients with Advanced Chronic Disease and Palliative Care Needs at Complutense University.
• Professor at the International Doctoral School of Rey Juan Carlos University.
• Head of Research and Head of Studies of the Family and Community Medicine Teaching Unit (from 2008 to 2010).
• Main supervisor of residents in Family and Community Medicine at the Area 9 of Primary Care in Madrid (from 1998 to 2009).