Jordi Alonso

Jordi Alonso

Research

Dr. Jordi Alonso's research develops two major lines of research: the measurement of the burden of mental illness and the measurement of patient-reported outcomes (Patient-Reported Outcomes, PROs).

  • Estimation of the burden of mental illness: research on the frequency, risk factors, disabilities, and most common economic and social costs related to mental disorders and suicide. This line of research is carried out in close collaboration with the World Mental Health (WMH) Surveys Consortium, in 30 countries, under the direction of Harvard University and WHO, in which Jordi Alonso is the European scientific coordinator. Analysis of the burden of mental illness in Europe and estimates of the need for health care in the general population. It also includes studies on specific populations (such as university students), conducted in several countries simultaneously. The contributions of the WMH Consortium (http://www.hcp.med.harvard.edu/wmh/) are relevant for improving knowledge of health care needs and provide a more solid basis for decision making and health policy development and evaluation. Principal investigator of several national and international studies on epidemiology of mental disorders and health care needs, since May 2020 he leads the MINDCOVID project on the impact of COVID-19 on mental health and associated care needs, funded by ISCIII/Ministry of Science and Innovation/FEDER, COV20/00711 (www.mindcovid.org).
  • Measurement of health-related quality of life (HRQoL): development and evaluation of PROs in a transversal line of research (health services, public and clinical health). He has participated in the adaptation and validation of numerous PROs, in the development of a standard guide to assess the quality of these instruments (EMPRO), and developed a "Procedure and system to assess the health-related quality of life of an individual" (patent n. P200600211, May 1999). He has also participated in the organization of four "BiblioPRO Scientific Conferences" (2013, 2015, 2017, 2019). Collaboration in projects funded by the European Union and especially with the PROMIS (Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System), initiative funded by the NIH), (www.promishealth.com). Jordi Alonso was a board member of PROMIS Health Organization (PHO) and leader of its International Committee (2015-2019). He is co-director of the technological platform BiblioPRO, a virtual library of PROs questionnaires in Spanish (http://www.bibliopro.org/), promoted by researchers from different CIBER and RETICs groups. J. Alonso was a member of the scientific committee of Medical Outcomes Trust.

Dr. Alonso has published over 900 scientific original articles, revisions and books (1996-April 2022): 748 original articles, which have received a total of 70,364 citations and with a H-Index of 124 (Publons -Web of Science Group-, 26/04/2022). Mentioned by Clarivate Analytics/Thomson Reuters, for six consecutive years, as "Highly Cited Researcher in the World" in the field of Psychiatry/Psychology (2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016) and also in Social Sciences in 2021 and as one of the scientist included into the list of the most cited over the world (World’s Top 2% Scientists) made by the Standford University. During the period 2017- April 2022, he has published 168 indexed articles (71,43% in Q1).

Teaching

Dr. Alonso is Professor at the Department of Medicine and Life Sciences, Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF) since 2011, where he coordinates an education abroad course in the medical degree, another course of the master in Public Health and he’s professor in the 5th and 6th year of the Medicine degree. He’s tutor of several pre and postgraduate students. He was director of the Master in Public Health of UPF (2007-2015). He was deputy director of the Hopkins Fall Institute (Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and UPF) from 2008-2014 and he is still a member of its Oversight Committee (2008--). He’s assistant professor at the Johns Hopkins University (2007--) and He codirects the Fall Institute Program (Johns Hopkins U. and UPF). He has supervised 27 PhD theses, 38 master's degree and 16 final grade minor theses.

Recent Knowledge transfer

Current Dr. Alonso participation in scientific transfer activities include: scientific advisor of the National Plan for the Prevention of Suicide PLAPRESC 2021-2025 (Department of Health, Generalitat de Catalunya); scientific advisor of the Mental Health Plan of Barcelona 2016-2022 (Barcelona City Council), scientific advisor; scientist representant of the Spanish Society of Epidemiology (SEE) for the Mental Health Strategy of the National Health System 2021-2026 (Ministry of Health, Spain); co-chair of four Scientific Conferences of BiblioPRO (2013, 2015, 2017, 2019).

Recent Awards

Among other recognitions and awards, he has received the Presidential Award 2019, granted by the International Society for Quality of Life Research (ISOQOL), for his advances in research in Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQOL), and the Award for Professional Excellence in Social Health, Mental Health and Public Health by the Council of Medical Colleges of Catalonia, 2005.