Patricia García Pazo

Dr. Patricia García Pazo is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Nursing and Physiotherapy at the University of the Balearic Islands (UIB), where she has been teaching since 2018. She holds a PhD in Health Sciences (2022), a Master in General Health Psychology (2017), a Nursing Diploma (1995), and a Psychology Degree (2001), all from UIB. Her academic career is complemented by extensive professional experience as a nurse in intensive care units (23 years) and as an emergency and disaster psychologist for the 112 emergency service (20 years).

Dr. García Pazo's educational background includes specialized training as an expert in Emergencies and Healthcare Assistance in Disasters (UIB, 1998), a postgraduate degree in Critical Care from Complutense University of Madrid (2007), and national accreditation in crisis and disaster relief psychology. Her teaching portfolio spans Psychosocial Sciences Applied to Health, Psychiatric Nursing and Mental Health, and Adult Nursing VI across multiple campuses of the university.

Her research focuses on the intersection of nursing, psychology, and technology, with particular emphasis on emergency and disaster response, mental health nursing, and digital health applications. She has developed innovative approaches to nursing education, including the implementation of Virtual Reality (VR) in critical patient assessment training. Dr. García Pazo's scholarly work demonstrates a consistent commitment to addressing real-world healthcare challenges through interdisciplinary approaches that bridge clinical practice and academic research.

Dr. García Pazo has authored 8-11 articles in high-impact journals (Q1-Q3), with research spanning emergency nursing, mental health interventions, and mobile health applications. Her publications reveal a strong focus on practical solutions for healthcare challenges, particularly in crisis situations and mental health contexts, with an increasing emphasis on technological innovations in recent years.

• 1st prize for PDI in the 'I Convocatòria del Premis Agenda 2030' awarded by the Office of Cooperation for Development and Solidarity (OCDS)

Dr. García Pazo has directed 16 Final Degree Nursing Projects and tutored over 759 hours of practical work for nursing students. She has participated in multiple teaching innovation projects, including one as principal investigator focused on Virtual Reality applications in nursing education. Her current research includes participation in the 'GROWING HEALTHY' project (MICINN) and 'PROMHES-U' (Carlos III Health Institute), as well as research on the socio-health effects of COVID-19 among migrant women. She is an active member of multiple research groups including 'Cronicidad y Evidencias en Salud (CurES)' and 'Desarrollo y Psicopatología (DeVPSY-IdiSBa).'

She is actively involved in technology transfer initiatives, having developed the NoFumo+ mobile application for tobacco cessation and the GROWINAPP for emotional monitoring. Dr. García Pazo has also contributed to book chapters in 'Enfermería de Salud Mental y Psiquiatría. Valoración y cuidados' (2022) and co-authored several psychoeducational stories addressing disaster response and healthcare topics in both Catalan and Spanish.