Researcher profile

Paula Parás-Bravo

I hold a PhD in Health Sciences and am an Associate Professor at the University of Cantabria (UC), accredited as a Full Professor since June 2026. I am currently Head of the Department of Nursing. I have more than a decade of undergraduate and postgraduate teaching experience, with excellent evaluations, as well as extensive experience in university management. My doctoral thesis received the 2014 Valdecilla National Nursing Research Award and was conducted as a multicenter study across ten public hospitals. My scientific output includes 66 JCR-indexed publications, of which 30 are ranked in Q1 and 26 in Q2. More than 90% of my publications have been cited, I have an h-index of 16, and 4.62% of my scientific output ranks among the top 10% most cited publications worldwide in its category. I have presented more than 60 contributions at national and international conferences, several of which have received awards. My research focuses on health and disease processes using quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods approaches. I have participated as principal investigator, collaborator, or coordinator in numerous competitive national and international research projects. In 2024, I founded the UC-recognized research group “Qualitative and Mixed Methods in Health Sciences (QMix Salud),” which brings together researchers from different disciplines and universities. I have supervised and co-supervised doctoral theses and academic projects and have been awarded two six-year research evaluation periods. I have completed clinical and postdoctoral research stays at Marqués de Valdecilla University Hospital, Rey Juan Carlos University, and the School of Nursing and Health Studies at the University of Miami. I also have specialized training in emergency care and clinical simulation and am an instructor trained by the Center for Medical Simulation at Harvard University. I am also an instructor and course director within the Spanish National Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Plan. I have taught across several undergraduate degree programs and three official master’s programs, and I have directed and participated in summer courses, microcredentials, faculty development programs, postgraduate expert programs, and science outreach activities. My previous clinical experience within the Cantabrian Health Service, together with my background as a physiotherapist, strengthens the connection between research, teaching, and clinical practice. My career is characterized by scientific and academic leadership, international engagement, team building and consolidation, and a clear commitment to knowledge transfer and social impact.