Victoria Valls is part of the pool of mentors in iRaise. Graduated in Human Biology, PhD in Biomedicine and MSC in Health Economics. Her CV speaks about her suitability to guide our teams through their journey to an innovation adoption. In this interview, she explains us in which health projects she has taken part and gives us a new perspective of how the health system could improve.
What role do you play in iRAISE?
I am a mentor in iRaise.
Tell us briefly about your professional experience.
I studied Human Biology, hold a PhD in Biomedicine and a MSc in Health Economics. After pursuing my PhD, I started managing innovation projects in healthcare, at the beggining I worked for several years at Vall Hebron Hospital and now at the Innovation Unit at AQuAS.
Why did you join to this training program?
I knew about iRaise since its beggining, but I became involved once I started working at AQuAS.
How do you define your work with the teams?
As a mentor, we meet our teams to support them through the iRaise journey. We meet routinely to support them to implement the learnings and proceed in their own project, we clarify questions, raise new questions to them, make them think differently…
What kind of projects have you worked on during the previous editions of the course?
I have mentored different projects that have gone through iRaise. As an example, the teams I worked with were working in the development of tools to better manage emergency room hospitalization management and to better manage healthcare professionals burden of work and satisfaction. Each project has its particularities, but every project will evolve and improve going through iRaise journey.
What do you think the program provides to the health innovation system?
iRaise is (one of) the best programs in Europe to learn and share knowledge and experience on innovation adoption by involving multidisciplinary teams working towards the adoption of demand-driven interventions. Teams learn and apply the knowlegde and skills while working on their own projects, having also the option to share experiences with other multistakeholder team that are facing similar situations.
What do you think about the present health innovation system?
There are quite a lot of innovative interventions trying to be adopted in our systems and quite a lot of professionals working towards the same aim. However, due to several reasons innovation adoption does not occur as frequently as we wish and the system requires. Even if we are improving, there is still a lot of work that needs to be done.
What changes do you think are necessaries in the Spanish health system?
This is a complex question, that may probably requires a complex answer, but I will try my best to simplify it a little. I would suggest to move from buying/designing solutions to work towards demand-driven innovations. A better understanding of all stakeholders perspectives will help to a better understanding of the need/s we are facing and we are willing to solve. Therefore, designed innovations/interventions will better respond to the challenges the society is facing, bringing more value and helping the sustainability of the system, that is probably the biggest challenge.
A CLOSER LOOK…
A professional milestone: PhD graduation.
A book: Wild (Cheryl Strayed).
A movie: I rather prefer series to movies, but I will say A beautiful mind.
A song: I can’t decide for only one: Tant de bo (Txarango) & The days (Avicci).
Your favourite plance in the world: Sitges, with my people.
A personal challenge: More than a challenge, an aim: learning and enjoying every single day.
A wish: End of injustices.
