Aida Muñoz-Ferrer

I am currently working as a Pulmonary consultant and a Sleep Medicine expert in the Hospital Universitari Germans Trias i Pujol (Badalona, Spain), which is a university and public hospital that belongs to the Spanish National Health System. It is the reference center for the areas of the Barcelonès Nord and Maresme (next to Barcelona), covering a population of 800000-1200000 inhabitants. This hospital has 759 beds, including 50 beds for critical care, and 27 beds for semi-critical care patients. Besides, it is a center of research and development. I completed my degree in Medicine from 2000-2006 in the Autonomus University of Barcelona. And I developed my MIR specialty in Respiratory Medicine from 2007 to 2011 in the Hospital Universitari Germans Trias i Pujol. After my graduation as Respiratory Medicine specialist, I remained in this hospital as a Pulmonary consultant being another membership of the Respiratory Department staff. Since I finished my specialization in Respiratory Medicine in 2011 my tasks were diverse, especially during the first years. During winter season, I was responsible for the pulmonary ward. Our Respiratory Department has a total of 22 beds for hospitalization, that can even double up to 50 beds during the winter season. Of this mean of 22 beds, I was in charge of 6-10 of them. This hospitalization ward covers a wide range of diagnostics. Although the majority of the patients are hospitalized because of COPD exacerbation, there are many other pathologies, such as severe asthma exacerbation, lung cancer diagnosis, pulmonary fibrosis, pulmonary hypertension, pulmonary thromboembolism, etc. I have also being responsible for the Respiratory Semicritical Care Unit, which included at that time 4 beds (currently 8 beds since 2020) for patients requiring invasive and noninvasive respiratory techniques in connection with weaning concepts for patients with long term mechanical ventilation. For 6 months, once per week I ruled the monographic consultancy for interstitial pulmonary diseases in 2011. Attending to the needs of our department I had also worked in the endoscopy unit (flexible bronchoscopy, endobronchial ultrasound bronchoscopy, Abrams needle pleural biopsy, thoracic ultrasound and thoracocentesis). However, since the beginning of 2013 I dedicate my activity to attend the Sleep Medicine Department. My tasks include the monographic consultancy for sleep disorders three days a week in addition to interpret the polysomnographic and polygraphic studies. So is in the Sleep Medicine field where I have developed my area of expertise. I obtained the title of Expert in Sleep Medicine by the Spanish Committee of Accreditation in Sleep Medicine in 2018. I got my PhD with qualification of Excellent “Cum laude” for my thesis entitle “Utility of the automatic analysis of video images for the diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnea”. I got the certificate of the course “Advances in Sleep Medicine” of the Catholic University San Antonio from Murcia accredited with 60 credits. Currently, I am registered in a Respiratory Sleep Training Programme in Diagnostic techniques in sleep medicine by the European Respiratory Society (ERS). I have also been ruling the consultancy of general Pneumology in the primary care area once a week, managing a wide range of pathology in the general respiratory medicine subject. I have realised and average of 4-5 on-calls per month as pulmonary specialist during the last 10 years. Nowadays, I’m doing 2 on-calls per month. On the other hand, I have interest in teaching so I have been tutor of doctors during their MIR specialization program since 2018 and I also collaborate in the University theorical classes and practices for the students of medicine in the subject of respiratory medicine. Furthermore, as my hospital has also activity as a center of research I got some experience for inclusion, randomization, treatment and follow-up of patients in phase III studies. Besides, I have participated in some recruitment tasks and data analysis of patients, which have permitted to make several manuscripts, communications in congresses and seminars.