Team
Behavioural Design Lab Team
Manuel Armayones Ruiz 
Position. Coordinator of the Behavioural Design Lab at UOC eHealth Center. Full Professor of Behavioural Design at the Faculty of Psychology and Education Sciences, UOC.
Interests. Persuasive design in eHealth; Psychology and eHealth; Health Literacy; Psychology 2.0; Intervention; Health promotion through IT.
Bio. My research interests focus on strategies of persuasion through technology and general design aimed at improving the health of citizens. It also works in the field of digital literacy, and in the adherence to treatment based on the analysis of psychological factors related to the participation and commitment of patients and citizens in ICT interventions for health. Currently it is working with different theoretical and conceptual models based on psychological theories and previous experience in persuasive design in health, in order to recommend researchers, organizations and strategic companies to increase the adherence of patients and citizens in ICT interventions for the promotion of health; and to assess the “level of persuasion” of an online intervention for the promotion of health. https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6345-8711
Mercè Boixadós Anglès
Position. Senior Professor at Faculty of Psychology and Education Sciences, UOC.
Interests. On-line psychological interventions; Methodology applied.
Bio. I am Doctor in Psychology for the Autonomous University of Barcelona (1997). Since 1991 until 2002 I have been teacher of the assignatures Analysis of Data, Statistical and Methods Research of the Department of Psicobiologia and Methodology in Sciences of the Health at the Faculty of Psychology for the Autonomous University of Barcelona, as well as collaborator in several researches for the Group Studies of Psychology of Sport (GEPE) in the same university. Since 2002 I am teacher of the Studies of Psychology and Sciences of Education at the UOC and member of the group of research PSiNET and currently at the BDLab . http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8407-7336
Beni Gómez-Zúñiga
Position. Associate Professor at Faculty of Psychology and Education Sciences, UOC, where I coordinate courses in Basic Psychology and Clinical and Health Psychology.
Interests. Psychology and eHealth; Health promotion; Technology and the elderly; Cognition and ICT.
Bio. I have a degree in Philosophy and Education (1990) and a degree in Psychology (1991) from the University of Barcelona. I did pre-doctoral studies abroad at Yale University (1991-1993). From 1993 to 2005, I developed research and teaching activities related to the area of Basic Psychology at the University of Barcelona, in the same department where I received my doctorate in 2001. I later worked as part of the team for Psychology and Education Studies at the UOC (2005), where I now coordinate psychology courses and do research in the PSiNET group. http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7968-588X
Eulàlia Hernández i Encuentra
Position. Associate Professor at Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, UOC. Researcher at BDLab Group
Interests. Psychology and eHealth; eHealth Literacy; Online Psychological Interventions; Health promotion; Psychology 2.0; Empowerment; Child and Adolescent Mental Health; Technology and the elderly; Evaluation and treatment of pain.
Bio. I am a Psychologist and Doctor of Psychology from the Autonomous University of Barcelona, where I started my academic studies. In addition to my work in clinical and educational practice, I have been a researcher and Professor of Developmental Psychology and Education in the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB, 1991-2010), The University Ramon Llull (URL, 1997-2003) and the Open University of Catalonia (UOC, 1995- present). I have been a researcher for the PSiNET group since 2003. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0319-861X
Modesta Pousada Fernández
Position. Associate Professor at Faculty of Psychology and Education Sciences at UOC. Dean of the Psychology degree.
Interests. Psychology and eHealth; Health promotion; Psychology 2.0; Technology and the elderly; Cognition and ICT.
Bio. I received my psychology degree from the University of Barcelona, and upon finishing my degree, I started working in the Department of Basic Psychology, where I read my doctoral thesis in 1996 and developed the first ten years of my academic career. In 2001, I joined the Open University of Catalonia, and shortly after, the PSiNET Group, where I have been conducting my most recent research. https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7037-003X
Clara Selva Olid
Position I am an Associate Professor in the Psychology and Educational Sciences Department at the UOC, where I coordinate courses in Work and Organizational Psychology.
Interests:My interests encompass work and organizational psychology, as well as professional trajectories, careers, and gender in the workplace. I specialize in qualitative methodologies and am particularly interested in practicum and virtual internships.
Bio: I hold a PhD in Psychology and my research activity focuses on the field of work and organizational psychology, exploring phenomena such as professional trajectories and the impact of gender. I use qualitative methodologies to address these topics in various areas, including medicine, nursing, and psychology. I currently collaborate with two consolidated research groups: People Working in Organizations (PETRO) at UAB and the Applied Clinical and Health Research Group (UAB, Hospital de Sant Pau). Recently, I have expanded my research into practicum, conducting studies on virtual internships and student satisfaction with these experiences.My work has had practical applications in various institutions and administrations. In 2018, I was recognized for good practices by ACUP for my project “Design of an active methodology of Conscious Learning. http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7390-9889
Inma Grau
Position. Head of the mHealth Clinic Observatory project at the Hospital Clinic in Barcelona
Interests. mHealth, digital health, ePacients
Bio. Dr. Grau is responsible for the project of the Observatori mHealth Clínic, and is a member of the Patient Information and Therapeutic Education Working Group (GTIET) and of the projects related to the strategic plan and therapeutic education of patients, families and caregivers of this hospital. In 2006 he created and promoted the Forum Clinic an interactive platform for patients aimed at increasing their autonomy in health through the use of ICT, which was a pioneer in its field.
Creator and director of the Fundación iSYS, a non-profit society that works to establish new practices in digital health and that promotes the “Top20 Awards” according to iSYScore, a list of the best apps in health, and the digital platform for breast cancer patients, Xemio.
Doctor in the Information and Knowledge Society from the UOC, she was selected by HIMMS Europe (Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society) as one of the 50 leading people in Europe in the field of ICT in health. She collaborates with the IDIBAPS Primary Care Cross-Cutting Research Group and is a member of the Board of the Grupo Ágata Patient Association. https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1014-051X
BDLab Collaborators
Montserrat Martínez García 
Position. BDLab collaborator.
Interests. Psychology and eHealth; Online Psychological Interventions; Health promotion; Child and Adolescent Mental Health.
Bio. I am a licensed psychologist with a degree from the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB, 1999) and a diploma in Speech Therapy, (2002). I am currently a doctoral research fellow at the UAB. Since 2003, I have had a private practice as a child and adolescent psychologist, and since 2006, I have been combining my clinical work with the field of Education at the UOC, where I teach in Child Psychopathology, Child and Adolescent Clinical Psychological Assessment, and the Clinical Psychology Practicum.
Marta Lupón Bas
Position. BD-Lab Collaborator.
Interests. Psychology of visual impairment; Quality of life (QoL); Health and e-Health literacy; Health promotion; Online Psychological intervention.
Bio. PhD Information and Communication Society (UOC). Diploma in Optics and Optometry (Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya – Universitat d’Alacant), bachelor degree in Psychology (Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia), and Master in Psychology, health and Quality of Life (Universitat Oberta de Catalunya). Professor in the Department of Optics and Optometry at the UPC. At present I’m investigating the impact that caregiving children with visual impairment has on parents’ quality of life, and analysing the quality of webpages with information on visual impairment of child and teens as parents’ health literacy resources.
Nacho del Arco
Position. Bd-Lab Collaborator
PhD in Biological Sciences from Complutense University of Madrid. Collaborator with the PSINET (Psychology, Health & Internet) research group and the Spanish Network for Health Literacy.
Interest Research and innovation in digital health, biomedical technology transfer, user-centered innovation, evaluation of social and technological impact in health and well-being, and digital transformation and creative industries.
Bio: I completed my PhD in Biological Sciences at the Complutense University of Madrid in 2000. Since then, I have worked on various scientific research projects, biomedical technology transfer, and user-centered innovation. My experience encompasses the evaluation of social and technological impact of innovations in the field of health and well-being.My professional career has primarily developed in foundations within the scientific research and innovation sector, where I have led various entrepreneurial projects based on knowledge and technology transfer. Since 2018, I have been actively participating in research and innovation projects related to digital health.Currently, I am working with the team at the National Digital Content Hub in Málaga to extend their digital innovation hub model to other territories. This project acts as a lever for local transformation, fostering entrepreneurship, specialized training, and the generation of qualified employment in a sector with high future projection at the intersection of creative and cultural industries.
BDLab PhD Researchers.
Lourdes Carrascon Arconada
Position. PhD Researcher.
Interests. Biofeedback; Investigation; Recruiter; Anxiety-stress.
Bio. Degree in psychology from the Open University of Catalonia (UOC), Master in Evaluation and Measurement of Behavior. UOC academic tutor. Passionate about research and the application of digital technologies for the improvement of high-performance of people and competitive athletes. Specialist in Biofeedback, and control of anxiety and stress, in the workplace.
Elena Castro
Position. PhD Researcher.
Interests. Psychology and eHealth; Health promotion; Psychology 2.0; Technology and the elderly; Active ageing.
Bio. Degree in Law and Graduate in Psychology with a Master’s Degree in General Health Psychology and another in Information and Knowledge Society. I am currently working in an NGO dedicated to providing psychological and educational support through projects and programs aimed at minors, women, the elderly, ethnic minorities and people without resources. My work focuses on psychotherapeutic care and the development of programs of care for the elderly institutionalized through technology. I combine this work with psychological care in a private medical center.
Jordi Llorens Román
Position. PhD Researcher.
Interests. Psychology and eHealth; Health promotion; Inclusion of People with Functional Diversity; Mental Health Promotion in Vulnerable Populations.
Bio. I have a degree in Psychology, a master’s degree in General Health Psychology, and another in Functional Behaviour Analysis. My professional career has been dedicated to providing psychological support and promoting well-being for individuals with functional diversity and dependency. I am currently working as a psychologist at the Foundation for People with Disabilities of Menorca, an institution under the Menorca Island Council. My role focuses on promoting inclusion and improving the psychological well-being of people with mental health problems and functional diversity. I combine this work with research.
Josep M. Suelves Joanxich
Position. Pre-doctoral researcher.
Interests. Public Health; Health Psychology; Epidemiology; Smoking; Unintentional Injuries.
Bio. Degree in Philosophy and Educational Sciences – Psychology Section, University of Barcelona. Professional and scientific activity in health promotion, prevention and treatment of tobacco, alcohol and substance use disorders, and prevention of unintentional injuries. Currently head of the Service of Tobacco & Injuries Prevention in the Public Health Agency of Catalonia. He has been lecturer on Psychobiology at the University of Barcelona and course instructor at the Faculty of Psychology and Education at UOC, where he is currently a teaching tutor
Rocío Zúñiga Tapia
Position: PhD researcher
Interests. Quality of life (QoL) of people with cancer and cancer survivors; mental health and cancer; palliative care; mhealth.
Bio. Graduate in Nursing, Universidad de Concepción, Chile, Master in Nursing, Universidad de Concepción, Chile, Research Assistant Universidade de Sao Paulo, Brazil. Her professional career has been developed in primary health care, and mostly in academia and health research. Her research focuses on improving the health and quality of life of people with cancer and survivors. She is currently an Assistant Professor in the Nursing Degree at Universidad San Sebastián, Chile, and Director of the Diploma in Nursing Care of the oncology patient at the same university.
Blanca Torras Vilches
Position. Pre-doctoral researcher
Interests. Psychology and eHealth; Health literacy; health promotion; Psychology 2.0; Adolescent mental health
Bio. I am a Health Psychologist from UOC (2020) with a Master’s Degree in Child and Adolescent Intervention from UOC (2024). Tutor of Psychology Studies at UOC from 2019 to 2023 and Collaborate Professor at the Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, UOC, from 2023. I work in the field of private practice combining teaching and research for the doctoral thesis.
BDLab Research Assistants
Lidia Merino Rubio
Position. PhD researcher.
Interests. Health Promotion, eHealth, Empowerment, Adolescent Mental Health, Health Literacy. ealthy aging; patient behavior and activation; mental health of older adults; technology use; public health; epidemiology.
Bio. I’m a qualified Nurse who graduated from the University of Barcelona (2015). I started my professional career as an oncology nurse in Catalonia and Ireland. At the end of 2019 I changed to the research and management field while I was studying my Master’s in Digital Health in UOC. I work as an assistant researcher in the project eHealthLit4teen.
Giuliano Duarte Anselmi
Position. PhD. researcher
Interests. Public Health; Behaviour Change; Mental Health; Adolescent mental health.
Bio. Associate professor and a researcher at the Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Santiago de Chile. Master in public health, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, and master in international cooperation and public policies, Universidad Complutense de Madrid. With experience in evidence synthesis. His trajectory and clinical training have been in primary health care related to prenatal control, gynecological control – women’s health – and prevention of STIs / HIV in the community. His research interest, focuses on improving and strengthening public health through the design, implementation, and evaluation of new and innovative evidence-based interventions. His academic interests are decision-making in health, sustainable development, planetary health, behavior change, and digital interventions.