Vice-Rectorate for Infrastructure and Relations with Healthcare Institutions

Fàtima Sabench Pereferrer

Biography

I was born in Girona in 1967, where I also grew up, and I have lived in Reus since 1986. I joined the Universitat Rovira i Virgili in 2002, in the Surgery Unit of the Department of Medicine and Surgery. I am an Associate Professor of Surgery and have been accredited as a Full Professor. My doctoral thesis established the main lines of my research in experimental surgery and the metabolic effects of obesity surgery, a field of work that I have complemented with clinical experience in both the public and private healthcare sectors.

My teaching has focused mainly on the Medicine degree programme. I currently coordinate the Surgery teaching unit at Hospital Universitari Sant Joan de Reus. Throughout my career, I have also served as coordinator of the Medicine degree programme, coordinator of undergraduate final projects, and head of the internal quality assurance system. Since 2025, I have been Dean of the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, and since 2022 I have served as the Rector’s Delegate for Healthcare Institutions.

My research focuses on experimental surgery and obesity surgery. I am the principal investigator of the Quirinvest Group at Hospital Universitari Sant Joan de Reus and a member of the GEMMAIR Group at Hospital Universitari Joan XXIII de Tarragona. Since 2025, I have served as President of the Spanish Society for Obesity Surgery, adding to a career dedicated to advancing clinical research, innovation, and collaboration between the university and the healthcare system.