The results from the Víctor Grífols i Lucas Foundation call for awards and grants were announced, and UIC Barcelona lecturers Dr Rebeca Pardo and Dr Andrea Rodríguez-Prat were each awarded a grant for research projects on bioethics they submitted to the call. 

 

First, Rebeca Pardo, alongside Montse Morcate (from the University of Barcelona) secured one of the eight grants from the Foundation for her project titled “Ética de las imágenes de la enfermedad, muerte y duelo en tiempos de COVID-19” (‘Ethics of images depicting illness, death and mourning in times of COVID-19’), which will analyse the bioethical implications of photographically depicting COVID-19 in the Spanish media. It involves analysing pandemic-related photographic narratives, with a particular focus on emblematic and problematic pictures taken by both professional photographers and citizens. As such, not only will the study investigate images published in the media, but also those shared over social media networks.

 

Lecturer Andrea Rodríguez-Prat and her team also obtained a grant for their project titled “La muerte en soledad desde la perspectiva de supervivientes COVID-19. Un estudio fenomenológico” (‘Dying in isolation from the perspective of COVID-19 survivors.  A phenomenological study’). The study hopes to generate knowledge through the experience of dying in isolation from the point of view of coronavirus survivors who were at risk of dying whilst in isolation.

 

The project will consist of a first preliminary phase in which they will analyse patients’ experiences of isolation during an epidemic by conducting a systematic review of the scientific literature. In next phase, they will explore the experiences of COVID-19 survivors who faced dying in isolation, by means of a phenomenological study.

 

This year’s Victor Grifols i Lucas Foundation awards and grants ceremony could not be held in person as in previous years, due to the restrictions on social interaction imposed to help mitigate the pandemic. Furthermore, given the current context, the Foundation has also expressed a desire to promote specific research into COVID-19, which is why it has announced two further grants in addition to the usual six of €5,000, each for projects related to the virus.