Dr. Lluís Giner
Lluís Giner, Dean of the Faculty of Dentistry at the Universitat Internacional de Catalunya and President of the Conference of Deans of Faculties of Dentistry in Spain, as well as a Numerary Member of the Royal European Academy of Doctors (READ), formally took up his chair as Full Professor on December 16—the highest academic distinction within the university system—during an emotional ceremony held in the Auditorium of the University General Hospital of Catalonia, an institution affiliated with the university. The event paid tribute to his outstanding career in teaching, research, clinical practice, and social commitment. With this appointment, the Universitat Internacional de Catalunya acknowledges Giner’s decisive contribution to the development of its Faculty of Dentistry and reinforces its commitment to academic excellence.
The ceremony was presided over by Alfonso Méndiz, Rector of the university and also a Numerary Member of the READ, together with Josep Argemí, Professor at the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences and Rector Emeritus of the university; José Luis Gutiérrez, Professor at the University of Seville; Mariona Peraire, Professor at the University of Barcelona; and María del Carmen Llena, Professor at the University of Valencia. Argemí delivered the laudatio for the new professor, presenting his merits and reviewing his personal, academic, and professional trajectory. He highlighted Giner’s early vocation for the health sciences, his training in medicine, nursing, and stomatology, and his dedication to dentistry—particularly in the fields of prosthodontics and biomaterials. He also underscored Giner’s key role in the creation and consolidation of the Faculty of Dentistry, his intense research activity, supervision of numerous doctoral theses, international projection, and sustained social commitment, reflected in dental care programs for vulnerable groups and international cooperation projects that have earned him humanitarian recognition.
In his inaugural address as Full Professor, Giner shared his vision of the university and of the future of dentistry. He emphasized the importance of integrating clinical, teaching, and research activities, as well as promoting comprehensive student education that combines technical excellence, scientific rigor, and humanistic values. He also stressed the role of educational innovation, interdisciplinary collaboration, and knowledge transfer as fundamental pillars of the academic project of the Universitat Internacional de Catalunya.
A graduate in Medicine and Surgery from the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona and PhD from the Universitat de Barcelona, Lluís Giner holds multiple postgraduate degrees and specializations in dentistry, including postgraduate programs in Oral and Maxillofacial Prosthetics, Temporomandibular Joint Disorders, and Stomatology, as well as a Master’s degree in Bioethics, among others. Throughout his academic and research career, he has supervised or co-supervised more than 34 doctoral theses—two of them with international distinction—as well as an industrial doctorate with competitive public funding. Since 1991, he has made more than 500 contributions to scientific conferences and delivered around 50 invited lectures. He is also the holder of five patents and has participated in five competitive research projects, more than one hundred research contracts, and five teaching innovation projects.
Giner was inducted as a Numerary Member of the READ with the address “Teeth: From Eating to Displaying Them. The Evolution of Dental Materials and Social Change“, in which he highlighted the importance of healthy teeth not only for health, but also for personal aesthetics. Last June, he was also admitted to the International College of Dentists.
