Elena Cortés Vicente (Castellón, 1986) graduated in Medicine from the University of Valencia in 2010. She did her residency in Neurology at the Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau (2011-2015). In addition, she expanded her knowledge in clinical research through the Master’s Degree in Research Methodology in Health Sciences at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (2013-2016).

For three months (2015) she worked in the laboratory of Dr. Michio Hirano at Columbia University (New York, USA) in the field of mitochondrial diseases.

In 2015 she joined the Neuromuscular Unit as a clinical fellow and doctoral student. In 2016 she was awarded a Rio Hortega contract from the Carlos III Health Institute. In 2018, she defended her doctoral thesis entitled “New biomarkers of disease and prognosis in Myasthenia Gravis”, directed by Dr. Isabel Illa.

From June 2018 to December 2019, she spent a stay as a post-doctoral researcher in the laboratory of Dr. Pere Santamaria at the University of Calgary (Canada), studying an innovative therapy for the treatment of autoimmune diseases. Her project focused on evaluating the efficacy of this new treatment in the pre-clinical model of Myasthenia Gravis. This stay was financed by a mobility grant for research staff hired within the framework of the AES (M-AES) and later by a grant from the Alfonso Martín Escudero Foundation.

Since 2020, she has been working as an associate neurologist and post-doctoral researcher at the Neuromuscular Diseases Unit thanks to the granting of a Juan Rodés contract from the Carlos III Health Institute.

Academic training:

• Degree in Medicine (Universitat de València) 2010
• Specialist in Neurology (Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau) 2011-2015
• Master in Research Methodology in Health Sciences (Autonomous University of Barcelona) 2016
• Doctor of Medicine (Autonomous University of Barcelona) 2018

Scholarships and awards:

• Río Hortega research contract (Carlos III Health Institute) 2017-2018
• Mobility scholarship for research staff hired within the framework of the AES (M-AES) (Carlos III Health Institute) 2018
• Research Grant at Universities or Centers Abroad (Alfonso Martín Escudero Foundation) 2019
• Contract Juan Rodés (Carlos III Health Institute) 2020-2023