The Department of Medicine and Life Sciences (MELIS) of the Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF) was founded in 1998 and is one of eight departments of UPF, a public university with a strong dedication to excellence in research and teaching established in 1990. UPF was recognized with the International Campus of Excellence award by the Spanish Ministry of Education in 2010 and currently holds a leading position among Spanish universities in multiple international rankings (1st Spanish university in the Times Higher Education and U-Multirank rankings, 2022).
The department changed its name in 2022, from Department of Experimental and Health Sciences (DCEXS) to MELIS, to reflect the new UPF Medicine degree more accurately and the corresponding incorporation of new faculty members. MELIS also participates actively in the UPF’s initiative Planetary Wellbeing, which is fully aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. MELIS’s scientific capabilities and achievements led to its being one of six research units in Spain to be awarded the “María de Maeztu” distinction by the Spanish Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness in its first call, in 2014. MELIS obtained its second MdM award in 2018.