Ana Alarcon Allen

Professor Ana Alarcón Allén is a Neonatologist at Hospital Sant Joan de Déu (SJD) Barcelona and an Associate Professor at the University of Barcelona. She specializes in neonatal neurology, with a particular focus on the impact of fetal and neonatal infections on brain development.

Professor Alarcón completed her medical degree at Universidad Complutense in Madrid and specialized in pediatrics and neonatology at Hospital Universitario La Paz. She later pursued a PhD in Medicine at the University of Barcelona, where she deepened her research into perinatal brain injury. Her expertise in neonatal neurology has positioned her as a leading figure in the study of hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy, congenital infections, and neurodevelopmental outcomes in preterm infants.

She has extensive international experience, having worked as a Consultant Neonatologist at Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust from 2013 to 2017. She maintains an academic collaboration with the University of Oxford, contributing to research on sensory processing in newborns and neonatal brain imaging. Her work integrates clinical neonatology with advanced neuroimaging techniques, helping refine diagnostic and therapeutic approaches for newborns at risk of neurological complications.

Professor Alarcón is actively involved in clinical trials and research projects, including the NEOVANC clinical trial, which investigates vancomycin dosing in neonates, and the ZIKAction project, which examines the effects of congenital Zika virus infection. She has also contributed to studies on congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV) infections, collaborating with University Medical Center Utrecht to improve early detection and intervention strategies.

Beyond her research, she is dedicated to medical education, serving as a co-organizer of European training programs such as Eur.UsBrain, an expert training initiative in newborn brain ultrasound, accredited by the European Society of Neonatology. She has also co-directed neonatal cranial ultrasound courses in the UK, ensuring that healthcare professionals receive specialized training in neonatal neurology.

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