The President of the University of Navarra, Alfonso Sánchez-Tabernero, has appointed Professor María Javier Ramírez Gil as the new dean of the School of Pharmacy and Nutrition of the university. She replaces Professor Adela López de Ceráin, who had been the dean since 2011, at position .

A native of Pamplona, the new dean graduated in Pharmacy from the University of Navarra in 1990 and obtained the doctorate in 1994. After a postdoctoral stay at King's College London, María Javier Ramírez joined the University of Navarra as a researcher in 1999. In 2007 she obtained the habilitation as full professor and in 2014, the accreditation of catedrática.

In recent years she has combined her research work and professor with work as management at department of Pharmacology and Toxicology and since 2014 she was vice-dean of the School Pharmacy and Nutrition. In addition, she is a member of the Spanish Society of Pharmacology (SEF), the Society of Neurosciences (SENC) and the British Pharmacological Society (BPS). 

An Alzheimer's scholar

María Javier Ramírez's research work has focused on Alzheimer's disease. Her group of research studies risk factors related to the development of the disease, in particular einsulin-resistant stress, and in recent months, neuroinflammation. "Our goal is to study the molecular targets that are likely to interact with drugs/per diem expenses, so that by identifying individuals at risk of developing the disease at middle age -40-50 years old- we can prevent or delay its progression," he explained.

The new dean of the School of Pharmacy and Nutrition has published 110 papers and has participated in 15 projects, in 9 of them as principal investigator.