LATEST NEWS

Project on COPD receives Roche Citizenship Grant

15 June 2025

The project ‘Inspire, Activate, Track’, an initiative of RESPIRA – Portuguese Association of People with COPD and other Chronic Respiratory Diseases, supported by the National School of Public Health of the NOVA University of Lisbon (NSPH NOVA) and the ciTechCare, was recognized by Roche Portugal, with a grant worth 5 thousand euros. Through initiatives in the regions of Leiria, Almada-Seixal, Alentejo Coast and northern Alentejo, the project aims to promote physical activity as an essential and accessible intervention in the management of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). Funding will allow 400 to 800 participants to join, contributing to respiratory health

Pharmaceutical company promotes scientific session on food supplements in ciTechCare

5 June 2025

On June 2, Beatriz Ferreira, a nutritionist from PharmaNord, were present at the Health Innovation Hub of the Polytechnic of Leiria – ciTechCare, at 11am, for a Synergies event, created to stimulate the approach of the business sector to science, encouraging the sharing of ideas and scientific discussion. The theme of the session was “Selenium deficiency: a silent threat” and aimed to disseminate scientific advances in the area of food supplements, in particular, in this pharmaceutical company that develops, manufactures and sells food supplements and medicines derived from plants, based on optimal bioavailability, safety and scientific documentation. Selenium is an

ciTechCare researchers and research fellows participate in the XXIV Congress of Nutrition and Food

1 June 2025

The XXIV Congress of the Portuguese Nutrition Association, held in Braga on 8 and 9 May, was attended by several ciTechCare researchers, research fellows and undergraduate students in dietetics and nutrition at ESSLei, where they shared their latest scientific work. One of the posters presented by researcher Cátia Braga-Pontes entitled “Influence of sociodemographic and anthropometric factors on knowledge, willingness to experiment and consumption of vegetables in preschool children: Results of the Veggies4myHeart project” is co-authored by Rita Novo, Leonel Vieito, Sara Simões Dias, Marlene Lages and Maria P. Guarino. This study revealed that factors such as age, sex and nutritional

ciTechCare celebrates 6 years of research and scientific innovation

22 May 2025

On May 13th, the auditorium of the School of Health Sciences of Polytechnic of Leiria hosted the event that celebrated the 6th anniversary of ciTechCare. Over the past 6 years, ciTechCare has been creating innovative and impactful solutions for the community, improving health care and developing distinctive proposals for the promotion of healthy lifestyles, based on the acquired scientific knowledge. The opening session was attended by the President of the Polytechnic of Leiria (PL), Rui Pinto, the Pro-President of the PL, Carolina Henriques and the Coordinator of ciTechCare, Maria Guarino. Marco Lemos, researcher at MARE- Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre/Polytechnic

The science of caring: when compassion inspires research – an opinion article

1 May 2025

The newspaper Diário de Leiria recently published an opinion article by Maria Guarino, coordinator of ciTechCare about the sense of compassion in the universe of science and research. “If, on the one hand, compassion is seen as a risk to scientific objectivity, on the other hand, it contributes to drive research into areas of greater social impact, especially in healthcare,” assumes the researcher, highlighting the researchers’ ability to develop “more humane and effective solutions, promoting a more ethical science and aligned with the real needs of populations”. Maria Guarino also points out the importance of compassion in one of the

Researcher Joana Cruz contributes to the international definition of physical activity determinants within a COST action

26 April 2025

Integrated researcher at ciTechCare, Joana Cruz, is co-author of the article ‘Definitions of determinants of physical activity behaviour: process and outcome of consensus from the DE-PASS expert group’, published this April in the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity (IJBNPA). Developed within the scope of the COST Action ‘Determinants of Physical Activities in Settings (DE-PASS)’ and involving a team of international experts, this work aimed to reach consensus on definitions for 41 key determinants of physical activity behaviour — a crucial step to harmonise concepts and improve research quality and evidence-based policy development in this field. The COST – European