5th November 2026 — Researchers Romina Patricia Olivieri, Isabel María López Medina and Carmen Álvarez Nieto, members of the CuiDsalud research group and the Department of Nursing at the University of Jaén (UJA), have been awarded first prize in the first edition of the ALINEADODS Awards: Committed to Sustainability.
The jury recognised the proposal led by the three UJA researchers, entitled: ‘From knowledge to action: measuring to transform. Environmental awareness, ecological beliefs and sustainable behaviours among healthcare professionals. A sequential mixed-methods study’.
RESEARCH LEADERSHIP IN ENVIRONMENTAL AWARENESS STRATEGIES
The participation of Romina P. Olivieri, Isabel M. ª López Medina and Carmen Álvarez Nieto in the ‘AlineadODS’ project (an initiative promoted by Laphysan Laboratories involving healthcare centres across Spain) focused specifically on the category: Research studies representing progress and innovation in sustainability.
The three researchers have designed and developed initiatives aimed at measuring healthcare staff’s environmental awareness and at producing key materials to encourage and integrate more sustainable clinical practices into day-to-day care.
The sequential mixed-methods study conducted by Olivieri, López Medina and Álvarez Nieto analyses the relationship between environmental awareness, beliefs and behaviours amongst healthcare professionals in three autonomous communities (Andalusia, Murcia and Catalonia).
Among the main findings of the researchers’ work are the following:
• Favourable attitude without automatic translation: Although healthcare professionals display a positive ecological orientation, this conviction does not immediately translate into applied knowledge or sustained sustainable behaviours in their daily practice.
• Identification of barriers: The authors have identified the individual and organisational factors that create this gap between ‘knowing and acting’, offering insights into how to overcome resistance in the transition towards sustainable healthcare centres.
• Impact on global public health: The study lays the foundations for implementing training and responsible management strategies that genuinely integrate the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into healthcare services.
This first prize reaffirms the commitment and scientific impact of the work carried out by Romina Patricia Olivieri, Isabel María López Medina and Carmen Álvarez Nieto within the CuiDsalud group and the Department of Nursing at the University of Jaén.
• Related news: Sustainability projects depend on the extra effort of committed professionals (Diario Siglo XXI)
