Mallorca university gives Denise Gastaldo a nursing first
Mallorca’s university honours Denise Gastaldo in Palma on Friday, 23 October 2026: she is the first person linked to its Faculty of Nursing and Physiotherapy to receive an honorary doctorate, and only the sixth woman to receive the distinction. At the ceremony, the nursing researcher speaks about how a person’s social position can shape their access to healthcare.
Whose health research hears
Gastaldo tells the University of the Balearic Islands that her approach is critical, feminist and participatory. People facing hardship or exclusion often have no voice in scientific research, she says. She also publishes in different languages so her work can reach people in different parts of the world.
Her research examines how social and economic inequality affects living conditions and health, including the lives and work of migrants. Her studies of unequal access to healthcare have helped shape more inclusive public policies in Spain and elsewhere.
A long link with the university
Gastaldo teaches nursing at the University of Toronto and has worked with the Balearic university on research and training. She has given talks and seminars there, supported young researchers and advised doctoral students. Faculty staff put her forward for the honour in September last year.
It is her second honorary doctorate in Spain; the University of A Coruña awarded her one in 2019. At Friday’s ceremony, the Balearic university’s rector, Jaume Carot, praises her international career and her teaching.
Source: Europa Press / Mallorca.com