New Interdem member: David Facal

PhD in Developmental Psychology, University of Santiago de Compostela (USC) in 2008 with the PhD thesis “Tip Of the Tongue phenomena in aging: Influence of vocabulary, working memory and processing speed”, and Master Degree in Clinical Gerontology by the University of A Coruña. I was awarded the Humanitas Award 2007 by the Economical Social Council of the USC to my social labour as psychologist in AGADEA (Alzheimer’s Association of Santiago). I am professor at USC’s Department of Developmental Psychology since 2010, teaching at the Bachelor in Pedagogy and the Master in Psychogerontology. I am currently tenured associate professor.

I have published 127 documents indexed in Web of Science, with papers in different Q1 and Q2 journals (International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry; International Journal of Medical Informatics; International Psychogeriatrics; Maturitas; Current Alzheimer Research; Frontiers in aging neuroscience; Archives of gerontology and geriatrics; Journal of Alzheimer’s disease; PeerJ; Journal of Nutrition, Health and Aging;…), as well as book chapters about cognitive ageing, communicative changes in the aging process and digital health. Fulbright Scholarship in the Cognitive Neuroscience Division of the Department of Neurology at the University of Columbia Irving Medical Center, New York, from June to September 2024. Editorial Board member of International Psychogeriatrics (https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/international-psychogeriatrics/about/editorial-board), among other impact journals.

Connect with me:
david.facal@usc.es

https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-facal-16357545/

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/David-Facal

Research Interests

My current research interests focus on cognitive ageing, with particular emphasis on the interplay between mobility, cognition, and brain function, as well as the development and assessment of digital health tools. Through various European projects, I have led the Senior Innovation Lab at USC and investigated innovation and knowledge-transfer pathways in the field of longevity. Currently I am researcher at the Instituto de Psicoloxía of the Universidade de Santiago de Compostela since 2024, and coordinator of its Transfer Unit.

Tell us about a project you are working on now, which is top of your to-do list. 

I serve as the principal investigator at USC in the project Activa Rural Transfronteirizo, co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) through the Interreg POCTEP programme and coordinated by the Pontevedra Provincial Council. The project aims to address depopulation through innovation in care services and active aging initiatives. Its most distinctive features are the Smarthaus Villages approach—creating living labs that foster innovation in quality of life and the implementation of assistive technologies—and its cross-border dimension, bringing together 17 institutions from Galicia, Castile and León, Extremadura, and northern and central Portugal.

Within this project, my objective is to develop methodologies that enhance the design of interventions in rural settings, including co-design strategies and pilot studies, and to explore alternative approaches for evaluating intervention effectiveness beyond traditional randomized controlled trials. Such methodologies are particularly relevant in contexts involving small, geographically dispersed populations, where conventional experimental designs are often difficult.

Why I joined INTERDEM?

I hope to engage actively with the network by exchanging methodological expertise, contributing to collaborative projects, and learning from researchers working in diverse cultural contexts. In particular, I am interested in collaborating on the development and evaluation of complex interventions, co-design approaches involving older adults and stakeholders, and innovative methodologies for assessing effectiveness in real-world settings. I also look forward to expanding my international research network and contributing to interdisciplinary discussions on aging and dementia care.