Fitxa persona

Ana Tauste Francés earned her PhD Cum Laude in Health Sciences from the University of Alicante in 2016. In 2018, her dissertation received the Extraordinary Doctorate Award. Additionally, completing a European research stay at the University of Bergen (Norway) during her doctoral studies allowed her to obtain the International Doctorate distinction.

She graduated in Optics and Optometry from the University of Alicante, where she began her research career with her bachelor’s and master’s final projects on visual health surveillance for computer users and contact lens wearers. This was also the main topic of her doctoral research.

She currently works as an Assistant Professor (Profesora Ayudante Doctora) at the University of Valencia, teaching courses related to Optometry. Previously, she worked as a laboratory technician, optician-optometrist, and conformity assessor at the Notified Body AITEX, where she conducted tests and issued certifications for eye and face protectors. Until 2019, she served in the R&D Department of the Qvision Ophthalmology Unit at Vithas Virgen del Mar Hospital, carrying out activities related to ocular health research. In addition to continuing her doctoral research line—ocular and visual alterations associated with contact lens use in workers exposed to display screens—she has participated in other research projects on refractive surgery, corneal biomechanics, and validation of measurement instruments for ocular parameters. These projects have resulted in scientific publications in journals indexed in the fields of Ophthalmology and Public Health. She has also supervised bachelor’s and master’s theses related to Optics and Optometry and actively participates in conferences on Optics, Optometry, Ophthalmology, Epidemiology, and Public Health. She is currently co-supervising, alongside Dr. Isabel Signes, a doctoral thesis on the prevalence of Computer Vision Syndrome in Kenya, another on outcomes after cataract surgery in Honduras, and another on the prevalence of refractive errors in Kenya. These research projects form part of the research lines of the Preventive Optometry and Visual Treatments Research Group (OPTV), of which Ana Tauste is the Director. She is also a researcher in the Public Health Group at the University of Alicante.

In recent years, she has received training through prestigious universities such as Oxford, in topics related to evidence-based Health Sciences, complemented by non-formal training, as well as specialized courses in Optometry, Contactology, and Visual Health offered by the National College of Opticians-Optometrists and the College of Opticians-Optometrists of the Valencian Community.

Her versatile profile across different areas of health sciences—from Optometry to Public Health—stands out, allowing her to excel in various professional and academic environments.