Medical Researcher | XR Developer | Project Manager at Badalona Serveis Assistencials

PhD Researcher – Universitat Oberta de Catalunya

Dr. José Ferrer Costa is a medical doctor specializing in family and emergency medicine, with over 20 years of clinical experience in primary care and emergency settings. As a VR content developer and researcher, he leads immersive technology projects at Badalona Serveis Assistencials (BSA), pioneering the integration of XR solutions into real‑world clinical practice.

His work focuses on scaling XR beyond pilot projects by addressing adoption barriers and ensuring clinical relevance, usability, and sustainability in healthcare innovation. He has developed and implemented VR‑based interventions for chronic pain management, cognitive rehabilitation, preoperative anxiety reduction, and medical training. His dual expertise in clinical practice and immersive development allows him to bridge technology, research, and patient‑centred care.

José is actively involved in scientific research, ethics, and policy discussions on XR in healthcare, contributing to peer‑reviewed publications, international conferences, and multidisciplinary collaborations. As a PhD Researcher at the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC), his doctoral work focuses on the implementation and sustainability of XR in healthcare systems through the development of the MCDA‑XR framework, a structured model to guide safe, effective, and scalable adoption of immersive technologies.

At UnitedXR Europe 2025, he joins the panel “Beyond the Pilot: Scaling XR in Real‑World Clinical Settings” to discuss barriers, facilitators, and actionable strategies for bringing XR into daily healthcare practice.