Professor María Torres is Head of the Allergy Unit and the Allergy Research Group at the Hospital Regional Universitario de Málaga, and Professor of Medicine at the University of Málaga. Her department provides care for over 1.5 million people with a wide range of allergic diseases including asthma, chronic rhinitis, eczema, food and drug allergy, chronic urticaria, and eosinophilic esophagitis.
Her research group of over 30 researchers focuses on three primary areas: drug allergy, food allergy, and respiratory diseases. Her work has advanced the diagnosis of airway allergy through tools such as nasal and bronchial allergen provocation and basophil activation testing. She has also led independent clinical trials in allergen immunotherapy for distinct allergic phenotypes. Since 2024, Professor Torres has coordinated two European initiatives: a Joint Action on chronic respiratory diseases, and a Research and Innovation Action exploring the role of artificial intelligence in predicting climate change and pollution impacts on allergic rhinitis. In June 2024, she was appointed President of the European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (EAACI), after seven years of service on its Executive Committee where she has championed global initiatives, which most recently included the promotion of planetary health and ‘One Health’ approaches to allergic disease.
