Dr. Berta Paz Lourido is an Associate Professor of Physiotherapy at the University of the Balearic Islands (Spain), specialising in Service-Learning (SL) as a framework for ethical social transformation, civic responsibility and institutional innovation in Higher Education. She holds degrees in Physiotherapy, Pedagogy and Audiovisual Communication, a European Mention PhD, a Diploma in Development Cooperation, and a Master’s in Bioethics and Humanisation of Care.

She promoted and led the institutional Service-Learning programme at UIB from its establishment, scaling SL through faculty development, interdisciplinary curricular reform and sustainability-driven educational innovation (iApS2030). Her leadership has been recognised through the 2025 UIB Transition Agenda Award, and she leads the Balearic Islands SL Group, strengthening regional SL implementation. She collaborates with accreditation agencies to align SL with quality systems.

She serves as Vice-President of EASLHE and is a member of the Scholarship & Publications Committee of IARSLCE. She coordinated the Green Paper on SL Policy Recommendations in Higher Education and co-authored the European Guidelines for SL Institutionalisation, contributing to policy development, scaling and evidence-informed decision making.

A founding member of the Spanish Association of Service-Learning in Higher Education, her work bridges universities and K-12 civic development, promoting continuity through teacher training, district partnerships and youth-led engagement. She participates in national and Erasmus+ projects and is active in European and Ibero-American SL networks promoting equity, democratic agency and planetary responsibility.