Prof. Diana Pacheco Barzallo, PhD
Professor of Economics of Ageing
T +41 41 939 65 52 • Alpenquai 4, Room 12 • diana.pacheco@unilu.ch
CV
Diana Pacheco Barzallo holds a PhD in Economics from the University of Neuchatel (2013) and a MSc in Economics from the University of Lausanne (2008), with a specialization in Applied Econometrics. After her PhD studies, she worked as Scientific Collaborator on projects focusing on Impact Evaluation and Behavioral Economics. From 2015 to 2020, she was as a Postdoctoral Fellow at Swiss Paraplegic Research in the Health Services Research Unit on projects intended to evaluate the living situation of people with long-term health conditions. Diana Pacheco Barzallo teaches at the University of Lucerne in the MSc of Health Sciences.
Projects
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Responding to the Challenge of Healthy Ageing with Rehabilitation: Towards a tailored research agenda
2021–2025 -
From Chronic Illness to Social Risk
2026– -
Optimizing the Provision of Rehabilitation Services Through Explainable Recommender Systems
2025– -
Disability, Early Retirement, and Financial Hardship. What the future holds for the ageing population?
2023–
Publications
- Hodel, J., Rothacher, Y., de Almeida Moreira, A. B., Fellinghauer, C., Pacheco Barzallo, D. P., Weisstanner, D., … Sabariego Tomas, C. (2026). Disability severity transitions in the community-dwelling Swiss ageing population: secondary analysis of the Swiss version of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) using multistate models. BMJ Open. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2025-104871
- Oña Macias, A. L., Pacheco Barzallo, A., Jaime, T., & Pacheco Barzallo, D. P. (2026). Environmental barriers to participation for people with spinal cord injury. The case of Ecuador. Disability and health journal. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dhjo.2025.101929
- Pacheco Barzallo, D. P., Gross-Hemmi, M., Noonan, V., Engkasan, J., Escorpizo, R., Middleton, J., … Stucki, G. (2026). From Injury to Inclusion: Evidence From the International Spinal Cord Injury Survey (InSCI). American Journal of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation. https://doi.org/10.1097/PHM.0000000000003091
- Metzger, S., Polanco Jacome, B. S., Eriks-Hoogland, I., Gemperli, B., Gemperli, A., Pacheco Barzallo, D. P., & Eriks Hoogland, I. (2025). Effective and Efficient Rehabilitation. What Works Best for Persons With SCI During (Sub)Acute Phase of Rehabilitation? Archives of Rehabilitation Research and Clinical Translation, 7 (4). https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.arrct.2025.100532
- Polanco Jacome, B. S., Oña Macias, A. L., Gemperli, A., & Pacheco Barzallo, D. P. (2025). Excess healthcare utilization and costs linked to chronic conditions: a comparative study of nine European countries. European Journal of Public Health, 35 (2), 216–227. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17711929
- Oña Macias, A. L., Cristina, Y., Pacheco Barzallo, A., Daniela, C., Verónica, E., Glisic, M., & Pacheco Barzallo, D. P. (2025). Epidemiological profile of people with spinal cord injury in Ecuador: A population-based design and cohort profile. Journal of Spinal Cord Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1080/10790268.2025.2460298
- Pacheco Barzallo, D. P., Oña Macias, A. L., Sabariego Tomas, C., & Gemperli, A. (2025). Evaluating the Modified Spinal Cord Injury Secondary Conditions Scale (SCI-SCS) combining severity and mortality-based weights. Spinal Cord, 64, 126–133.
- Pacheco Barzallo, D. P., Alessio, B., Maria, G., Yousefzadeh-Chabok, S., Elaine, C., Ali, O., … Hasnan, N. (2025). Health services needs and utilization of persons ageing with SCI. A cross-country comparison. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apmr.2025.10.003
- Noonan, V., Kovindha, A., Perrouin-Verbe, B., Corrales, A., Hajjioui, A., Joseph, C., … InSCI, G. (2025). Health-related quality of life and healthcare systems in people with spinal cord injury: A cross-country comparison from the second InSCI community survey. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apmr.2025.11.007
- Yousefzadeh-Chabok, S., Pacheco Barzallo, D. P., Mohtasham-Amiri, Z., & Homaie, R. (2025). When injury costs too much: the catastrophic costs for spinal cord injury in Iran. BMC Health Services Research. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-025-13706-5
- Pacheco Barzallo, D. P., Schnyder, A., Zanini, C., & Gemperli, A. (2024). Gender differences in family caregiving. Do female caregivers do more or undertake different tasks? BMC Health Services Research, 24 (730). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-024-11191-w
- Metzger, S., Polanco Jacome, B. S., Eriks-Hoogland, I., Scheel-Sailer, A., & Pacheco Barzallo, D. P. (2024). Utilization and features of rehabilitation and health services for persons with spinal cord injury. European Journal of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine, 60 (4), 634–642.
- Pacheco Barzallo, D. P., Oña Macias, A. L., Brach, M., & Gemperli, A. (2024). Healthcare service utilization and related costs. A comparison of the situation of persons with spinal cord injury to the general population. American Journal of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, 103 (11). https://doi.org/10.1097/phm.0000000000002539
- Sabariego Tomas, C., Kamenov, K., Barrett, D., Cieza, A., Bickenbach, J., & Pacheco Barzallo, D. P. (2024). Can we still ensure no one is left behind by 2030? Demonstrating the potential of the implementation of the WHO Functioning and Disability Disaggregation Tool (FDD11) in existing survey platforms for disaggregating SDG indicators by disability. Disability and Rehabilitation Assistive Technology.
- Polanco Jacome, B. S., Sabariego Tomas, C., & Pacheco Barzallo, D. P. (2024). Chronic health conditions and their impact on the labor market. A cross-country comparison in Europe. SSM - Population Health, 26, 101666 ff. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17633092
- Oña, A., Schwegler, U. J., Schedin Leiulfsrud, A., Kouda, K., Bokel, A., & Pacheco Barzallo, D. P. (2024). Disability, Unemployment, and Inequality: A Cross-Country Comparison of the Situation of Persons With Spinal Cord Injury. International Journal of Social Determinants of Health and Health Services. https://doi.org/10.1177/27551938241235780
- Homaie Rad, E., Pacheco Barzallo, D. P., Jouchakinejad, L., Sharifnia, S., Mohtasham-Amiri, Z., Yousefzadeh-Chabok, S., & Haghdoust, Z. (2024). The International Spinal Cord Injury Survey in Iran (InSCI-IR). Iranian Journal of Neurosurgery, 10.
- Sabariego Tomas, C., Ehrmann, C., Bickenbach, J., Pacheco Barzallo, D. P., Schedin Leiulfsrud, A., Strom, V., … Bickenbach, J. (2023). Ageing, functioning patterns and their environmental determinants in the spinal cord injury (SCI) population: A comparative analysis across eleven European countries implementing the International Spinal Cord Injury Community Survey. PLoS ONE, 18 (4 April). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0284420
- Ruoss, M., Brach, M., & Pacheco Barzallo, D. P. (2023). Labor market costs for long-term family caregivers: the situation of caregivers of persons with spinal cord injury in Switzerland. BMC Health Services Research, 23 (1), 676 ff. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-023-09565-7
- Oña Macias, A. L., Athanasios, K., Tederko, P., Escorpizo, R., Arora, M., Sturm, C., … Pacheco Barzallo, D. P. (2023). Unmet healthcare needs and health inequalities in people with spinal cord injury: a direct regression inequality decomposition. International Journal for Equity in Health, 22 (1), 56 ff. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12939-023-01848-z
- Pacheco Barzallo, D. P., Hernandez, R., Brach, M., & Gemperli, A. (2022). The economic value of long-term family caregiving. The situation of caregivers of persons with spinal cord injury in Switzerland. Health & Social Care in the Community, 30 (5), 2297–2307. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1111/hsc.13668
- Oña, A., Athanasios, K., Tederko, P., Escorpizo, R., Arora, M., Sturm, C., … Pacheco Barzallo, D. P. (2022). To what extent do unmet healthcare needs explain health inequalities? A direct regression inequality decomposition. Research Square. https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-1473829/v1
- Oña Macias, A. L., Strøm, V., Lee, B.-S., Le Fort, M., Middleton, J., Gutenbrunner, C., & Pacheco Barzallo, D. P. (2021). Health inequalities and income for people with spinal cord injury. A comparison between and within countries. SSM - Population Health. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssmph.2021.100854
- Pacheco Barzallo, D. P., Köhn, S., Tobler, S., Délitroz, M., & Gemperli, A. (2021). Measuring patient satisfaction in acute care hospitals: nationwide monitoring in Switzerland. Zeitschrift fur Evidenz, Fortbildung und Qualitat im Gesundheitswesen. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.zefq.2021.07.001
- Huang, J., Pacheco Barzallo, D. P., Rubinelli, S., Münzel, N., Brach, M., & Gemperli, A. (2021). Professional home care and the objective care burden for family caregivers of persons with spinal cord injury: Cross sectional survey. International Journal of Nursing Studies Advances, 3, 100014 ff. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijnsa.2020.100014
- Pacheco Barzallo, D. P., Oña Macias, A. L., & Gemperli, A. (2021). Unmet health care needs and inequality: A cross- country comparison of the situation of people with spinal cord injury. Health Services Research. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10. 1111/1475-6773.13738
- Pacheco Barzallo, D. P., Gross-Hemmi, M., Bickenbach, J., Juocevicius, A., Popa, D., Karunia Wahyuni, L., & Strøm, V. (2020). Quality of Life and the Health System: A 22-Country Comparison of the Situation of People With Spinal Cord Injury. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 101 (12). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apmr.2020.04.030
- Gemperli, A., Rubinelli, S., Zanini, C., Huang, J., Brach, M., & Pacheco Barzallo, D. P. (2020). Living situation of family caregivers of persons with spinal cord injury. Journal of Rehabilitation Medicine.
- Huang, J., Pacheco Barzallo, D. P., Rubinelli, S., Münzel, N., Brach, M., & Gemperli, A. (2019). What influences the use of professional home care for individuals with spinal cord injury? A cross-sectional study on family caregivers. Spinal Cord, (57(11)), 924–932.
- Pacheco Barzallo, D. P. (2018). Place of residence & financial hardship: the situation of people with spinal cord injury. International Journal for Equity in Health. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1186/s12939-018-0818-9
- Pacheco Barzallo, D. P. (2018). Spillover effects of long-term disabilities on close family members. Applied Health Economics and Health Policy. https://doi.org/doi: 10.1007/s40258- 018-0391-9. PMID
- Pacheco Barzallo, D. P., Pacheco Barzallo, A., & Narvaez, E. (2018). The 2016 earthquake in Ecuador: Zika outbreak after a natural disaster. Health Security. https://doi.org/doi: 10.1089/hs.2017.0099
- Gross-Hemmi, H., & Pacheco Barzallo, D. P. (2017). People with Spinal Cord Injury in Switzerland. American Journal of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, 96 (2). https://doi.org/10.1097/PHM.0000000000000571
- Pacheco Barzallo, D. P., & Gross-Hemmi, H. (2017). The Cross-Cultural Societal Response to SCI: Health and Related Systems. American Journal of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, 96 (2), S41-S54 ff. https://doi.org/10.1097/PHM.0000000000000664
- Weber, S., Puddu, S., & Pacheco Barzallo, D. P. (2017). Move it! How an electric contest motivates households to shift their load profile. Energy Economics, 68, 255-270 ff. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eneco.2017.10.010
- Gross-Hemmi, M., & Pacheco Barzallo, D. P. (2017). People with Spinal Cord Injury in Switzerland. American Journal of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation. https://doi.org/10.1097/phm.0000000000000571
- Pacheco Barzallo, D. P., & Gross-Hemmi, M. (2017). The cross-cultural societal response to SCI: health and related systems. American Journal of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation. https://doi.org/doi: 10.1097/PHM.0000000000000664
- Stephanie, W., Erin, W., Katherine, P., Nathan, S., Waitzberg, R., Pacheco Barzallo, D. P., & Gemperli, A. (2025). Strengthening rehabilitation care: Learning from countries’ experiences on organizing service delivery and financing.
- World, O., & Pacheco Barzallo, D. P. (2024). Rehabilitation in health financing: Opportunities on the way to universal health coverage.
- Gemperli, A., Rubinelli, S., Brach, M., Huang, J., Pacheco Barzallo, D. P., Essig, S., & Zanini, C. (2018). Supporting family caregivers of people with spinal cord injury (atellite project on G01a; Support programs for family caregivers).
Achievements
- The International Spinal Cord Injury Survey. Lessons from Europe. Key Note, Regional Symposium, International Spinal Cord Society (ISCoS), Ljubljana, 2024
- Healthcare service utilization and related costs. A comparison of the situation of persons with spinal cord injury to the general population. Poster, Annual Scientific Meeting, International Spinal Cord Society (ISCoS), Antwerp, 2024
- Kick off meeting - Project Presentations. Kick-off speech, Kick off meeting for implementing learning health systems in low- middle income countries, Armenian State Pedagogical University (ASPU, Yerevan, 2024
- Finacing Rehabiliation in Switzerland. Discussion contribution, Rehabilitation Services Financing and Organization: Learning from European countries towards strengthening rehabilitation care in Ukraine, World Health Organization (WHO); European Observatory of Health Systems and Policies, Kyiv, 2024
- Financing Rehabilitation in Switzerland – Investment Case and Mechanisms. Lecture Series: Strengthening Rehabilitation in Switzerland - Research and Aspects of Implementation, Online, 2023
- Discussant. Assistive Technologies - Innovations in contrast to financial models, Rotterdam, Netherlands, 2022
- Socio-economic aspects for health systems comparison. International Spinal Cord Injury Survey (InSCI), Lisbon, Portugal, 2022
