Epidemiological Methodology and Public Health

The training path in the curriculum in Epidemiological Methodology and Public Health responds to the need for research and expertise to design and conduct research projects to assess the health status and prevent communicable and chronic-degenerative diseases in the population. It aims to evaluate and implement healthcare interventions for health promotion and disease control and guide correct health policy directions. Instructors with extensive and diverse experiences in Hygiene, Medical Statistics, Infectious Diseases, Nursing Sciences, and Applied Medical Technical Sciences ensure a wide range and versatility in the addressed topics.

The curriculum is structured in the following areas: environmental and occupational hygiene, food and nutrition hygiene, epidemiological methodology and medical statistics, tools and methodologies of evaluative epidemiology for public health, prevention of infectious and chronic-degenerative diseases, preventive nursing and community nursing, and management of major infections with a high impact on public health.

The training is based on acquiring knowledge and skills for the use of appropriate and innovative methodologies to understand community health issues and identify effective and efficient interventions. The program focuses on learning and applying epidemiological and statistical tools for designing surveys, systematic reviews, and meta-analyses to generate scientific evidence. It also covers tools and methodologies for monitoring healthcare-associated infections, proper use of antibiotics, strategies for infections with the greatest impact on public health in terms of transmissibility, prognosis, and impact on healthcare systems, and tools for the assessment and control of factors influencing human health.

Social Medicine

The educational paths in the curriculum in Social Medicine respond to the need for research and expertise to design and conduct research projects with the aim of contributing to the psycho-physical well-being of the community and overcoming barriers hindering entry into the workforce and social life. The curriculum aims to help prevent illness or disability. It seeks to improve the technical collaboration of healthcare professionals with the administration of welfare, justice, and occupational safety.

Further areas of study include reflection on medical ethics, with reference to the challenges of modern technology regarding the beginning and end of life, patient safety, doctor-patient relationship, communication, privacy protection, consent, and professional secrecy.

The curriculum is structured in the following areas: medicine of citizens' legal-administrative rights; methodology for assessing and evaluating disability and work fitness; health surveillance; evaluation of occupational risks; clinical risk and professional liability; assessment of violent crimes against individuals; forensic pathology and forensic medical laboratory; professional ethics and bioethics.

The training is based on acquiring knowledge and skills that enable the future research doctor to use forensic and occupational medicine methodologies to prevent risks or remedy the physical and economic harm to citizens, improve the quality of care, and meet justice requirements. The educational paths focus on learning tools for designing studies for clinical and instrumental diagnostics, implementing evaluative pathways for disabling conditions and work fitness, and applying regulatory considerations related to the reduction of the psycho-physical integrity of the individual.

ACTIVE RESEARCH LINES

• Health policies and implementation of differentiated regionalism in Italy (Group led by Prof. L. Chieffi).
• Assisted suicide in Italy after Constitutional Court ruling No. 242 of 2019 in actual practices. Between delays and organizational non-compliance (Group led by Prof. L. Chieffi).

Innovative Diagnostics

The overall objective of the curriculum in Innovative Diagnostics is to train researchers capable of understanding the morpho-molecular bases of human diseases and translating these findings to develop new tools not only for diagnosis but also for prevention, therapy, or theranostics, in line with the advancements in modern personalized medicine.

The molecular revolution and digital pathology are laying the foundations for personalized medicine, which aims to identify specific drugs for each patient based on the presence of specific genetic alterations identified through increasingly sophisticated technologies. Additionally, the development of advanced methods for processing digitized morphometric images from pathological tissues is increasingly merging with molecular biology through artificial intelligence algorithms, which may offer advanced diagnostic models in the future.

In recent years, Artificial Intelligence has been gaining prominence in various fields of the biomedical sector, significantly altering clinical practice. The ability to process algorithms that integrate clinical-pathological, omics, and morphological data will represent a diagnostic tool far superior to human interpretative capabilities in the future.

The high biotechnological content of the courses offered in the curriculum allows for the training of qualified personnel for the development of translational, advanced, and applied biomedical research models. The educational program includes intensive laboratory activities aimed at hands-on learning, not only theoretical but also practical, of next-generation techniques. Practical approaches, led by highly qualified instructors in the field, will ensure that the doctoral student develops highly specialized skills and has the opportunity for national and international collaborations.

ACTIVE RESEARCH LINES

• Identification and interpretation methods of prognostic and predictive biomarkers in tissue (Professor Renato Franco's Group).
• Application of Artificial Intelligence in anatomical pathology diagnostics (Professor Renato Franco's Group).

Cellular and molecular biology in reproductive and regenerative medicine

The educational program is organized to conduct basic and applied research on the biological and molecular processes that regulate the activity of stem cells, germ cells, gametes, and other cell types involved in tissue homeostasis and renewal processes. In detail, the research aims to understand the biological mechanisms responsible for cellular self-renewal, differentiation specification, and the regulation of cell death and senescence following endogenous and exogenous physiological stimuli. Analyses are also planned to assess the biological functions specific to the cells involved in the aforementioned processes.

Studies focused on understanding the functioning of these cells, in both animal and human models, may contribute to the proper development of regenerative medicine procedures and strategies aimed at improving reproductive activity.

ACTIVE RESEARCH LINES

• Senescence of stem cells and aging: dissecting the molecular mechanisms – Senolytics drugs for a healthy aging (Group led by Prof. U. Galderisi).
• Study of molecular mechanisms involved in adipogenesis: from bench to therapeutic application for obesity treatment (Group led by Prof. G. Di Bernardo).

Health economy and management

The educational program in the curriculum of Health Economics and Management aims to deepen the theoretical aspects of business disciplines within the specific context of healthcare companies and, more broadly, within structures (public or private) that provide health and socio-health services. The curriculum aims to equip doctoral candidates with a managerial perspective to interpret events affecting the organization and to foster the development of methodological skills (qualitative and quantitative) instrumental to multidisciplinary research activities. These activities are coordinated at the national and international levels, supporting economic entities in achieving the goal of "health and well-being" for the benefit of the entire community.

The educational path meets the growing need for qualified professionals capable of leading research projects that identify possible interventions to streamline the management, administration, and control processes of healthcare companies. This contributes to the development of appropriate health policy lines and the evaluation of public resources.

Instructors with extensive and diverse experiences in Business Economics, Accounting and Financial Statements, Strategic Planning and Management Control, Governance, and Performance Management ensure a wide range and adequate versatility in the topics addressed.

The curriculum covers the following areas, collectively tailored to the context of healthcare companies: elements of business economics; the planning, programming, and control cycle; the economic and patrimonial accounting system; the content and documents of the income statement; the characteristics, purposes, and ratios of financial analysis; key performance indicators and internal reporting forms; the contribution of digitalization, reporting tools directed at the public (mandatory and voluntary) on various aspects of performance achieved.

ACTIVE RESEARCH LINES

• The contribution of Key Performance Indicators to the management, administration, and control processes in healthcare companies (Prof. R. Macchioni's Group).
• The accountability process in healthcare companies, with specific reference to the tools used for mandatory and voluntary reporting of the value created for the reference healthcare community (Prof. R. Macchioni's Group).
• The effects of digitalization on the planning, programming, and monitoring cycle of results achieved by healthcare companies (Prof. R. Macchioni's Group).