Opening of the Festival of Medical Science

Paul Nurse, winner of the Nobel Prize for Medicine in 2001, and Michael Rosbash, winner of the Nobel Prize for Medicine in 2017, alongside other well-known scholars, are among the guests of the Festival of Medical Science, which will take place at the Complesso di Santa Lucia (Via Castiglione 36 and Via de’ Chiari, 23/A) in Bologna, from Sunday 24 to Monday 26 November. The initiative, sponsored by Carisbo Foundation in collaboration with the University of Bologna, will be preceded by a preview event at Casa Saraceni (Via Farini 15), headquarters of Carisbo Foundation, on Friday 15 November.

On 24 November at 10:15 am, the event will open with remarks by Fabio Roversi-Monaco, President of the Festival of Medical Science; Giovanni Molari, Rector of the University of Bologna; Patrizia Pasini, President of the Carisbo Foundation; and Anna Maria Bernini, Minister of University and Research.

The initiative, now in its 10^th edition, will focus on crucial matters: from the diffusion of accurate information in the interactions among doctors and patients to the role of communication; and again, from the relationship between environment, climate and health to that of health and nutrition; last but not least, the use of Artificial Intelligence in the medical field will be discussed as well.

This year, the focus will be on Communication and health. Indeed, the festival aims to explain the way in which our knowledge of the complex relationships between communication processes and health could positively impact on the health of both individual citizens and the community.

In a world that is more and more controlled by the media, raising awareness of the positive effects resulting from accurate information about developments in medical science is the most effective antidote to mistrust and scepticism induced by the emphasis on disfunctions and deficiencies in healthcare services.

Furthermore, directly involving the recipients of health-related messages is crucial to motivate them to change deeply rooted opinions and behaviours and to make them aware that, by influencing lifestyle choices, society as a whole can contribute to improving global health quality.

The keynote lectures of the Nobel Prize winners Paul Nurse e Michael Rosbash (on 24 November, at 11:15 am and 12:00 am respectively) will deal with another key aspect of the Festival: the interdependence of processes that from laboratory research lead to innovation, both in diagnostic and therapeutic methods, as well as in primary and secondary prevention strategies for specific diseases.

In addition, thematic reports by distinguished scientists and clinicians will provide the essential elements to comprehend the ongoing developments in both basic and clinical medical science.

John Ioannidis - Stanford University – will discuss the topic of Biomedical Data Science and statistics (on 26 November, at 9:00 am). Among the most notable Italian speakers feature: Gaetano Domenico Gargiulo - University of Bologna – who will discuss the role of research and innovation to improve life expectancy in children with congenital cardiopathies (on 24 November, at 4:45 pm); Paolo Vineis - Imperial College London – who will expand on the concept of exposome (on 25 November, at 9:00 am); Alberto Mantovani - Scientific Director of Humanitas Milano – who will discuss the theme ‘Science, communication and democracy’ (on 25 November, at 2:30 pm).

The programme will be enriched by the interventions of other notable speakers, such as Andrea Grignolio - Vita-Salute San Raffaele University of Milano – with a speech on AI ethics (on 25 Novembre, at 5:50 pm), Franco Locatelli - President of the Italian National Health Council – who will discuss sustainability and access to innovative therapies, and Giuseppe Remuzzi - Mario Negri Institute – who will talk about pharmacy and costs (on 26 November, at 11:40 am).

All the talks are free and open to the public.

Further information (in Italian only)