“Health at School”: an event at the Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies to rethink well-being in the academic community
“Pur bella la vita, merita di rischiare… Vivere bene oggi” is the title of the public meeting to be held on June 20 at 3:00 p.m. in the Aula Magna of the Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna in Pisa, as part of the Health Mode On project, sponsored by the Academic Classes of Social Sciences and Experimental and Applied Sciences.
Health Mode On is a national project funded by the Ministry of University and Research (MUR) as part of the PRO-BEN program, coordinated by the University of Pavia. It involves numerous Italian universities and AFAM institutes, including the University of Pisa, the Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies in Pisa, the University of Udine, the Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, the University of Eastern Piedmont, and the Pietro Mascagni Conservatory in Livorno, the Giuseppe Verdi Conservatory in Milan, and the Antonio Vivaldi Conservatory in Alessandria. The project aims to promote the psychological and physical well-being of university students through an integrated and multidisciplinary approach. Activities include mapping psychological distress, developing innovative models of psychological support, prevention programs, and wellness activities, in collaboration with universities and health institutions.
The event officially launches the ‘Health at School’ project, an offshoot of the Health Mode On project at the Sant'Anna School, which aims to promote a culture of health and well-being among undergraduate and PhD students through a non-pathologizing and participatory approach that integrates physical health, psychological well-being, and the development of life skills.
The meeting will be opened by greetings from Rector Nicola Vitiello, and will be attended by the Dean of the Social Sciences Class Anna Loretoni, the Dean of the Experimental and Applied Sciences Class Christian Cipriani, the Principal Investigator of the HMO Project at the University of Pisa Prof.Caterina Rizzo, the President of the Mascagni Conservatory Emanuele Rossi, the representative of the Ordinary Students Giulia Orlando, the Head of University Education Chiara Busnelli, and the Head of Postgraduate Education Gianna Bottai.
The event will be hosted by Marco Martinelli, biotechnologist and communicator, and will feature Massimo Polidoro, writer and science popularizer, with a talk on “What makes life beautiful”, based on his latest book "A life well spent: Finding meaning in things with Leonardo, Einstein, and Darwin," followed by a question and answer session with researcher Francesca Pennucci and student Maurilio Menduni De Rossi. This will be followed by a contribution from psychiatrist Andrea Fagiolini, Full Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Siena, on “Anxiety and related issues”, with a discussion led by psychologist AnnaEmanuela Tangolo and student Francesca Ferragina.
The afternoon will continue with presentations by the Working Group on the Psychophysical Wellbeing of Ordinary Students (by student Rebecca Florea) and the Working Group on Mental Health PhD (by PhD students Giulia Bosio and Luca Scopis).
At 5:30 p.m., there will be the official presentation of the “Health at School” project, with presentations by Filippo Quattrone, Francesca Pennucci, Anna Luce Damone, Sara Cattani, Salvatore D'Avella, and Carlo Alberto Avizzano, who will illustrate the research project, which will include thematic meetings, practical activities, opportunities for discussion among peers and with adults, and evaluations of the effectiveness of the activities and services offered. In line with the School's educational mission, Health at School aims to build a more aware, supportive, and people-oriented academic environment, valuing relationships, shared responsibility, and the use of digital tools to support health in everyday college life.
The conclusions will be presented by Michele Emdin, Coordinator of the Health Science Center and Principal Investigator of the HMO project, and Elena Vivaldi, Vice Rector for Inclusion, Disability, and Gender Equality Policies.
