A lifetime dedicated to international health cooperation. The Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies in Pisa awards an honorary PhD in Health Science, Technology and Management to Don Dante Carraro, Director of Medici con l'Africa Cuamm
The award ceremony will take place on Thursday 30 October at 10 a.m. in the Aula Magna of the Sant'Anna School. ‘This recognition is above all for the many African colleagues who, with very few resources, but with great tenacity and resilience, continue to do their part for their communities,’ explains Don Dante Carraro
The story of Don Dante Carraro is that of a doctor and priest who chose to turn healthcare into a mission, bringing hope, expertise and solidarity to those parts of the world where life is most vulnerable. Today, his commitment becomes an academic example thanks to the awarding of an honorary Philosophiae Doctorate in “Health Science, Technology and Management” that the Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies in Pisa has decided to award to the Director of Medici con l'Africa Cuamm for his contribution to global health and human dignity. The award ceremony is scheduled for Thursday 30 October, starting at 10 a.m. in the Aula Magna of the Sant'Anna School.
Don Dante Carraro and Medici con l'Africa Cuamm: a life dedicated to international health cooperation
Don Dante Carraro graduated in Medicine from the University of Padua and in 1987 specialised in Cardiology. Ordained a priest in 1991, a few years later he crossed paths with Medici con l'Africa Cuamm, a non-governmental organisation committed to promoting and protecting the health of African populations and training local doctors and nurses. From 1994 to 2008, he served as deputy director of Cuamm and, in 2008, he became its director. In 2020, Don Dante Carraro was awarded the title of Commander of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic.
Medici con l'Africa Cuamm currently operates in nine sub-Saharan African countries (Angola, Ethiopia, Mozambique, Central African Republic, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda and Ivory Coast) with the aim of improving health and promoting a positive and supportive attitude on the African continent.
The collaboration between Don Dante Carraro and the Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies has been ongoing for several years with a number of initiatives promoted as part of the Africa Connect project, the Sant'Anna School's initiative to contribute to the inclusive and sustainable development of the continent's enormous potential. Don Dante Carraro also participated in the inauguration of the 2023/2024 academic year, which took place at the Teatro Verdi in Pisa in December 2023.
The programme for the ceremony
The award ceremony will begin with a welcome and introduction by Prof. Michele Emdin, Coordinator of the Interdisciplinary Research Centre for Health Science at the Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies in Pisa. Prof. Milena Vainieri, Coordinator of the PhD programme in Health Science, Technology and Management, will then read the reasons for awarding the honorary PhD to Don Dante Carraro.
The Laudatio “Medicine and research in Africa: the challenge of” will be given by Prof. Alberto Mantovani, President of the Humanitas Research Foundation. After the awarding of the diploma by the Rector of the Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies, Nicola Vitiello, Don Dante Carraro will give a Lectio Magistralis on the theme “Operational research and frugal innovation: with Africa, for everyone's future”.
Statements
"It is a great honour for me to receive this PhD from the Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies in Pisa, which I dedicate and extend to the many doctors and collaborators who, every day, with CUAMM, have been taking care of the health of the most vulnerable in Africa for 75 years. But this recognition is above all for the many African colleagues who, with very few resources, but with great tenacity and resilience, continue to do their part for their communities. It is they who, despite wars and conflicts, despite cuts and abandonment by the great powers, resist with courage and without fear, cultivating confidence in the future. It is alongside them, “with Africa”, that we at Cuamm walk and strive to find solutions and answers, with professionalism and competence, because we are deeply convinced that medicine for the poor should not be poor medicine," explains Don Dante Carraro.
"In addition to his tireless human and social commitment that characterised his life in favour of and with Africa, I remember that Don Dante set up the Master's degree in paediatric and neonatal emergencies for Mozambican doctors, paediatricians, nurses and midwives in collaboration with the University of Padua. provided support to six training schools for nurses and midwives in five African countries, and conducted valuable scientific work that led to the publication of over 200 scientific papers on topics including maternal and child health, infectious and tropical diseases, nutrition, and universal health coverage," says Michele Emdin, coordinator of the Health Science Interdisciplinary Research Centre.
