First day of lectures for UniCamillus students in Cefalù: a perfect synergy with the Fondazione G. Giglio.
Today was the long-awaited day: the first lecture of the MSc in Medicine and Surgery has taken place at the new UniCamillus University Cefalù campus. To be more precise, it was a lecture in Applied Physics, given by a very emotional Silvia Tommasin.
But this was not just any ‘first day’: it was the first of the first days, considering that our first-year students for the 2024-2025 academic year in Cefalù are also the very first students from Sicily (at least for their choice of university campus!) to be welcomed by our Institution.
Like any respectable first day, a very warm welcome was needed before the lectures could begin, and Professor Barbara Tavazzi, President of the UniCamillus MSc in Medicine and Surgery, did just that. Speaking live from Rome, Professor Tavazzi welcomed the students from Cefalù and Lido di Venezia: “I am very proud to be here today, on the day that marks the start of your next career. Today is the beginning of your academic career and I would like to be here to support you in this new phase of your life”. Professor Tavazzi also stressed the unifying spirit of the three campuses: three different physical locations, but one essence, with the same principles and organisation.
UniCamillus and the Giglio Foundation: a positive and proactive collaboration
There could be no better setting for all this than the Fondazione Istituto G. Giglio in Cefalù, which will host the UniCamillus MSc in Medicine and Surgery: the classrooms of this extraordinary structure offer a highly prestigious educational environment–the result of a long tradition of excellence that has made this hospital one of the most important oncological reference points at the national level.
Located in an institute that has always combined clinical innovation and research, these classrooms offer students a stimulating and professional environment: to study medicine here is to have the opportunity to learn in a state-of-the-art context designed to train future health professionals to a high standard.
Excellent lecturers, an excellent host institute, an excellent University offering an excellent MSc programme: everything has been carefully planned, and this is essential when training professionals who will work closely with people and their quality of life.
The understanding between UniCamillus and Istituto Giglio was immediate and has led to an enthusiastic, open and positive collaboration: all these factors are an additional advantage for the students, who are both recipients and protagonists.
Dr Giovanni Albano, President of the Fondazione Giglio, who welcomed the students on this special day, said: “We are very proud to be able to work with UniCamillus on such an important project: training doctors who play a key role in our society and helping to solve Italy’s age-old problem of a lack of health workers. For this reason, we are very grateful to you for being here”.
Mainly, but not exclusively, Sicilian students
The number of first-year students will increase thanks to the admission test in November 2024. Most of these students come from the provinces of Palermo, Messina and Agrigento, but also from Siracusa, Catania, Caltanissetta and Trapani. So only Sicily? Certainly not! There are also students from nearby Calabria (Cosenza and Reggio Calabria), from Naples and from places further away from Sicily, such as Rome, Rieti, Florence, Parma and Monza.
This shows that the MSc in Medicine in Cefalù is a valuable opportunity for young Sicilians, who can finally access high-level studies close to home, and for those who choose to move to an environment of great educational value. This programme encourages them to stay in the area and helps reduce the need to move to northern Italy, thus preserving the economic resources of young people and their families that would otherwise be spent elsewhere.
The in situ academic activities offered also have a positive impact on the local economy, with lasting benefits beyond the summer season. Finally, the establishment of a medical programme brings with it collaboration with hospitals and research centres, the recruitment of new doctors and lecturers, and a strengthening of the local healthcare system, reducing the need for out-of-area treatment and contributing to economic growth and innovation in the area.
Passion and a fighting spirit
We have mentioned the opportunities, the welcome speeches, the key aspects of this great day in this beautiful new building, but what we are most proud of are the smiles of the students who today brought a fire of enthusiasm into the classroom–the enthusiasm of those who want to make a dream come true. A dream made not only of career goals, but also and above all of altruism and philanthropy, for a world that would be truly ‘better’ than the present one. Professor Tavazzi’s words, full of motivation for anyone who wants to become a medical practitioner with both hands and heart, could not be more appropriate: “UniCamillus University, with its extraordinary teaching and humanitarian spirit, is a unique opportunity for those who want to improve the well-being of people, wherever they are, firmly believing that health is a universal right, in the name of a fairer and more inclusive society“.
With these important and ambitious goals, we offer you our warmest welcome to UniCamillus!
