His professional background combines academic precision, passion for sports medicine and constant commitment in the field. Professor Stefano Palermi, lecturer in Diseases of the Musculoskeletal System at UniCamillus, is a leading figure in Italian sports medicine.
Professor Palermi, who is Rector Gianni Profita‘s Delegate for the Promotion of Sporting Activities for the UniCamillus Venice campus, a physician for Reyer Basket Venezia and collaborator at Med-Ex, Scuderia Ferrari’s official medical partner, represents a perfect combination of scientific research, university teaching and sporting practice.
In this interview, he takes us behind the scenes of his profession, telling us about the value of sport in academic life, the medical challenges faced by professional athletes and the future prospects of sports medicine, which is increasingly intertwined with technology and innovation.
Professor Palermi, you are very young, but your professional background is impressive! Sports physician, lecturer, physician for major national and international sports teams… What motivated you to dedicate your life to sports medicine?
“Thank you very much for your kind words. Ever since I was a child, I have been passionate about sport—a passion passed on to me by my father. Football and basketball have been my life companions, first as an athlete (with poor results), then as a supporter and finally as a doctor! During my medical studies, this interest found a more precise direction and I finally decided to specialise in sports medicine. It is a fascinating discipline, very different from other branches of medicine: it requires a global view of the patient (who in this case is an athlete), a proactive approach and, above all, constant collaboration with professionals of various disciplines. I’d make the same choice a thousand times over. I feel really lucky to be doing a job I love: when you are passionate about something, commitment comes naturally and satisfaction follows”.
You probably don’t have any free time! How do you manage to combine all these professional commitments, including even collaborations with professional teams like Reyer Basket Venezia and Scuderia Ferrari?
“My wife would be happy to answer this question… or maybe not! Joking aside, my family’s support is essential: without it, nothing would be possible. However, I like to be busy. Organisation is key: optimising time, using travel time or waiting at the airport to study, write and plan. Working with professional athletes from all over the world is demanding, but also very stimulating. Every day is a new challenge, as well as an opportunity to improve, both personally and professionally. It’s exhausting, of course, but also very rewarding”.
Speaking of world-famous teams, as a physician for Reyer Basket Venezia, what are the most common musculoskeletal or cardiovascular problems players face during the season? How do you manage recovery and prevention?
“Reyer is a well-known team in Italy and Europe, with a very solid organisation and one of the most important youth sectors in Italy, thanks to the work of President Federico Casarin. The men’s first team plays in three competitions at the same time, including the EuroCup, which means a very busy schedule with constant travelling and minimal recovery time. Fortunately, we have a large and highly qualified medical staff who work closely together. Musculoskeletal problems are obviously the most common, but there are also internal or cardiovascular conditions that require attention, right from the first check-ups that players undergo at the start of the season. Our work starts with prevention—through thorough screening and ongoing monitoring—and continues with the management of acute problems and functional recovery. For the last two years, I have had the honour of being invited by the EuroLeague Head Coaches Board (EHCB) to give lectures on these topics: it has been an important opportunity to share experiences and exchange views on an international level with colleagues from all over Europe”.
How do top-level athletes like Reyer’s players prepare for the physical challenges of Serie A and the EuroCup? What prevention and recovery strategies do they use to optimise their performance without compromising their health?
“The key word is ‘interdisciplinarity’. The athlete is at the centre of a team effort in which everyone —from medical staff to physiotherapists, from fitness trainers to technical staff—has an essential role to play. Sports physicians should establish a dialogue with everyone, understand the technical and physical needs and establish a balance between performance and health. Prevention is essential, especially when you play every 72 hours: you need to monitor fitness, workload, sleep quality and diet. And in the event of an injury, it is equally important to guarantee a safe and gradual return on to court—this goes for both staff and players, who, we must never forget, are human beings with their own fears and insecurities. Every detail makes a difference”.
And now let’s talk about your collaboration with Med-Ex—Scuderia Ferrari’s official medical partner: are there any specific aspects to preparing for motorsport that require a different approach to traditional sports, including basketball?
“Yes, definitely. In my short career, I have had the opportunity to work with athletes of very different sports and this has allowed me to understand how each discipline has its own specific requirements. The preparation of a racing driver, especially in an elite context such as that of the Scuderia Ferrari, requires particular attention to physiological parameters that are often underestimated: mental stamina to cope with stress, the ability to concentrate for long periods of time as well as managing fatigue in extreme environments. Med-Ex, under the direction of Dr. Alessandro Biffi and Dr. Fredrick Fernando, does exceptional work, not only in preparing the Ferrari Driver Academy team, but also through its Corporate Wellness programmes, which bring physical activity and the culture of prevention into companies. Sport is not just about competition: it is a powerful tool for health and well-being. This is a message that needs to be passed on to everyone”.
In sport, it is as important to prevent injuries as it is to improve performance, as it is often the case in high-risk sports such as Formula 1. As a sports physician, how do you reconcile these two requirements?
“Prevention and performance are not mutually exclusive: they go hand in hand. An athlete who trains properly, sleeps well, eats a balanced diet, and is supported by a team of experts, will also be an athlete who is less prone to injury and performs better. The real challenge is to push your body and mind to the limit, but never beyond it. This requires method, technology, experience and a great ability to listen to yourself. It is a delicate balance that must be built up over time, day by day, and to which a whole career must be dedicated!”
Your research focuses on cardiovascular assessment and sports injury management. Why did you choose this particular area?
“Sports medicine is an incredibly broad discipline that encompasses numerous different aspects: from functional assessment, exercise physiology and traumatology to the increasingly central role of exercise prescription. Personally, I have always been fascinated by two main aspects of this medical speciality: sports cardiology and traumatology. I see them as the two pillars of our discipline, two worlds that are very different but closely linked. Thanks to various national and international collaborations, I have been able to explore these areas in both research and clinical practice. Participating in conferences, exchanging ideas with colleagues from other countries, building networks: all this enriches my daily work. I would like to pass on this enthusiasm to my students: there’s always more to learn and getting out of your comfort zone is the real secret of making progress”.
Looking to the future, what areas of sports medicine need more attention in terms of research and innovation?
“Working with the Italian Sports Medicine Federation (FMSI)is an honour and a great responsibility for me. In recent years, I have been involved in drafting the new cardiological protocols for assessing fitness for competitive sport(COCIS Comitato Organizzativo Cardiologico per l’Idoneità allo Sport – 2023), which are a fundamental guide for all Italian sports physicians. Today, the real challenge is to promote sports medicine as a comprehensive preventive medicine. We are working on an official document on the prescription of exercise as a therapeutic tool: a real ‘medicine’ to be administered according to the patient’s needs. This is a paradigm shift that will have a huge impact. And, of course, we cannot ignore the growing role of artificial intelligence: we are also developing innovative projects in this area, with the idea of increasingly integrating technology and medicine in a preventive approach”.
Let’s now look at your role as Rector’s Delegate for the Promotion of Sporting Activities for the UniCamillus Venice campus… What are your main responsibilities in this role?
“I am very grateful to UniCamillus, to Rector Profita and Director General Nucera, for putting their trust in me, first as an associate professor and now by offering me such an important position at such a young stage of my career. My goal is to actively contribute to the development of the University, especially in an area of Venice that has extraordinary potential, but also unique geographical characteristics. Being the Rector’s Delegate is an exciting challenge for me: we want to put sport at the heart of university life, create synergies with the local area and offer students a complete educational experience, not only at an academic level but also at a personal level”.
What role does physical activity play in the lives of students studying medicine and therefore health? How do you promote it at UniCamillus? Do you think there are ways to make sport more accessible to all students within our Institution?
“I strongly believe that physical activity should be an integral part of every student’s education, even more so for those studying medicine. We cannot teach others about health unless we first take steps to prioritise our own well-being. Thanks to the vision of Prof. Daniele Masalaand our Rector, we are structuring UniCamillus Sportas a real source of opportunities: not only to encourage the practice of sport, but also to promote a conscious culture of sport based on scientific evidence. The aim is to make future doctors understand not only ‘how much’ sport to do, but also and above all ‘how’ to do it: safely, consistently and continuously. We want to make physical activity accessible, sustainable and part of everyday university life. And sports medicine has a key role to play in this: I want more people to be aware of this discipline, which is so fascinating but so little studied in the academic world!”
Have you noticed an increasing interest in sporting activities at Italian universities in recent years?
“Yes, absolutely. More and more universities have realised the importance of sport as an educational and social tool. University projects, teams, tournaments and courses have been created for student athletes, even at professional level. This shows that it is possible to combine a demanding academic career with a sporting career, and that the two can even reinforce each other. Just look at the example of the United States, where there are Olympic athletes in colleges, studying and performing at the highest level. Our aim is to make UniCamillus an active part of this movement: young, dynamic, international and forward-looking”.
What are your priorities for the future in terms of university sports activities at the UniCamillus campus in Venice? Do you have any short- or long-term plans that you would like to tell us about?
“Venice is a unique city, but not easy to live in every day. That is why we want to create a network of collaborations with local sports clubs to offer students a range of opportunities that will make the university experience more complete. We have already started developing contacts and carrying out specific assessments, and in the coming months we will be launching the first initiatives, also in collaboration with Prof. Gabriella D’Orazi. In the meantime, we are working on projects that combine sport and education in the spirit of UniCamillus: sports medicine, prevention, health promotion. Together with Director Nucera, we are defining a series of activities that will make UniCamillus a reference point in this field as well. It will be a stimulating challenge and we are ready to take it on”.
People often see sport as something optional, a leisure activity. On the contrary, it should be a constant, healthy habit. What advice would you give to students who want to combine their academic studies with sport? Do you think it is up to the university to make sport an integral part of their daily lives?
“One thing students should understand is that sport is not a break from studying, it is an ally of studying! Regular physical activity improves mood, concentration, sleep quality and generally the ability to cope with daily tasks. My advice is simple: start small, but do it every day. Find an activity that you enjoy, that makes you feel better, and fit it into your routine like an extra hour. And yes, I firmly believe that the university must play a leading role in this process: not only by providing facilities and opportunities, but also by promoting a true culture of well-being. Educating good health professionals also means educating people who are aware of the value of health, starting with their own”.