Future by Quality. The value of data analytics and artificial intelligence in the healthcare sector
Discussion at this event focused on the prospects, potential, state of the art and challenges associated with the extensive use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the healthcare sector. The growing amount of data available to the medical sector, along with the emergence of new AI systems, is making it possible to mine those data for elements capable of improving healthcare as well as accelerating research and development in the sector itself.
Science and society: a new partnership for new challenges
The group focused on understanding the role of science in society, in particular following the Covid-19 crisis, that has put science front and center in decision-making. In this context, we have moved from the pandemic to a pandemonium.
Silver Society 2.0
Progress in the field of medicine and improvements in the quality of life are making for longer life-expectancies; according to UN estimates, by the end of 2050, over-65ers will have surpassed under-25ers in number. This concerns Europe in particular and especially Italy, but also involves other countries such as China, which at the start of 2023 saw its birthrate drop for the first time since the 1960s and where the median age by 2050 will be 51 (higher than Italy’s is now).
Aspen Institute Italia Award – Award Ceremony
The 8th Aspen Institute Italia Award for scientific research and collaboration between Italy and the United States went to a study on a new synthetic (…)Aspen Institute Italia Award – Award Ceremony
Innovation in medicine.Challenges for Italy’s National Health System and the role of public-private partnerships.
A shift in the healthcare paradigm is leading to the increased personalization of treatments, with innovations that ensure improvements in the care, monitoring and prevention (…)Innovation in medicine.Challenges for Italy’s National Health System and the role of public-private partnerships.
Innovation in medicine: Population Health and its challenges
“Population health” is a new paradigm aimed at offering each citizen appropriate and effective treatment while, at the same time, responding to the challenges posed to the healthcare system by the so-called “big killers” – such as heart disease – and the ageing of the population.
Aspen Initiative in favor of Pure Science
This meeting was part of the broader Aspen Initiative in Favor of Pure Science – a project aimed at raising awareness in civil society of the strategic importance of pure science, not only as relevant to scientific study but also in terms of its fundamental service to humanity in general.
The rise of the silver economy
Population ageing is a global trend affecting all the world’s foremost economies. The phenomenon is have an especially significant impact on China and Europe and seems destined, along with the climate crisis, to be among the main generators of change in twenty-first century societies. Governments, citizens and the business community thus find themselves facing a range of challenges as well as a host of opportunities.
Territoriality and Health Policy
The pandemic has highlighted the fragility and disparities of a National Health Service already hard put to confront the combination of an ageing population and the growing incidence of chronic pathologies. As a result, the political agenda is now focused on striking a new balance between macro assistance levels (moreover, previously indicated in “fiscal federalism” reforms) and the proportioning of related standard costs.
The challenge of pandemic under-preparedness: the size of the problem, its impact and the best strategies for efficient health systems
The Covid-19 pandemic has ramped up the pressure on healthcare systems around the world, burdening already limited resources and existing capabilities. In order to ensure the quality and efficiency of services for all, healthcare systems need to build and improve their ability to be prepared for crises, while at the same time enhancing their essential primary functions. The discussion touched on the crucial aspects to be considered in making systems more efficient by reinforcing prevention.
New synergies in healthcare supply: challenges for the “last mile”
The Covid pandemic has spotlighted not only how essential a good healthcare system is, but also the key importance of the last mile, understood as a relationship of proximity to the patients. Getting to the citizen effectively is still an issue to be dealt with, both in treating the virus and in the vaccination campaign. The work already being done and yet to be done in order to deal with the problems arising during the current emergency period will serve as the basis for redrawing the healthcare system of the future.
The challenge for the young Italians in technological innovation
Although Italy continues to offer proof of excellence in a broad array of fields, there is still considerable margin for growth in younger generations’ understanding and application of technological advances. The current Covid-19 pandemic and the possibility of stemming its spread with the mRNA vaccine have further underscored the need to invest in research and innovation in the interests of creating social and economic value.
Global Health Security and its impact on the economy: a global responsibility
The Covid-19 pandemic has triggered economic, political, social and cultural turmoil across the globe. A crisis unlike any that has occurred in a very long time that proving that health is an integral part of the foundation of a society and its economy. Nevertheless, the response to the pandemic as not been rapid and it is going to be necessary to adjust some previously applied mechanism.
Research and innovation for life sciences in Italy
The daily effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on every individual and organization are clearly foregrounding how wealth and health go hand in hand. The quest for health – the focus of the political agenda and objectives of every government – will influence every government’s process of reconstruction for months to come.
The world post Covid-19
The Covid-19 pandemic has brought the world to the edge of a new frontier, and underscored the urgency need to redesign economic systems and development models, opting for what the new European Commission has described as greener and more sustainable and inclusive approaches. China, where it all started, has been the first nation to succeed in controlling and preventing the pandemic.
Science, politics, society: different speeds, common challenges
The relationship between politics, science and society is playing an increasingly prominent role in rising to the challenges of modernity. A strong alliance of political institutions, scientists, experts and citizens is essential to defeating the global pandemic, but also an essential prerequisite for the success of policies aimed at inverting the advance of climate change and introducing new technologies and new solutions for boosting the quality of life, prosperity and wealth of modern societies.
Future by quality: life sciences and research in Italy
Science and technology parks are an essential part of the innovation ecosystem. Their ability to link a variety of experiences and disciplines, thereby creating networks of research centers, spin-offs, start-ups, incubators, business angels and venture capitalists makes them a major factor in the country’s competitiveness, in addition to offering nation-wide opportunities. This important contribution is even more fundamental in the field of life sciences, where development timelines are very long and risks quite high.
The cum-Covid recovery: comparing best practices. How to combine health and business
The main challenge associated with the spread of Covid-19 into the autumn/winter is going to be healthcare facilities’ ability to diagnose and treat a growing number of virus cases (as per all predictions) and distinguish them from seasonal flu. While Covid countermeasures will surely contribute significantly to reducing the incidence of regular flu, the annual illness will in any case continue to deplete healthcare resources.
Of pandemics and resilience. People, communities and development post Covid-19
The pandemic has unmasked the fragility of our self-assured, globalized, skill-savvy world. Even the most economically advanced countries’ primary response to this unknown virus was a low-tech social distancing, which has necessarily foregrounded the limitations of human action and knowledge. The Socratic paradox “I know that I do not know” encourages the kind of continuing fortification of basic research that calls for increased funding from the Italian government.
Never waste a crisis: what lessons to draw for the Italian health system?
The emergency that erupted in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic has some important lessons to offer the Italian healthcare system. Although it is clearly difficult to compare the healthcare models of regions affected asymmetrically by the virus, it is undeniable that coordination at various levels has proven to be one of the system’s weak points. The situation has generated confusion along the chain of control and implementation of measures, and immediate intervention regarding operational aspects – even before institutional prerogatives – is imperative.
Global health and climate change: why the Green Deal remains crucial
With lockdowns in place practically all over the world, the peak of the pandemic has morphed into a sort of vast air pollution control experiment, especially in major urban areas, whose very tangible public health benefits will certainly be short-lived and are still difficult to quantify but, in any case, point to an abnormal and clearly unsustainable “remedy”. Nevertheless, there is a considerable overlap between post-pandemic measures and environmental protection efforts.