Environmental Health Sciences

Unife

• Costanza Baldisserotto
• Marco Beccaria
• Tiziana Bellini
• Monica Bertoldo
• Olga Bortolini
• Barbara Bramanti
• Lorenzo Caruso
• Giuseppe Castaldelli
• Massimo Coltorti
• Graziano Di Carmine
• Barbara Faccini
• Lorenzo Ferroni
• Maria Elena Flacco
• Renato Gerdol
• Luisa Giari
• Stefano Mattioli
• Elisabetta Melloni
• Nicola Murgia
• Simonetta Pancaldi
• Alessandra Pecorelli
• Elisa Soana
• Elena Tamburini
• Paola Tedeschi
• Alessandro Trentini
• Mauro Vaccarezza
• Carmela Vaccaro
• Giuseppe Valacchi
• Rebecca Voltan
• Giorgio Zauli

Other University

• Sayyed Khabir Ahmad
• Massimo Iorizzo
• Mary Ann Lila
• Giorgia Purcaro
• Pierre-Hugues Stefanuto

The PhD in Environmental and Health Sciences is founded on the "One Health" concept, which expresses the indissoluble link between human health, the quality of the environment and ecosystems, and proposes a transdisciplinary methodological approach to the study of issues concerning human health in relation to environmental factors, the quality of the surrounding environment, and lifestyles. In this perspective, the Course aims to train researchers and professionals with specific skills in the field of promoting human health and preventing diseases through the study and development of innovative solutions obtained from natural products of plant and animal origin, and through the improvement of environmental health and the protection of the environment. It is well known, in fact, that the set of external factors to which we are exposed, the so-called exposome, and our lifestyle can influence our state of health, the aging process, and the length of life itself. The training program therefore aims to transmit this new scientific approach to doctoral students and to make them acquire the specific skills and the inter-multidisciplinary background necessary to create new professional figures in the field of prevention and health promotion.

The Faculty Board has all the necessary skills to carry out the training project, both as regards aspects related to human health and environmental and ecological aspects. In particular, the skills available in the preclinical and clinical fields will allow for the adequate development of morpho-functional and physio-pathological research, including epidemiological aspects. Such research is developed through approaches of cellular and molecular biology and will have implications in the pharmacological, exposome, and ecotoxicological fields. The skills in the environmental field will allow for the adequate development of research aimed at combating environmental degradation and its impact on ecosystems and human health and at improving the well-being of individuals through the adoption of innovative solutions based on the use of natural compounds, functional foods, and nutraceuticals. The main themes of the Course reflect those of the proposing Department (Department of Environmental and Prevention Sciences) in terms of hygiene and preventive medicine, environmental protection and conservation, and the ecological transition to a more sustainable society and economy (http://disap.unife.it/it). In particular, the Course concretizes the development lines foreseen in the Departmental Plan 2024-2026 related to the training of highly qualified doctoral students with characteristics of internationalization (https://disap.unife.it/it/dipartimento/piano-dipartimentale-2024-2026). Furthermore, the doctoral course takes into account the indications present in the University Strategic Plan 2025-2027 (https://www.unife.it/it/ateneo/programmazione/piano-strategico/piano-strategico-2025-2027.pdf) in the design of the course (1.4 Strategic Objective DOCTORATE), but also with attention to the actions to promote sustainability (4.9 Strategic Objective SUSTAINABILITY) and public health (4.7 Strategic Objective HEALTH).

The Course, which also takes into account the indications present in the National Prevention Plan 2020-2025 of the Ministry of Health (https://www.salute.gov.it/imgs/C_17_notizie_5029_0_file.pdf) and more recently those reported in the PNC Health, Environment, Biodiversity and Climate (https://www.pnrr.salute.gov.it/portale/pnrrsalute/dettaglioContenutiPNRRSalute.jsp?lingua=italiano&id=5855&area=PNRR-Salute&menu=investimenti), proposes a homogeneous training curriculum to train professionals capable of operating both in the field of health services and environmental protection, and in the field of research and development centers on environmental protection and health protection, providing professional skills to conduct and design independently research and development activities useful to promote the safeguarding of human health, the environment, and natural resources. The training project of the PhD is updated periodically on an annual basis with the collaboration of the Faculty Board members and the contribution of foreign colleagues and representatives of organizations and companies operating in sectors related to the topics of the doctorate. To pursue the goal, the Board of Advisors (Advisory Board) of the PhD program has also been consulted. The professional figure outlined by the PhD Course has proved to be of great interest to stakeholders, in relation to the fact that the evolution of community and national strategies in the field of environment and health require experts with a plurality of skills capable of promoting and applying the "One Health" approach necessary to face present and future challenges in terms of health and safety. Finally, the doctoral project benefits from the contribution of doctoral students through the analysis of questionnaires to collect the opinions of doctoral students, but also through dialogue within meetings of the Faculty Board that see the participation of all doctoral students.

The objective of the Course is to train highly qualified professionals capable of meeting the demand for experts in the field of promoting human health and environmental health, in a holistic vision of man and the environment in which he lives. The training program has been designed to increase critical evaluation skills and develop the scientific autonomy of doctoral students. To achieve this objective, the doctoral path includes both research and teaching activities. The latter are articulated in compulsory courses, specialized seminars, and transversal training activities, also aimed at promoting entrepreneurship and knowledge of regulations. The compulsory courses are distributed over the three-year period in order to guide the doctoral student through a path designed to provide a background of knowledge and a common language for all doctoral students. The multi- and transdisciplinary structure of the courses is designed to integrate advanced information starting from the chemical and biochemical properties and characteristics of substances and molecules to arrive at the definition of their impacts on the environment and human health, including preclinical and clinical-epidemiological approaches and the corresponding investigation and analysis methodologies.

The research activity aims at the specialization of the doctoral student and is conducted on a specialized and innovative topic specific to each doctoral student. The pursuit of the objective of doctoral student specialization is concretized in the integration between cutting-edge research and multidisciplinary training in "One Health" topics through the provision of specialized training activities, also in the form of seminars, summer schools, and workshops. The soft skills and transversal skills of doctoral students will be developed through participation in courses organized by the IUSS and events organized at the regional level and/or specific projects. The training of doctoral students will also be completed through periods of internships at research centers of national or international institutions and companies. The PhD course provides all the skills to help the doctoral student in the design and implementation of their research project, guarantees careful and constant supervision by one or more tutors, also belonging to national and/or foreign institutions and companies, and ensures the availability of the financial resources necessary for the implementation of the training project. The availability of state-of-the-art instrumentation and modern investigation techniques allows the doctoral student to produce research products of international level. Among the topics in which doctoral students can develop their project are:

a) chemical and microbiological contaminants in the environment and their impact on human health and living organisms; b) natural and anthropogenic ¹ environmental factors that ² constitute a risk to human health and ecosystems; c) strategies to counter the effects of climate change, loss of biodiversity, and ecosystem services; d) methodologies for the protection of the environment and plant species of conservation interest; e) methodologies for environmental ³ restoration; f) physiological, cellular, and molecular mechanisms of development of pathologies related to exposure to pollutants; g) biomarkers or intracellular pathways relevant in various physio-pathological contexts; h) nutraceutical compounds and biomolecules derived from plant, ⁴ animal, or microbial organisms; i) food safety; j) function and biological activity of phytochemicals and their role in the prevention and control of aging and diseases; k) petrographic and geochemical characterization of natural and anthropogenic geological materials for the study of risks associated with natural events; l) methodologies of epidemiological and exposure investigations in work environments; m) biomaterials for environmental, packaging, and health applications.

The training program has been designed to increase critical evaluation skills and develop the scientific autonomy of doctoral students and includes both highly qualified teaching courses and experimental research activities, essential for the future development of their careers. Furthermore, the Course offers the possibility of carrying out studies and research in collaboration with international institutions and research centers of national or foreign companies, which will allow doctoral students to further expand their knowledge and obtain internationally recognized training. Doctoral students will be trained to acquire interdisciplinary skills that allow them to understand, use, and develop innovative solutions in the field of promoting human health, preventing diseases starting from the protection of the environment, biodiversity, ecosystems, and the services they provide.

The teaching activities provided in the doctoral course can be divided into the following categories:

• Training activities to support any training gaps of doctoral students in one or more of the disciplinary sectors in which the multidisciplinary doctorate is articulated. The multidisciplinary nature of the PhD Course and, consequently, the different university training and academic qualifications of doctoral students may make it necessary to activate personalized courses to fill any gaps in the training of professionals with adequate skills in environmental protection and prevention and public health. The activation of these courses will be evaluated by the Faculty Board based on the results of the evaluation of the learning assessments of the courses referred to in point 2)
• Courses dedicated to the doctoral students of the Course The proposed courses are structured to offer a path that covers the priority topics of the course. In this context, knowledge will be deepened on the modalities with which the presence of contaminants and, more generally, the alterations of the environment, also connected with the ongoing climate changes, can affect the state of environmental quality, the biosphere, and human health. The training program includes the study of the molecular mechanisms that regulate the physiopathology of the main chronic diseases and aging, and the identification of specific biomarkers for the evaluation of exposure, with the aim of developing innovative strategies to improve human health and the state of environmental quality. Another aspect is related to the study and research on the use of natural substances and phytochemicals capable of improving the quality of life and exerting a protective action in the prevention of diseases and contributing to maintaining health, even in the elderly population. A total of 10 courses are activated for a total of 87 hours of frontal teaching. The holders of the proposed courses are Faculty members who, for the delivery of lessons, can rely on the contribution of other Italian and foreign professors. Welcoming the suggestions of the Board of Advisors, teachers are required to adopt a teaching approach that highlights the transversality of the environment-health approach typical of the "One Health" approach. All courses include a final verification consisting of a written test. For doctoral students who do not achieve a sufficient grade, the courses described in point 1) will be activated.
• Training activities provided through specialized seminars Every year, specialized seminars are organized on one or more research topics of the course. The topics of the seminars held by Italian and foreign professors who do not belong to the Faculty are proposed and evaluated by the Faculty members and the Board of Advisors. The programming of seminar activities takes place annually to allow the inclusion of cutting-edge topics or to include topics of particular relevance in the year of the course.
• Transversal training activities provided by the IUSS Every year, the IUSS organizes courses on transversal topics that include linguistic and computer skills, research management, and knowledge of European and international research systems, for the valorization of research results and intellectual property.
• Transversal training activities/soft skills provided by other entities Participation in training events aimed at integrating the skills of doctoral students in the field of open science, communication of research results, skills in the dissemination and dissemination of results, and technology transfer.
• Specialized training activities Among the specialized training activities, participation is included: in schools for Doctoral students organized by Italian or foreign universities; in multidisciplinary working groups in which the scientific literature on topics related to the doctoral students' research project is analyzed; in conferences and congresses related to the training project, also as speakers. This also includes specialized training for the use of complex instrumentation and to deepen the interpretation methodologies of data. As a further specialized activity aimed at developing communication skills and organizing/managing scientific events, the course annually promotes the organization of a PhD day self-managed by doctoral students with the supervision of members of the Faculty Board.
• Tutoring and teaching support activities Doctoral students have the opportunity to participate in teaching and tutoring activities in Undergraduate and Master's Degree Courses for a maximum of 40 hours to gain experience in teaching methodologies in the academic context.

The training activity described above will integrate the experimental research activity planned by the doctoral student with the supervision of one or more tutors, also belonging to national and/or foreign institutions and companies, and approved by the Faculty Board. The Faculty Board emphasizes the centrality of research in the training path, reserving a considerable proportion of training credits for this activity. Particular attention is paid to the assignment of tutors and the choice of the doctoral student's research topic in order to satisfy their expectations and enhance their personal inclinations. The research activity is carried out in laboratories equipped with facilities and modern instrumentation necessary for the implementation of current research topics; each doctoral student is assigned a workstation equipped with a PC. During their path, doctoral students can actively participate in research projects, both national and international, which will allow them not only to acquire skills in the scientific field but also to develop the attitude to teamwork and to carry out internships in national or international research centers. Doctoral students are also strongly encouraged to interact with faculty members from different disciplinary sectors, in order to increase the plurality of their skills and implement integrated research projects. Each doctoral student's project is updated annually on the occasion of the seminar presentation of the training and research activity to the Faculty Board. At the end of the doctoral path, the doctoral student prepares a dissertation that is evaluated by national and international experts and subsequently presents to a commission the results of their research, including the research products generated.

See the activities

Opportunities for exchange with foreign institutions. Another element of internationalization of the Course is the presence of professors from foreign universities on the Faculty Board, and of professors from the University who are currently visiting professors or Senior Lecturers at foreign institutions (USA, Australia, Saudi Arabia). Furthermore, doctoral students can participate in intensive mixed programs - blended intensive programs, BIP within the framework of Erasmus+ 2021-2027 for the development of research topics such as Sustainable Entrepreneurship: Microalgae and Human Food (fourth edition) Short name: MICROALGAE and Zero Waste, Infinite Possibilities: Teamwork for a Sustainable Future: first edition Short name: Zero Waste in collaboration with doctoral students, students, and professors from various European and non-European countries. Relations with the productive world are considered essential to allow doctoral students to receive training oriented towards entrepreneurship, applied research, and technology transfer. The interaction of doctoral students with the productive world allows them to receive input on research topics of particular interest to companies. For these reasons, the Faculty Board includes personnel belonging to national and foreign companies. Collaboration with institutions and companies is also valued in defining a path capable of training professionals with skills adequate to the demands of the market. The Board of Advisors, recently established, is composed of researchers and representatives of the world of work representing the parties interested in the doctoral school. Their periodic consultation is considered the most effective tool for a constant connection with the business, work, and research world, in order to evaluate the progress of the PhD Course and its development potential. Finally, the PhD Course covers many of the sustainability topics of the PNRR, which could lead to further collaborations with institutions and companies, also through specific funding deriving from projects in the PNRR context.

Equipment and/or Laboratories

Doctoral students will be able to use laboratories equipped with basic and advanced technologies and instrumentation, including platforms for cellular and molecular biology (microscopy and spectroscopy techniques, scintillators, PCR thermocyclers, flow cytometers). In addition, they will be able to use advanced analytical instrumentation (HPLC/MS/MS and GC/HRMS, CE-Fluorescence, Atomic Spectroscopy) and sample preparation systems. Instrumentation for sampling environmental matrices and for biomonitoring is also present. All laboratories are equipped with facilities (hoods, safety cabinets, etc.) for the optimal operation of the instrumentation and the safety of researchers.

Library Holdings

Thematic libraries such as the Santa Maria delle Grazie Chemical-Biological Library with 20,000 books. All structures affiliated with the doctorate have free access to the University library system and the online journal catalog AtoZ and the NILDE service to request books, parts of books, and journal articles not available in the libraries of Unife or the Ferrara Library System in paper and/or electronic format.

Online subscriptions to the main scientific journals in the preclinical, biological, and environmental fields are active.

E-resources

Doctoral students will be able to access the University's biomedical databases: Biomed Central, Nature, PubMed (including Medline), SciFinder, Scopus, Web Of Science.

Doctoral students will be able to use the University license for the Microsoft Office and Matlab package. They will also have access to data and statistical analysis software such as GraphPad Prism, Origin Pro, Mathematica, and for graphic processing (Biorender, Photoshop, etc.) made available by research groups.

Multimedia rooms of the University and dedicated spaces within the individual Departments. Each research group provides personal computers and workstations dedicated to the activities of doctoral students.

Other

Research and Technology Transfer Structures and Laboratories (LTTA, T&A Tech), including the Biobank and the structures of the University Museum System, including the Botanical Garden.