Short bio

I’m 52 years old and live in Turin (IT). I’m a member of the board of directors of the Accademia del Paziente Esperto EUPATI, nurse coordinator in public health, EDA ambassador of Piedmont, and in digital technology for health, Professor of Nursing in the area of chronicity and disability at the University of Turin and deontology at the University of Eastern Piedmont, European project designer in the health field.

My story

"Give a fish to a man and you will feed him for a day. Teach him to fish and feed him for a lifetime. So my life is as a daughter, mother, nurse, educator, experienced patient EUPATI, EDA ambassador and lecturer. I remember the moment I decided to enrol in nursing at 15. Love for the other, and having the desire to help people in difficulty has always allowed me to become passionate about things and to build paths that make people more autonomous and independent. Having started my experience as a volunteer in nursing homes, I continued my journey within public health, facing suffering and pain every day. However, while the healthcare world is characterised by sadness, there are also happy moments alongside painful, unforgettable situations. I started my professional career in Emergency Surgery at a well-known hospital in Turin and then moved on to Cardio. For several years I worked in conditions of high instability and clinical complexity. You didn’t have time to think about your personal "things": when you worked you had to be completely focused on the patients. You paid for every mistake yourself. Every distraction could have serious consequences.

After graduating from a second chance school, and then in Education at the University of Turin, I was called by the then Faculty of Medicine and Surgery to perform the function of clinical tutor and teacher at the University Course for Nurses. Cum gaudio magno...

Teaching was my great passion, to help the weakest and most fragile to be more autonomous and capable. I tried to apply soft skills to health and they became the main body of teaching in nursing. Health is a precious asset that we must protect from the moment we are born, every day of our lives. Health is part of our existence and everyday life. Everything we do, every time we make a decision, and every time we propose something, we should think about what the consequences might be for our well-being. These were the years when I was discussing living conditions at European level thanks to early European projects.

In 2016 something happened that changed my life perspective again: an important family drama that once again marked my professional and personal decisions. I understood the importance of resilience, skills, social relationships and proximity networks. I started to study deeply by reading old university books. I re-studied the theories of education with a different interpretative key: health, empowerment and the biopsychosocial model.

I enrolled in a PhD in Educational Sciences on narrative methods[1]  for patients over the age o 65 who are suffering from different pathologies. At the same time, I became a patient expert in the research and development of new drugs at European level (EUPATI), as well as a patient expert in digital health technologies and an EDA ambassador.

Today, I strongly believe that adult education must include programs of self-care, timekeeping, and patient engagement in healthcare to make it democratic and accessible to all people. Health is a valuable asset that we must protect and promote. As European citizens, we have a great responsibility to support the democratic processes that underpin the right to health for all, without distinction. Health systems must be accessible to all people. Because a person’s health is part of the health of all of us. One Health for all!

...2023: Award for Best Healthcare Event on Health Education for Patients. Not a bad result!

3 Skills for the future?