Moving toward an Institute of Family Medicine

A public encounter to launch the project of a new Institute of Family Medicine within the USI Faculty of Biomedical Sciences and several presentations to illustrate its innovative and bold approach best to meet the current and future needs of the population. In addition to USI's and other universities' academic staff, the State Councilors Marina Carobbio Guscetti, and Raffaele De Rosa and the President of the Medical Association of Canton Ticino Franco Denti will present their ideas on family medicine on Thursday, November 4, from 3 pm to 6:00 pm in the multipurpose room of East Campus Lugano. The event is open to the public and the media upon registration (via e-mail at [email protected]) and presentation of a Covid certificate.

Training and university research in family medicine is an important and complex task. In the various national languages, the name itself implies such complexity: Hausartzmedizin, médicine de premier recours, medicina di famiglia. Federal agencies use the term primary care medicine. For an academic institution, it means offering primary and continuing education, research and services in this area. The USI Faculty of Biomedical Sciences devotes special attention to these tasks. In basic training, inter-professionalism, outpatient practice in the territory, and attention to the individual's care are essential. Some topics have already been deepened in research and in the studies to obtain the title of "Dr. med.". Even today, the training of Physician Assistants benefits from the post-graduate refresher courses held annually by the Medical Association of the Canton of Ticino, and from 2020 also within the Praxisassistenz project (Assistantship at the doctor's office), born from an initiative of the Department of Health and Social Affairs and the Medical Association of the Canton of Ticino.

The lineup will feature at 3 pm the welcome by USI Pro-rector for Research Patrick Gagliardini, followed by the speech "Towards an Institute of Family Medicine" by the Dean of the Faculty of Biomedical Sciences Giovanni Pedrazzini and the Vice Dean of the Faculty of Biomedical Sciences Luca Gabutti. Then University of Fribourg professor Pierre-Yves Rodondi will speak (from remote) about the teaching of family medicine. Then State Councillor Marina Carobbio Guscetti will explain the role of family medicine in national policy. The encounter will continue with a speech by State Councillor and Director of the Department of Health and Social Affairs Raffaele De Rosa "Family medicine in Ticino: a pillar for the care and well-being of people". Afterwards, the President of the Medical Association of Canton Ticino Franco Denti, will give the speech "Family medicine in Ticino has finally found a home". Lastly, Luca Crivelli, Director of the Department of Business Administration, Health and Social Affairs at SUPSI, will speak on "Family Medicine: the contribution of other health professions". The event will close with a Q&A session to encourage debate and exchange of perspectives. In the end, participants will be offered a networking aperitif.