Closing Event of the 850 years anniversary of the foundation of the University of Modena:
BERNARDINO RAMAZZINI ENDURING LEGACY
Shaping Health in the Workplace and Communities of Tomorrow
Join us for a unique event celebrating the legacy of Bernardino Ramazzini, the founding father of Occupational Medicine. Explore how his visionary work continues to shape modern public and occupational health in a world facing new challenges. Featuring world-renowned experts in Occupational and Environmental Health, the event also offers a rich cultural experience:
• Dive into Ramazzini’s life through captivating talks by leading historians
• Enjoy live music from the 1600s and 1700s
• Explore rare exhibitions and artifacts from Ramazzini’s time including copies of the DeMorbis Artificum!
Celebrating science, history, and the enduring impact of a true pioneer in public health.
Free admission – RSVP to: MOREService srl +39 (059) 2056676 moreservice@unimore.it
23 OTTOBRE 2025 09:00-17:00 CEST
Venue: Department of Law, UniMORE Via San Geminiano 3 – 41121 Modena (Italy)
Livestream: UniMORE YouTube channel
Chairs: Roberto Lucchini (UniMORE, Florida International University), Alberto Modenese (UniMORE)
09:00 Introduction:
Carlo Adolfo Porro (Rector UniMORE), Davide Ferrari (Director Department of Health, AUSL Modena), Melissa McDiarmid (President Collegium Ramazzini), Daniele Mandrioli (Scientific Director Ramazzini Institute)
09:30 – Overture
Vocal and instrumental ensemble of UniMORE directed by Maestro Antonella Coppi with music from the Ramazzini period
10:30 – Lessons from History (Chair Berenice Cavarra)
Giuliano Franco, Revisiting Ramazzini’s Legacy: From his 1690 course on De Morbis Artificum to Contemporary Education in Occupational Medicine. Francesco Carnevale, The Illustrated De Morbis Artificum Diatriba: An Iconographic Study of Ramazzini
10:50 – Challenges of the Present – part 1 (Chair: Fabriziomaria Gobba)
Florencia Harari, Occupational exposure to metals in EV batteries manufacturing and recycling. Arthur Frank, Ramazzini and Asbestos: How he would have approached this issue. Evgenia Ostroumova, Nuclear accidents and cancer risk in the general and working population. Kurt Straif, Climate crisis, public health and strategic actions for ambitious policy.
14:00 – Challenges of the Present – Part 2 (Chair: Alberto Modenese)
Giorgio Assennato The underreporting of occupational cancer. Sara De Matteis Occupational factors of Long-COVID in a population-based cohort in Catalonia. Nicola Murgia, Beyond Silicosis: Redesigning Health Surveillance for Silica-Exposed Workers.Yohama Caraballo-Arias Workplace Happiness: What Works and What Doesn’t: Evidence-Based Intervention.
16:00 – Challenges of the Future (Chair: Nicola Murgia)
Maria Teresa Cella Health promotion at the workplace: the Region Emilia-Romagna experience. Maurilio Missere Ramazzini into the future. From observational to proactive medicine. Antonio Baldassarre AI applications in occupational health and safety.
16:50-17:00 – Q&A and Wrap-up (Chair: Roberto Lucchini)
“When you come to a patient’s house, you should ask what type of work they do.”
Bernardino Ramazzini, De Morbis Artificum Diatriba
De Morbis Artificum Diatriba (Treatise on the Diseases of Workers) (1700; rev. 1713) was the first systematic textbook of occupational medicine, mapping the diseases of trades and making the worker’s history central to diagnosis and prevention. The Magister linked work and social conditions to health, arguing for prevention at the source, before harm occurs.
His approach still guides today’s challenges—from chemical mixtures and precarious work to radiations and climate risks—and will remain vital as new technologies and labor forms reshape exposures and inequities.
Speakers and Chairs
Giorgio Assennato, Epidemiologist, Bari, Italy
Kurt Straif, ISGlobal Barcelona, Spain & Boston College, USA
Antonio Baldassarre, Occupational Health, University of Florence, Italy
Yohama Caraballo-Arias, University of Bologna, Italy, FACOEM, ICSOEM, IOMSC
Francesco Carnevale, Occupational Physician, Florence, Italy
Berenice Cavarra, History of Medicine, UniMORE, Italy
Maria Teresa Cella, Regione Emilia-Romagna, Italy
Sara De Matteis, Occupational Health, University of Turin, Italy
Davide Ferrari, Department of Health, AUSL Modena, Italy
Giuliano Franco, Collegium Ramazzini Fellow
Arthur Frank, Drexel University, Philadelphia, USA
Fabriziomaria Gobba, Occupational Medicine, UniMORE, Italy
Florencia Harari, University of Gothenburg, Sweden
Roberto Lucchini, Occupational Medicine, UniMORE, Italy, Environmental Health
Sciences, Florida International University, USA
Daniele Mandrioli, Scientific Director, Ramazzini Institute, Bentivoglio (BO), Italy
Melissa McDiarmid, President Collegium Ramazzini, Carpi (MO), Italy
Maurilio Missere, Director, Giardini Margherita Clinic, Occupational Health, Ferrari,
Maranello,Italy
Nicola Murgia, Occupational Medicine, University of Ferrara, Italy
Alberto Modenese, Occupational Medicine, UniMORE, Italy
Evgenia Ostroumova, International Agency for the Research on Cancer, Lyon, France
Carlo Adolfo Porro, Rector UniMORE, Italy
Sponsor: Fondazione di Modena, Poliambulatori Giardini Margherita, Check-Up Service
Patrocinators: Comune di Modena, Collegium Ramazzini, Istituto Ramazzini, Fondazione Lorenzini, Società Italiana Medicina del Lavoro – Regione Emilia Romagna (SIML), Associazione Italiana Radioprotezione Medica (AIRM), Associazione Medici per l’Ambiente (ISDE Italia), Associazione italiana Formatori ed Operatori per la Sicurezza sul Lavoro (AIFOS)
