The University Foundation of Navarra - UNINAVARRA, through its Medicine program and its Specialization in Family Medicine, has strengthened international academic collaboration with leading Italian universities. The University of Rome La Sapienza and the University of Rome Tor Vergata, recognized worldwide, joined UNINAVARRA to offer a Master Class in English focused on gastrointestinal psychosomatic disorders and mental health in childhood and adolescence. This event, framed within the Internationalization Policy "UNINAVARRA FACING THE WORLD," reinforces the institutional commitment to academic excellence and the exchange of knowledge at the international level.
Allies international excellence
UNINAVARRA signed a framework agreement for cultural and scientific cooperation with the University of Rome La Sapienza in 2017 and subsequently a specific agreement for student exchange, as well as a teaching and research cooperation agreement in 2019. The University of Rome La Sapienza was the first university in Europe founded in 1303, with more than 700 years, it is positioned in the first place of higher education institutions in Italy according to the Academic Ranking of World Universities 2023 for its quality in research, education and international dimension.
The University of Rome Tor Vergata, on the other hand, was established in 1972 and is the second oldest public university in the city. It ranks among the top 25 higher education institutions in Italy according to the Academic Ranking of World Universities 2023 and among the top 100 young universities in the world according to the Times Higher Education Young University Ranking 2023.
On December 5, 2023, an outstanding Master Class was held in English, with the participation of renowned physicians from Italy. During this enriching academic day, the experts addressed various topics relevant to the field, offering valuable perspectives on mental disorders in childhood and adolescence.
Dr. Polese, a child neuropsychiatrist and doctoral candidate at the University of Rome La Sapienza, shared her experience and knowledge, focusing her presentation on depressive disorders, pre-psychotic disorders and psychosis in children. Her analysis included crucial aspects of the relationship between the mind and brain development from birth to adolescence, providing a comprehensive view of these disorders.
Alessandro Mazzetta, a physician and psychiatrist specialized in anxiety disorders, depression, and pre-psychotic disorders, as well as in interventions to prevent the chronicity of psychosis, actively participated in the Master Class. Dr. Mazzeta, a doctoral candidate at the University of Rome Tor Vergata, focused on somatic complaints in adolescence and high sensitivity to stress. His lecture highlighted early detection, prevention and treatment of risk states for the development of psychosis, providing a comprehensive approach to address these challenges.
The event featured interaction between experts and attendees in English and Spanish with simultaneous interpretation support, as well as consecutive interpretation by the Coordinator of the Specialization in Family Medicine, Dr. Isidro Torres. Participants had the opportunity to explore from the pathophysiology connected to the human gut microbiome to scientific theories and studies related to gastrointestinal psychosomatic disorders in childhood and adolescence. In addition, the focus on the relationship with the developing patient and parental support, based on recent scientific discoveries about the reaction of the human mind and brain at birth, was deepened.
These meetings not only seek to enrich students' learning in medical topics through international experts, but also to favor the internationalization of the curriculum, the development of communicative competence in English and the culture of internationalization, contributing to the formation of global professionals in a world in constant transformation.
A family visit
The itinerary of the visit included a tour of the facilities of the High Complexity Simulated University Hospital - HUSAC -, where the advances in simulation in medical education made by UNINAVARRA, a pioneer institution in the region in simulation-mediated learning environments, as an innovative strategy that also promotes multidisciplinary learning, were evidenced.
