On October 27–28, 2025, MACH – the Centre for Multidisciplinary Research in Health Science at the University of Milan – hosted the graduation ceremony for the fifth cohort of students completing the Vocational Master in Global Health.
During the two-day event, 22 graduating students presented the results of their final research projects, marking the culmination of a one-year academic journey combining rigorous coursework with hands-on experience.
In her opening remarks, Professor Paola Catenaccio, Vice-Rector for Internationalisation at the University of Milan, highlighted the distinctive role of this Master’s programme — the only one of its kind in Italy — in preparing skilled professionals capable of contributing to global decision-making processes that tackle transnational challenges such as pandemics, migration, gender inequalities, and climate change.
The students’ presentations spanned a broad range of topics, including women’s health, non-communicable diseases, the interlinkages between health, peace, and climate change, innovative HPV screening approaches, healthcare sustainability, and the integration of artificial intelligence in medical care. Many of these research projects were carried out during internships in low-resource settings such as Eswatini, Guatemala, Pakistan, Uganda, and Zanzibar, offering students the opportunity to apply their knowledge in real-world contexts.
Since its launch in the 2020/2021 academic year, the Master has conferred degrees to 88 graduates. Across its first five editions, the programme has brought together recent graduates and experienced professionals from Italy and 18 countries worldwide, including Albania, Argentina, Burundi, China, Colombia, Côte d’Ivoire, Cyprus, Ethiopia, France, Germany, Greece, India, Iran, Pakistan, Portugal, Russia, South Africa, and Sri Lanka.
The diversity of backgrounds among students and faculty — spanning medicine and health sciences, economics, political and social sciences, humanitarian aid, and law — lies at the heart of the programme’s success, reflecting the inherently multidisciplinary nature of Global Health.
