Alumni
Course: 2023-2024
Ilaria works as a consultant at the United Nations Inter-Agency Task Force on the Prevention and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases, established under the leadership of the World Health Organization. As part of the Task Force Secretariat, Ilaria contributes to the development of new global and national investment case methodologies for digital health, health taxes, assistive technologies, and access to medicines, as well as to the conduction of investment cases on noncommunicable diseases, mental health, road safety, physical activity, and tobacco cessation at country level. Over the past few years, Ilaria gained experience in research, project management and teaching, working as a research assistant and post-doc research fellow at the Management and Healthcare Laboratory of the Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies in Pisa, Italy, and as an assistant professor at the Interdisciplinary Research Centre “Health Science” of the Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies. In 2021, Ilaria received her PhD in Management of Innovation, Sustainability and Healthcare (curriculum Healthcare) from the Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies. Ilaria holds a joint master’s degree in Economics from the University of Pisa and the Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies, and a bachelor’s degree in Economics and Management from the Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, Italy.
“At this time in my life, I have many personal and professional commitments, so the decision to enrol in this master’s programme was not easy. On the other hand, the desire to undertake this course of study and learn as much as possible about global health was strong. A few months after the difficult decision, I recognise that the motivation and fascination for this subject are even stronger.
At first it was hard: as a perfectionist, it was a bit frustrating for me not to be able to keep up with the master’s programme as I would have liked; however, despite the difficulties, I managed to get a lot out of it thanks to its excellent structure, the professors’ expertise and the validity of the teaching materials. I love following the webinars together with many other people who share the same dreams, beliefs and passions as me, which always lead back to one common desire, that of better quality, more accessible and equitable health for all.
I am an economist and have been passionate about health issues for many years now, a passion that arose in a somewhat unusual way, reflecting the fact that many times, no matter our obstinacy, we are not able to determine our future. However, over the past few years I have often looked around to see what my niche was within the vast field of healthcare, and it took a good dose of courage, inspiration and even a few unexpected journeys to realise that perhaps global health was mine. In the last few weeks, by dedicating myself to the course, I realised that my perception was firmly rooted in reality and, thus, fatigue increasingly gave way to the ardour and joy of renewal through the study of these new and complex, yet in some ways so familiar, subjects. If I had to mention my main take-home achievements in these first few weeks, I would mention becoming familiar with the definition and hallmarks of global health, learning how to effectively set up a problem tree and policy note to report and support my arguments, learning the concept of global burden of disease and the main tools for data analysis, and recognising the density of social, economic and environmental factors determining the health status of a population”.
My future engagement in Global Health
As I look to the future, on my horizon I continue to see my great passions, namely non-communicable diseases and mental health, but I see so much more all around, starting with the relationship that there may be between communicable and non-communicable diseases, the presence of conflicts and emergencies, climate change, traffic accidents, urbanisation, food production systems, among others.
I would like the concepts of transnationality and multisectoriality to be increasingly central to my life and work. The ethical component with which I have always approached my work with responsibility and pride is no longer enough for me, I feel that there is still so much to learn and that I can still mature and grow a lot in terms of knowledge and professionalism, and I would like to move forward in that direction: acquiring more and more knowledge and technique to support my enthusiasm and involvement in my work.
I feel very fortunate to be able to do a job that I am passionate about and have studied hard for, and I would like to continue doing it while keeping my motivation high and always remaining focused on the fact that for me health is our main source of wealth, that it is our sacrosanct right and not something we should fight for at the risk of our safety and our lives. Quality, equity and sustainability, from all perspectives and for all: this is my personal motto and the one that will drive me forward in my work and pursue my ethical and moral goals with an increasingly global outlook.