The Forum is promoted by the Veneto Region, the Municipality of Padua, the University of Padua, the Padua Chamber of Commerce, and Fondazione Cariparo.
Padua, March 11, 2025 – Everything is set for the opening of the World Health Forum Veneto, the international event dedicated to health, prevention, and medical technologies, scheduled from Thursday, March 13 to Saturday, March 15 at Padua Congress. Three days full of meetings to showcase the frontiers of technology applied to health to professionals, students, and citizens. Registration for the scheduled events is free and still open on the website www.worldhealthforum.it.
"The World Health Forum is the event that projects our region to the center of the international scientific debate," says Luca Zaia, President of the Veneto Region, "transforming Padua into a global reference point for health innovation, a meeting place for the brightest minds in medicine, ready to shape the future of healthcare. The aspiration is clear: to make the Forum an essential event, a laboratory of ideas and solutions capable of redefining our way of conceiving and experiencing healthcare, contributing to building the future of global health."
Many authoritative voices will take the stage at the forum, among them Rosario Rizzuto, Director of the Department of Biomedical Sciences at the University of Padua and a member of the Scientific Committee, who explains: "The rapid advancement of knowledge and technology is making an exciting medical goal a reality: personalized treatment for every patient. Developing new drugs tailored to the individuality of each patient means having more effective treatments with fewer side effects. It is a great challenge, and the World Health Forum brings together scientists and doctors from around the world to discuss how to translate the explosion of scientific knowledge into effective and accessible treatments for all.”
One of the key topics at the Forum will be organoids – small replicas of human organs and tissues – on which Nicola Elvassore, Full Professor of Chemical Engineering, Scientific Director of VIMM, and member of the Scientific Committee, will present a report. He explains: “These are multicellular systems that form a tissue model well-suited to represent various human organs. They have structures similar to human ones and functionalities that closely resemble them, even though they are not perfect copies. We can say they resemble miniature models of human tissues and organs,” says the professor. “They are important because some human organs are inaccessible for study—think, for example, of the brain. Other tissues share this characteristic during certain phases of their development, such as during embryonic or fetal development. Being able to observe accessible human models is of immense value for research and the study of certain diseases. Organoids can be generated in laboratory, allowing us to study them—a process that helps us learn. Let me give an example: when these models become diseased, we can observe the progression of the pathology. Today, thanks to organoids, we are studying a genetic disorder linked to autism, Fragile X Syndrome. Of course, we are still in the early stages, and there are still intrinsic variabilities. Many ask whether they could be used as 'spare parts.' Certainly, but only when they are stable and safe for the patient.”
The Program – Thursday, March 13
The first day’s events begin at 11:00 AM with institutional greetings from the Mayor of Padua, Sergio Giordani, Daniela Mapelli, Rector of the University of Padua, Gilberto Muraro, President of Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Padova e Rovigo, and Antonio Santocono, President of the Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Handicraft, and Agriculture of Padua. A message from the President of the Veneto Region, Luca Zaia, will follow.
At 11:35 AM, Giorgio Palù, Professor Emeritus at the University of Padua and President of the Veneto Tissue Bank Foundation ETS and the Scientific Committee leading the Forum, will moderate the first session, titled "Environment and Infectious Agents." Francesca Russo, Director of Prevention, Food Safety, and Veterinary Services for the Veneto Region, will present the region's health policy, from environmental protection to individual healthcare. Marco Cavaleri, from the European Medicines Agency (EMA), will discuss research preparedness for epidemics and pandemics, emphasizing pathogen prioritization. The first session will be closed by Luisa Barzon from the University of Padua, addressing vector-borne viruses and the impact of climate change and human activities on them.
At 1:40 PM, after the lunch break, the second session will cover "Cancer Etiology." Moderated by Antonio Rosato from the University of Padua, the session will feature Paolo Vineis from the MRC Centre for Environment and Health at Imperial College London, who will discuss environmental influences on disease. Stefano Piccolo from the University of Padua will explore the distinctive characteristics of cancer, followed by Lawrence Banks from the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB) in Trieste, who will discuss pharmacological targets for HPV and cervical cancer linked to human tumor viruses.
The third session at 3:00 PM will analyze "Microbiota and Antimicrobial Resistance." Speakers include Nicasio Mancini from the University of Insubria, Gian Maria Rossolini from the University of Florence, and Evelina Tacconelli from the University of Verona. The session will be moderated by Riccardo Manganelli from the University of Padua and Fabio Turone from the Center for Ethics in Science and Journalism (CESJ).
The fourth session at 4:20 PM, "Lessons from Epidemiology," will be moderated by Paolo Vineis and feature talks by Andrea Rinaldo from the University of Padua and EPFL Lausanne, and Silvio Brusaferro from the University of Udine.
The fifth and final session of the day, "Nutrition, Metabolism, and Health," will be led by Miguel Angel Martinez Gonzalez from the University of Navarra, Spain, and Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, USA. He will discuss the relationship between wine, alcohol, and health based on epidemiological evidence and a major new randomized study. Francesco Visioli from the University of Padua will explore the debate over fats and health, while Angelo Avogaro, also from the University of Padua, will discuss how drugs can shape human responses to an obesogenic environment.
The program - Friday, March 14
The second day, again at Padova Congress, opens at 8:45 AM with greetings from Manuela Lanzarin, Regional Health Councillor of Veneto. At 9:00 AM, the event kicks off with the keynote speech "Digital Pathology: Combining Archival Histology, Tissue Imaging, and Spatial Transcriptomics through Machine Learning" by Angelo Paolo Dei Tos from the University of Padua. Meanwhile, Stefano Gustincich from the IIT Italian Institute of Technology in Genoa will delve into the topic of "New RNAs from the Dark Side of the Genome."
Next, the focus shifts to "Organoids and Scaffolds: New 3D Models for Understanding Human Diseases" in the second session of Friday. Paolo De Coppi from University College London Great Ormond Institute of Child Health will analyze "Prenatal Diagnosis and Fetal Medicine," while Nicola Elvassore from the Veneto Institute of Molecular Medicine will provide insights on "Engineering Cerebral Organoids as Disease Models." Both sessions will be moderated by Stefano Piccolo.
The third session of the second day will address "Metabolic Medicine: When the Energy Engine Fails." Speakers include Paul Wuh-Liang Hwu from the Center for Precision Medicine, China Medical University, Taiwan, and California Institute for Gene Therapy, and Fatima Bosch from the Center for Animal Biotechnology and Gene Therapy in Barcelona.
At 11:45 AM, the fourth session, titled "Viruses: From Enemies to Allies in Gene Therapy," will be introduced by Katherine High, CEO of RhyGaze. Following this, Alessandro Aiuti from Vita-Salute San Raffaele University - San Raffaele Hospital in Milan will analyze lentivirus for gene therapy in hematopoietic stem cells.
In the afternoon, the discussion will shift to molecular medicine. The fifth session, starting at 1:30 PM, will focus on gene correction, featuring Franco Locatelli from the High Council of Health - Bambino Gesù Pediatric Hospital in Rome and Paula Cannon from Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, moderated by Alessandra Biffi from the University of Padua.
The sixth session, at 2:25 PM, will explore new drugs from pathogenic mutations. Speakers Danilo Norata from the University of Milan and Paolo Simioni from the University of Padua will investigate new drugs derived from pathogenic mutations, moderated by Leonardo Salviati from the University of Padua.
At 3:20 PM, the seventh session will feature Mauro Giacca from King’s College London and the University of Trieste and Marco Sandri from the University of Padua, who will examine the connection between the heart and skeletal muscles: understanding and combating muscle loss. The session will be moderated by Paolo Simioni.
The eighth session, at 4:15 PM on Friday, will focus on new technologies in surgery, moderated by Claudio Zanon from Motore Sanità and Alfredo Guglielmi from the University of Verona. Speakers will include Pietro Ruggieri, Andrea Angelini, and Franco Grego from the University of Padua, with a video conference appearance by Lumsden Alan B. from DeBakey Heart & Vascular Center - Department of Cardiovascular Surgery - Houston Methodist Hospital, Pump & Pipes Conference.
The ninth and final session at 5:35 PM will be a roundtable discussion on precision medicine and investments in high-tech enterprises. Moderated by Giorgio Palù and Rosario Rizzuto, the panel will feature Lucia Aleotti from Menarini Group, Francesca Gennari from Therakos Italia, Nicoletta Luppi from MSD Italia, Gaudenzio Meneghesso from the University of Padua, Mons. Renzo Pegoraro from the Pontifical Academy for Life, science journalist Chiara Sabelli, and Fabio Turone from the Center for Ethics in Science and Journalism (CESJ).
To conclude the second day of the Forum, at 8:45 PM, the OPV - Orchestra of Padua and Veneto will perform Gustav Mahler's "Resurrection."
The program - Saturday, March 15
The final day of the World Health Forum Veneto begins with the first session at 8:30 AM on pathogenesis, featuring Guido Silvestri from Emory University School of Medicine on "Immunological Approaches to HIV Eradication," and Aldo Scarpa from the University of Verona on "Navigating Modern Pathology in the Era of Precision Medicine." Fazel A. Monikh from the University of Padua will then discuss the uncertainties surrounding the journey of micro-nanoplastics through the human body, while Giuseppe Paolisso from the University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli" will address the topic in relation to cardiovascular diseases. The session will be moderated by Umberto Cillo from the University of Padua and Lucia Zanatta from the Order of Biologists of Triveneto.
The second session on Saturday, "From Viruses as Enemies to Therapeutic Agents: The Bright Side of the Moon," begins at 10:15 AM and will feature speakers Joseph Glorioso from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Arianna Calistri from the University of Padua, Antonio Chiocca from Harvard Medical School, Fulvio Mavilio from the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia and Orchard Therapeutics in London, Rino Rappuoli from the Biotecnopolo Foundation and Antipandemic Hub in Siena, and Luigi Naldini from the San Raffaele Telethon Institute for Gene Therapy.
Closing the event at 12:50 PM will be a discussion on a WHFV declaration to promote health science, featuring speakers Silvio Brusaferro from the University of Udine, Franco Foresta Martin, journalist and television author, Giorgio Palù from the University of Padua, Caterina Pastori from the Scientific Committee of the School of Specific Training in General Medicine of the Veneto Region, and Rosario Rizzuto from the University of Padua. Final greetings will be given by Manuela Lanzarin, Regional Health Councillor of Veneto, and Alfredo Guglielmi from the University of Verona.
Registrations and Social Media Channels
Registrations for the three-day event are open and completely free on the website: https://worldhealthforum.it/il-programma-2025. The World Health Forum 2025 social media channels are also active, from Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/whfveneto) to Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/worldhealthforumveneto), X (https://twitter.com/WHFVeneto), and Threads (https://www.threads.net/@whfveneto).
Promoters
The event is promoted by the Veneto Region, the Municipality of Padua, the University of Padua, the Chamber of Commerce of Padua, and Fondazione Cariparo, in collaboration with Fondazione Scuola di Sanità Pubblica and Venicepromex.
World Health Forum Veneto is a three-day event featuring high-level meetings and discussions to analyze the present and explore the future of medical sciences and technologies that can improve lives. The goal is to address the most pressing health topics and promote citizen awareness for general well-being. This free event is open to all: healthcare professionals, experts, students, and citizens alike.
The World Health Forum Veneto is born with a specific purpose: to analyze the present and delve into the future of medical sciences and technologies that can improve life.
