Providentia Campaign

Providentia prevention campaign

Providentia prevention campaign

Fondazione HEAL Italia has launched “PROVIDENTIA”, the national awareness campaign dedicated to the prevention of disease risk and the promotion of precision medicine. The message at the heart of the initiative is clear: “Precision Medicine is for everyone.” The campaign was created to present a new way of understanding health, no longer based solely on treating disease, but on the ability to anticipate it, prevent it, and personalize interventions according to each person’s individual characteristics.

The name “PROVIDENTIA” comes from the Latin pro-videre, meaning “to see ahead”: a concept that encapsulates HEAL Italia’s mission to bring research, genomics, artificial intelligence, big data, and advanced technologies into prevention, diagnosis, and care pathways. As stated in the Foundation’s press release, the campaign is promoted by Italy’s first hub for precision medicine, created thanks to PNRR NextGenerationEU, and aims to raise public awareness of the value of research as a concrete tool for health.

Since mid-April, the campaign has been promoted through television and radio spots, web publications, local initiatives, public meetings, training activities, and free genetic tests and screenings. According to information published by HEAL Italia, PROVIDENTIA is already active nationwide on networks such as RAI and La7, and accompanies a program of events in Palermo from April 27 to 29, at the Complesso Monumentale dello Steri.

The campaign aims to make the paradigm shift in contemporary medicine accessible to citizens, healthcare professionals, schools, and institutions: moving from standard models that are the same for everyone to predictive, personalized, and sustainable pathways. In this vision, prevention is no longer just a set of general good practices, but becomes a strategy built around the person’s genetic, clinical, biological, and environmental characteristics.

April 27 – Press conference

On April 27, in the Sala delle Capriate at the Complesso Monumentale dello Steri in Palermo, Fondazione HEAL Italia presented the national campaign “PROVIDENTIA” during the press conference “From Treating Disease to Caring for Health.” The meeting marked the institutional opening of the three days of events in Palermo dedicated to precision medicine, personalized prevention, and dialogue among research, healthcare, and citizens.

The conference placed at its center a new vision of health: not waiting for disease to arise, but building tools capable of identifying risk in advance, guiding timely diagnosis, and defining more effective care pathways. The official program published by HEAL Italia indicated the April 27 conference, from 10:30 AM to 12:30 PM, as a moment devoted to institutional discussion and to the presentation of the “Workshops for Precision Medicine,” designed to accelerate the entry of 4.0 innovation into the healthcare system.

During the meeting, participants explored the role of predictive medicine, the use of genetic testing, the contribution of digital technologies, and the need to make precision medicine a real possibility for everyone. As recalled in the launch document, the Foundation coordinates a multidisciplinary network composed of universities, IRCCS, hospitals, research centers, and companies, with the aim of transferring scientific innovation into healthcare practice.

The conference also had an operational value: it was precisely on this occasion that the scientific and technological collaboration agreement between Fondazione HEAL Italia and ASP Palermo was signed, marking an important step toward integrating precision medicine into local prevention and care pathways.

April 28 – Co-creation Lab for HEAL Italia’s European future

On April 28, in the Sala delle Capriate at the Complesso Monumentale dello Steri in Palermo, the Co-creation Lab “Building HEAL Italia’s European Future” took place, an event dedicated to defining the Foundation’s strategic outlook beyond the PNRR. The initiative was part of the program of events connected to the national campaign “PROVIDENTIA – Precision Medicine is for Everyone.”

According to the program published by the University of Palermo, the meeting was held on Tuesday, April 28, from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM, and was addressed to department directors, vice-rectors, professors, researchers, and scholars of the University. The Co-creation Lab was conceived as an operational space for discussion to build the post-PNRR Strategic Plan, with a focus on the model of internationalization, participation in European programs, and the attraction of foreign investment.

The meeting had strategic importance for the future of HEAL Italia: precision medicine requires stable networks, international cooperation, access to European programs, and the capacity to attract resources, expertise, and partnerships. Within this framework, the Co-creation Lab made it possible to systematize ideas, priorities, and shared visions, involving the academic and scientific community in a participatory planning process.

The initiative confirms HEAL Italia’s vocation as a national and European infrastructure for precision medicine: a network capable of bringing together research, healthcare, technological innovation, and knowledge transfer, with the aim of making personalized prevention an increasingly widespread reality.

27, 28, 29 april – Open Science Lab

From April 27 to 29, at the former Church of Sant’Antonio Abate within the Complesso Monumentale dello Steri in Palermo, Fondazione HEAL Italia promoted the Open Science Lab – An Immersive Journey through Medicine, AI, and Research, a science communication initiative aimed at younger generations. The activity took place as part of the “PROVIDENTIA” campaign and was designed to bring students closer to precision medicine, genetics, and artificial intelligence applied to healthcare.

Developed in collaboration with Fondazione Golinelli, the Open Science Lab offered participants a virtual laboratory experience through Meta Quest 3/3S VR headsets. According to HEAL Italia, students were able to explore an immersive scientific environment, observe modern genetic techniques, simulate experimental activities, and gain a concrete understanding of the role of biomedical research and advanced technologies in contemporary medicine.

The lab was designed for groups of up to 25 students, with sessions lasting approximately two hours, and was intended for public lower and upper secondary schools, non-profit private schools, ITS institutes, and universities within the metropolitan area of Palermo. Participation was free of charge, and the project provided both the headsets and the software.

The Open Science Lab translated the content of the PROVIDENTIA campaign into a concrete educational experience: not a simple lecture, but an interactive journey into the future of health. Through virtual reality, young participants were able to understand how research, prevention, genetics, and artificial intelligence can contribute to a healthcare model that is more predictive, personalized, and accessible.