The event served as an opportunity to showcase how research is not only a key tool for understanding reality<\/strong>, but also for tackling healthcare challenges<\/strong> in low-resource settings with accountability and innovation unlocking effective, concrete and sustainable answers.<\/p>\n Many diverse voices contributed to the discussion\u2014from institutional representatives to the direct experience of those working directly in the field. It was a meeting that brought together young individuals eager to contribute through research and seasoned professionals with deep-rooted experience.<\/p>\n The event opened with institutional greetings from Guido Bertolaso, Welfare Councillor for the Lombardy Region<\/strong>, who reflected on his long-standing relationship with Doctors with Africa CUAMM and offered a heartfelt remembrance of Don Luigi Mazzucato, former director at CUAMM, ten years after his passing:<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve been a CUAMM volunteer for many years. It\u2019s where I got my start, working with people who are no longer with us\u2014like our beloved Don Luigi, who was a father, a brother, and a guide for all of us. Along with Don Luigi, I also want to remember another great mentor, Anacleto Dal Lago. I have a long history of esteem and affection for both.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Following him, Marco Rusconi, Director of the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS)<\/strong>, emphasized the role of cooperation in promoting equity and strengthening systems:<\/p>\n \u201cThe goal of development cooperation\u2014as defined by law\u2014is to reduce inequality. And we know that health is one of the most visible dimensions of inequality. The poorer you are, the more likely you are to fall ill, and the less likely you are to get treatment. That\u2019s why working with local institutions is essential. We don\u2019t operate in a vacuum\u2014there are already existing structures, centers, and universities on the ground. What they ask of us is to support their growth. Ground-level engagement is key to understanding; if we flip the perspective, the \u2018last mile\u2019 becomes the first.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n This collaboration with local institutions is vital not only for making the \u201cwith\u201d in CUAMM\u2019s name a reality, but also to carry out their mission effectively, without overlooking any detail. Giovanni Putoto, Head of Planning and Operational Research at CUAMM<\/strong>, reminded:<\/p>\n \u201cCUAMM isn\u2019t a research institution per se\u2014that\u2019s not our specific mandate. That\u2019s why we\u2019ve partnered widely to make nearly 100 publications since 2013 possible. Who are our partners in Africa? Communities, associations, local professionals, district directors… the whole of Africa! Along with 34 Italian universities.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Daily collaborative work, built over time through relationships and partnerships, is the only real answer to the weakening that many health systems\u2014especially in Africa\u2014 have been experiencing in recent years. The reasons are many, as highlighted by Peter Waiswa, Associate Professor at Makerere University in Uganda<\/strong>:<\/p>\n \u201cEach year, 260,000 women die from pregnancy-related causes, 2.3 million newborns die, 1.9 million babies are stillborn, and over 5 million children under five years old die. These numbers are unacceptable. Limited intervention coverage and weak health systems\u2014further impacted by COVID-19 and conflicts in countries like the Democratic Republic of Congo or South Sudan\u2014make inequalities even worse. Vertical, single-focus programs often aggravate the problem. What we need is a systemic, integrated, person- and community-centered approach.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Faced with such a daunting picture\u2014which could seem discouraging to those unfamiliar with CUAMM\u2019s tenacity and its partners\u2014the second part of the evening offered a note of optimism. This was the time for \u201c4 Minutes Talks,\u201d<\/strong> brief presentations by young researchers sharing concrete experiences in operational research from the field.<\/p>\n Topics ranged from frugal engineering in newborn care<\/strong>, to pediatric malnutrition<\/strong> examined from the community\u2019s perspective, and psychological support<\/strong> for families with infants in intensive care.<\/p>\n \u201c52% of mothers show signs of depression. But no one notices,\u201d said Ilaria Mariani, a researcher at WHO Collaborating Centre IRCCS Maternal and Child Health Institute \u201cBurlo Garofolo.\u201d<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Understanding these realities helps drive more effective community-based work. Likewise, addressing growing resistance to antimalarial drugs in pregnant women and children is crucial. That\u2019s the focus of Valentina Totaro, an infectious disease resident at the University of Bari \u201cAldo Moro\u201d<\/strong>:<\/p>\n \u201cIdentifying drug resistance is a public health action that helps guide prevention and treatment programs benefiting the entire community.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Matilde Aldeghi, a nurse from the University of Milano-Bicocca<\/strong>, investigated how nurses\u2019 working conditions affect their performance in pediatric care:<\/p>\n \u201cIf the crew isn\u2019t in a position to work well, no spaceship is going to take us anywhere.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n These are small but essential building blocks of lasting change. Just as the ability to innovate with limited resources can transform a hospital. Sofia Poletto, PhD in bioengineering at Politecnico di Milano<\/strong>, worked on Safer, a new type of neonatal resuscitator that is compact, portable, and effective in low-resource settings\u2014requiring no external air supply or oxygen tanks:<\/p>\n \u201cTechnology can make a difference\u2014if it\u2019s designed by listening to those who will use it.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Giacomo Buzzao, a researcher at the Venice School of Management at Ca\u2019 Foscari<\/strong> University<\/strong>, explored how to make ambulance use more affordable in Beira, Mozambique. His research, part of the AICS-funded UR-Beira project, led to a command center coordinating emergency transfers between peripheral health centers and the main hospital in Beira:<\/p>\n \u201cThanks to this work, the cost of an emergency patient transfer is 27.59 euros.\u201d A remarkable achievement.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Andrea Pietravalle, a pediatrician with CUAMM<\/strong>, concluded the talks:<\/p>\n \u201cMalnutrition isn\u2019t \u2018just\u2019 about hunger. It\u2019s directly or indirectly responsible for 45% of all deaths under age five globally. It affects 45 million children\u2014equivalent to every child in Italy, France, and Spain combined.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Together, these experiences form a mosaic of bottom-up research, deeply rooted in human connection, context, and care.<\/p>\n That same spirit animated the roundtable Dialogues in Research<\/strong>, moderated by Andrea Atzori, CUAMM\u2019s Head of International Relations. <\/strong>Key speakers included Annajoyce Clavery Kamugisha, Head nurse at the maternity ward of Tosamaganga Hospital in Tanzania<\/strong>; Tarikua Endrias Butta, Head of neonatal intensive care at Saint Luke Hospital in Ethiopia<\/strong> (online); Serge Boni, Professor of obstetrics and gynecology and advisor to the Ivorian Minister of Health<\/strong>; and Mario Merialdi, founder of Maternal Newborn Health Innovation (MNHI).<\/strong><\/p>\n Four diverse experiences from across Africa, all highlighting the urgent need to strengthen local health systems through practical approaches that combine scientific rigor, innovation, and community engagement.<\/p>\n Annajoyce Kamugisha <\/strong>emphasized the \u201cdramatic shortage of trained personnel for assisted vaginal deliveries,\u201d which remain underrecognized and poorly managed due to a lack of skills and tools:<\/p>\n \u201cYes, we\u2019ve achieved great successes, but the challenges remain critical.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Tarikua Butta<\/strong> presented neonatal intensive care registries now active in Mozambique, Tanzania, and Ethiopia, which are improving care quality and informing decisions:<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s an essential tool for standardizing data, preventing major causes of death, and guiding hospitals toward electronic health systems.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Serge Boni<\/strong> stressed the importance of task shifting\u2014delegating clinical tasks to trained non-physician staff:<\/p>\n \u201cMaternal and neonatal mortality isn\u2019t just a health issue; it\u2019s a social issue. To make an impact, we need synergy among communities, politics, and the healthcare system.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Mario Merialdi<\/strong> introduced OdonAssist, an innovative tool for assisted vaginal delivery:<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s simple to use, safe for the baby, and ideal for midwives who must make quick decisions in settings without specialized doctors. It\u2019s a democratic system\u2014it works in Milan just as well as in Wolisso.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n He warned:<\/p>\n \u201cMaternal and child health technology is still too driven by the needs of high-income countries. We need to listen more to those working in resource-limited settings.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Before the final remarks from CUAMM director Don Dante Carraro, the evening closed with greetings from Alberto Mantovani, Scientific Director of Humanitas and member of the Accademia dei Lincei<\/strong>:<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m very sorry I couldn\u2019t be there in person,\u201d said Mantovani via video link. \u201cEspecially after hearing these powerful talks. I\u2019ve learned a lot in Africa\u2014particularly a different vision of research, one more rooted in real needs. I\u2019ve come to understand that training and research are inseparable. Without research, training is empty; without training, research becomes detached from reality.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Don Dante <\/strong>concluded:<\/p>\n \u201cToday, we\u2019ve talked about important things: youth, research, innovation. But most importantly, we reaffirmed something simple: to truly understand problems, you have to study them. And once studied, you have to act to change them\u2014not to publish papers, not to seek fame. We care about publishing because it provides solid data for the entire scientific community\u2014even if it comes from an African country with extremely limited resources. Even if it\u2019s about fragile contexts. Even if it speaks of mothers, children, and patients<\/p><\/blockquote>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\nA Bridge Between Institutions and the Field<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n
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<\/p>\nVoices from the Field: Youth, Tools, and Possible Solutions<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n
Roundtable: Dialogues in Research<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n
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<\/p>\nClosing the Circle: Knowledge That Matters<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n
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