“Beyond the White Coat” is the newly published book by Leopoldo Sarli, Professor Emeritus of Surgery at the University of Parma. The volume offers a broad and articulated reflection on the deeper meaning of caring, going beyond the purely technical dimension of the healthcare profession.
The book weaves together experiences, contexts and perspectives, guiding readers along a journey that spans diverse places and situations: from highly specialized hospital settings to care contexts in areas of the world marked by social fragility, and from community services to spaces dedicated to education and research. Through this journey, health emerges as the result of an encounter between different bodies of knowledge, cultures, relationships and life experiences.
Beyond the White Coat invites readers to rethink care as a process that does not end with the clinical act alone, but rather involves listening, sharing, responsibility and the construction of meaning. Healthcare practice is thus reinterpreted as a profoundly human and social experience, capable of generating knowledge, justice and awareness for both those who provide care and those who receive it. The volume aligns closely with the values that have long inspired the Master in Healthcare programmes, promoting a vision of education as a space for critical reflection, interdisciplinary dialogue and the development of competencies that bring together technical expertise, ethics and humanity.
A book presentation event with the author is currently being planned and will offer students and professionals the opportunity to further explore the themes of the book and engage in direct dialogue with Leopoldo Sarli. Further details regarding the date and format of the event will be communicated soon.
“Beyond the White Coat is a book that calls on all of us to look at healthcare in its most authentic dimension: the encounter between people, knowledge and responsibility. It is a valuable contribution for those involved in education and for those working in services, as it encourages the integration of professional competence and humanity, fully in line with the vision of the Master in Healthcare programmes”. — Antonio Bonacaro, President of the Master in Healthcare programmes, University of Parma