The Second-Level Master’s Degree in Direction/Coordination of Infectious Risk Services related to healthcare, offered by the Healthcare Masters Program of the University of Parma, is designed to train highly qualified professionals capable of taking on leading roles in the management of infectious risk within public and private healthcare and social care organizations.
The program develops clinical, organizational, managerial, and interpersonal skills necessary to: • Analyze and assess infectious risk in hospitals, community settings, and local healthcare services, identifying critical areas and potential sources of infection; • Design tailored strategic plans for infection prevention and control, adapted to the specific characteristics of healthcare facilities; • Coordinate operational activities for the implementation of preventive measures, involving multiple professional roles; • Monitor, evaluate, and report on the effectiveness of adopted strategies; • Promote continuous education and professional development among healthcare workers, fostering best practices in infectious risk management.
The curriculum combines lectures, workshops, seminars, group projects, and applied project work, supported by an internship in affiliated healthcare institutions. Classes are delivered online in synchronous mode, with sessions held on alternating weeks to provide flexibility for professionals already working in healthcare.
The Master’s program lasts 13 months, grants 60 university credits (ECTS), and offers 30 available places.
Applications are now open and can be submitted until January 30, 2026, at 12:00 p.m. This program represents a valuable educational opportunity for those seeking to specialize in infectious risk management, directly contributing to patient safety and the improvement of quality in healthcare services.
The University of Parma took part in the 4th International Congress of the EEAP: Global Perspectives of Nursing for the Challenges of the Millennium, held in Rio de Janeiro to celebrate the 135th anniversary of the founding of the Alfredo Pinto School of Nursing (EEAP) at the Federal University of the State of Rio de Janeiro (UNIRIO).
The event, officially endorsed by the University, brought together academics, professionals, and students from various countries, offering an important opportunity for discussion on global perspectives in nursing and on the healthcare challenges of the new millennium. It focused on education, research, and international cooperation as key levers for developing a fairer, more inclusive, and innovative healthcare system.
Representing the University of Parma and its Master’s Programs in Healthcare, Professor Antonio Bonacaro, Associate Professor of Nursing Sciences and Director of the Master’s Programs in Healthcare, shared experiences and best practices from the Italian context, contributing reflections on the role of nursing leadership in transforming healthcare systems. “Taking part in this event – he said – means not only celebrating the long and prestigious history of the Alfredo Pinto School of Nursing, but also laying new foundations for an international dialogue that is increasingly essential in nursing education and research. Only through exchange and global cooperation can we meet shared challenges and promote a form of nursing capable of innovating, including, and improving the health of our communities”.
The University’s participation further strengthened its relationship with the Federal University of the State of Rio de Janeiro and the Alfredo Pinto School of Nursing, with which collaborative teaching and research projects are already underway on topics such as advanced training, clinical simulation, and digital health.
The presence of the University of Parma at such a significant event reaffirms the international vocation of its Master’s Programs in Healthcare, which have long been committed to promoting the growth of healthcare professionals capable of combining scientific competence, global vision, and ethical responsibility.
We are pleased to announce that the Healthcare Master’s Programs at the University of Parma have established an important partnership with the prestigious Florence Nightingale Foundation (FNF), an organization dedicated to the development of nursing leadership, the improvement of care, and the promotion of advanced education at the international level.
Founded in 1934, the FNF is a world-renowned charity whose institutional mission is to pass on to future generations the knowledge and experience developed by Florence Nightingale, the pioneer of nursing science, admired and respected worldwide.
The Foundation pursues this important responsibility through a variety of strategies aimed at developing leadership and research skills among nurses and midwives.
Thanks to this affiliation, the Healthcare Master’s Programs will become part of a global network that promotes leadership, innovation, professional development, and influence on healthcare policy. Through this partnership, students will have access to a wide repository of free online courses and, if selected, the opportunity to take part in the FNF Leadership Programme, as well as to attend the Florence Nightingale Commemoration Service, held every year on May 12th—International Nurses Day—at Westminster Abbey in London.
Through the FNF network, students and faculty will gain access to:
International and leadership development programs;
Training events and policy forums;
Collaborations with leading professionals and institutions.
This collaboration strengthens our commitment to international education, offering new opportunities for growth and cultural exchange:
Enhanced learning: content and methodologies inspired by international standards of excellence.
Networking and global outlook: access to a worldwide community of professionals.
Visibility and prestige: recognition of the international profile of our Master’s Programs.
“Becoming affiliated with a historic institution of such scientific value as the Florence Nightingale Foundation once again highlights our concrete commitment to offering our students and the professionals who contribute to the success of our Master’s Programs valuable opportunities for growth within an international perspective.” — Prof. Antonio Bonacaro, Head of the Healthcare Master’s Programs
The 2024–2025 academic year has concluded with extremely positive results for the Healthcare Master’s Programs at the University of Parma. It was a year defined by significant educational achievements, international recognition, scientific exchange opportunities, and a strong focus on pedagogical innovation and internationalization.
The academic year began with an official inauguration ceremony that saw the enthusiastic participation of students, faculty, and healthcare professionals. This symbolic event reaffirmed the mission of the Master’s programs: to train highly qualified professionals capable of responding to the complex challenges of the healthcare system through an interdisciplinary and global approach.
One of the most notable milestones of the year was the first official graduation ceremony for the Healthcare Master’s Programs. More than just a celebration, the event recognized the value of the training journey undertaken by healthcare professionals from across Italy.
Throughout the year, numerous opportunities arose for professional development and international dialogue. Distinguished guests, including Professor Sharon Brownie, Full Professor of Nursing at Swinburne University, Melbourne, Australia, and Professor Tais Vernaglia, Director of the “Alfredo Pinto” Nursing School at the Federal University of the State of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (University of São Paulo, Brazil), led high-impact workshops on global health leadership, transformative health education, and patient engagement. Their contributions further strengthened the international profile of the Master’s programs.
A major step forward in advanced training and internationalization was the integration of English-language workshops across all Master’s curricula. These sessions aimed to enhance communication skills in globalized, multicultural clinical environments, further boosting the European and transnational positioning of the programs.
To support continuous improvement in teaching quality, a training course for educational tutors was introduced. This course aims to uphold excellent pedagogical standards and promote innovative teaching methods centered on simulation, empathy, and student-centered learning.
Special attention was also given to theoretical and practical advances in nursing. Events included the presentation of the book on Marisa Cantarelli’s nursing model, organized in collaboration with Rede Unida and the National Association of Brazilian Nurses. This initiative offered an important moment of reflection on a foundational theoretical model for Italian nursing practice, which remains highly relevant today.
Among the year’s most significant initiatives was the launch of the advanced training course for Infection Control Link Nurses (ICLN), developed in response to the growing need to train healthcare professionals with specific expertise in preventing and managing healthcare-associated infections. The course has generated strong interest and promises to be a great success thanks to its large and engaged cohort.
In the scientific arena, students and tutors of the Master’s programs played a key role at the CEU 2025 Congress, contributing original work on topics such as nursing leadership, digital education, and innovation in postgraduate training.
Crowning an already fulfilling year, Professor Antonio Bonacaro, Director of the Healthcare Master’s Programs, was awarded the prestigious title of Fellow of the European Transcultural Nursing Association (ETNA). This recognition acknowledges his longstanding commitment to promoting transcultural care, inter-university collaboration, and the development of international educational projects.
The 2024–2025 academic year was thus a period of substantial growth in reputation, quality, and international engagement for the Healthcare Master’s Programs at the University of Parma, solidifying their role as a leading reference point in postgraduate healthcare education.
Professor Antonio Bonacaro, Director of the Healthcare Master’s Programs, stated:
“Looking back, I can only express deep gratitude for the vision and dedication of Professor Leopoldo Sarli and Dr. Giovanna Artioli, whose contributions from the very beginning were instrumental in the creation and development of these Master’s programs. Today, we see a vibrant, international academic community—one that is innovative and responsive to the challenges of the healthcare system. We envision the future as a laboratory of ideas, open to the world, where education becomes a tool for social and professional transformation. It is with this spirit that we prepare to face the challenges of the coming academic year. I take this opportunity to wish a wonderful summer to all faculty, tutors, and students whose ongoing contributions make these Master’s programs a true path of excellence”.
With a clear eye on the future, the Master’s programs are now gearing up to tackle the new academic year with renewed enthusiasm, strategic vision, and a strong spirit of innovation—driven by a dynamic, cohesive, and globally-oriented academic community.
In a constantly evolving healthcare system—marked by increasing complexity, technological innovation, and organizational transformation—postgraduate education stands out as one of the most effective tools for advancing one’s career and strengthening one’s professional role.
For those working in healthcare, investing in education is not just about acquiring new knowledge. It means building practical, recognized, and strategic skills essential for facing increasingly complex challenges: from clinical coordination to process management, from training colleagues to promoting quality and safety in care.
This is precisely the mission of the Healthcare Master’s Programs at the University of Parma: to enhance the professional profile of those working in the field, facilitating access to roles with greater responsibility, expanding employment opportunities, and fostering the development of competent, ethical, and self-aware leadership.
The Master’s programs offer:
advanced and up-to-date clinical skills;
managerial tools to understand and lead organizational change;
soft skills to work effectively in teams, communicate clearly, and handle complex situations;
project design and research capabilities, essential for contributing to service innovation.
Moreover, the strong connection with the professional, academic, and institutional world ensures that participants receive a solid, current education aligned with the real needs of the health and social care sector.
Lifelong learning is now an integral part of the modern healthcare professional’s profile. It means learning better to act with greater autonomy, vision, and impact. Those who attend the Healthcare Master’s Programs equip themselves with a new set of tools to understand the present and shape the future—because every more empowered, aware, and well-prepared professional is also a vital ally for a fairer, more effective, and more sustainable healthcare system.
In today’s healthcare settings—characterized by increasing complexity, interdisciplinarity, and interconnectivity—the traditional model of top-down leadership is revealing its limitations. Modern care dynamics require agile decision-making, shared responsibility, and a strong spirit of collaboration among all professionals involved. In this context, an innovative approach is emerging: distributed leadership.
This model values the contributions of all team members, recognizing their skills, experience, and cross-functional abilities. Leadership thus becomes a collective function, expressed through interaction among professionals, constructive dialogue, co-decision-making, and a widespread sense of responsibility.
In healthcare, this approach translates into:
improved communication among professionals;
greater involvement in clinical and organizational decision-making;
increased flexibility and adaptability to complex situations;
enhanced workplace well-being and individual motivation.
In an era marked by rapid innovation and a growing demand for personalized care, no single professional can have all the answers. Distributed leadership allows teams to tap into their collective potential, building networks of trust, fostering mutual growth, and promoting a culture of continuous learning.
This model proves particularly effective in environments where teamwork is essential: from critical care to home healthcare, from community medicine to clinical risk management. In all these areas, the ability to share leadership and support each member’s active contribution is key to improving care quality and patient safety.
The Healthcare Master’s Programs at the University of Parma strongly support this evolving vision of leadership. Within these educational paths, significant attention is given to developing soft skills, group dynamics, and the building of self-aware teams. Leadership, in this context, is not seen as a position, but as a shared competence to be cultivated and activated according to collective needs.
Preparing tomorrow’s healthcare professionals also means training them to take on active, collaborative, and responsible roles in their work environments, helping build more horizontal, inclusive, and innovative organizations. Today more than ever, leadership in healthcare is a team effort.
In an era where medicine is increasingly called upon to face complex challenges, clinical research stands as an essential tool to ensure quality, effectiveness, and safety in healthcare practices.
Research is no longer a field reserved for a select few specialists: today, all healthcare professionals are expected to develop skills in collecting, interpreting, and applying scientific evidence. The ability to critically reflect on one’s work, analyze clinical data, compare approaches, and measure outcomes is what transforms care into a truly dynamic process, one that continuously evolves and improves. Doing research means cultivating a critical mindset—one capable of asking meaningful questions rooted in everyday clinical experience.
It is within this perspective that the training offered by the Healthcare Master’s programs at the University of Parma is positioned. Here, clinical research is not a separate activity from practice, but an integrated tool for learning and professional growth. Through project work, thesis development, methodological workshops, and research mentoring, students are guided along a scientific development path that is practice-oriented and aimed at solving real-world problems.
Promoting research also means fostering a cultural shift within healthcare organizations: moving beyond the automatic repetition of procedures, valuing best practices, and critically addressing the limitations of existing models. A healthcare system grounded in research is a system that is fairer, more transparent, and more effective. In a socio-health system that aspires to quality, safety, and human-centered care, healthcare professionals cannot simply apply knowledge—they must also help generate it. This is why the Healthcare Master’s programs are committed to training professionals capable of producing knowledge.
Understanding the fundamentals of quantitative and qualitative research, designing a study, critically reading scientific articles, using outcome and quality indicators, participating in research networks—these are just some of the essential skills required today by those working in clinical, educational, and healthcare management settings. Training in research means contributing to the construction of professional knowledge, improving care, and—above all—giving voice to people’s real needs.
In the era of digital healthcare, the way we communicate with patients is undergoing profound changes. Digital portals, electronic health records, symptom-tracking apps, and intelligent chatbots are becoming everyday tools in care management. While these innovations improve accessibility, traceability, and service efficiency, they also raise a crucial question: how can we preserve the human connection in clinical communication?
Despite the growing use of technology, active listening, personalized care, and empathy remain at the heart of the healthcare professional–patient relationship. Communication in healthcare is never just an exchange of information; it is a delicate process rooted in emotional understanding, trust, and shared decision-making. Digital tools should not replace human contact—they must support and enhance it.
Chatbots and virtual assistants can provide quick answers and guide patients, but they cannot grasp emotional nuances, interpret unspoken concerns, or manage vulnerability. Healthcare professionals must therefore learn to integrate these tools into their clinical practice while maintaining the ability to interpret context, tailor language, and support patients through uncertainty. In this evolving landscape, digital literacy—the ability to critically and responsibly understand and use technology—joins interpersonal skills as an essential component of healthcare professionalism.
The Healthcare Master’s Programs at the University of Parma pay close attention to these transformations. Their goal is to prepare professionals who can combine technological expertise with empathy, fully aware that every interaction—even when mediated by a platform—is an opportunity to build trust, listen deeply, and provide care. Future healthcare professionals must be able to master digital tools without ever forgetting that at the heart of every act of care, there is always a person.
During the 10th International Conference of the European Transcultural Nursing Association (ETNA), recently held in Budapest, Professor Antonio Bonacaro – Associate Professor of Nursing Science at the University of Parma and coordinator of the Healthcare Master’s programs – was awarded the prestigious ETNA Fellowship. This is the highest honor conferred by the Association to individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the promotion of health from a transcultural perspective.
The award celebrates an academic and scientific journey marked by consistency and vision, built over more than a decade of international activity. Professor Bonacaro has passionately dedicated himself to the development of care models that are sensitive to cultural, linguistic, and religious diversity. His work has taken shape through teaching, research, and the design of educational programs that promote equity, inclusivity, and intercultural dialogue.
ETNA emphasized the value of Professor Bonacaro’s contribution, describing him as a shining example of nursing leadership committed to social justice and the creation of truly accessible healthcare systems for all communities. At a time when health systems are increasingly interconnected, transcultural competence is emerging as a fundamental pillar for ensuring quality, safety, and the humanization of care.
The award aligns with the broader mission of the University of Parma’s Healthcare Master’s programs, which promote advanced education that is attuned to global challenges and inspired by the values of openness, respect, and pluralism. The focus on the cultural dimension of care – integrated into the educational content of the Master’s programs – equips professionals with the awareness and responsibility needed to operate effectively in today’s multicultural environments.
“Receiving this recognition from an important association like ETNA is not only a great honor for me,” said Professor Antonio Bonacaro, “but also a strong encouragement to continue pursuing my commitment to a truly intercultural nursing education, rooted in the values of respect, dialogue, and compassionate care.”
The University of Parma has published the admission notice for its Healthcare Master’s Programs for the 2025/2026 academic year. Starting from July 2, 2025, it will be possible to apply for the first- and second-level Master’s courses designed to address the latest challenges in the healthcare and social care systems, with an up-to-date, interdisciplinary, and innovation-oriented educational offering. Applications will remain open until January 30, 2026.
The Healthcare Master’s Programs at the University of Parma are a benchmark in advanced training for healthcare professionals. These programs are developed in close collaboration with clinical, academic, and institutional partners, and aim to strengthen participants’ clinical, organizational, managerial, educational, and interpersonal skills.
Educational Offer for 2025/2026
First-Level Master’s Programs:
Case/Care Management in Hospitals and Community Settings for Healthcare Professions
Palliative Care and Pain Therapy for Healthcare Professions
Family and Community Nursing and Integrated Care for Public Health
Critical Care Nursing
Management of Healthcare-Associated Infection Risk
Second-Level Master’s Programs:
Leadership/Coordination of Services for Healthcare-Associated Infection Risk
Educational Strategies in the Social and Healthcare Fields; European Standards and Innovation
The programs are designed to support the balance between study and work, with a predominantly online learning format featuring live-streamed lectures. Strong emphasis is placed on personalized learning paths through tutoring, project work, and research thesis development.
The Healthcare Master’s Programs remain a dynamic, inclusive, and constantly evolving initiative, committed to training a new generation of healthcare professionals capable of combining technical expertise with ethical vision.
