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June 14 – World Blood Donor Day

June 14, 2025 Federica Sorrentino

Today, June 14, marks World Blood Donor Day, promoted by the World Health Organization under the 2025 slogan: “Give blood, give hope: together we save lives.” This date highlights the vital importance of voluntary blood donation in ensuring safe and readily available blood supplies—an essential resource in emergencies, medical treatments, and cancer care.

According to the WHO, a single unit of blood can save up to three lives, demonstrating the profound impact of donors’ generosity. Yet, many parts of the world still face blood shortages, with serious consequences for healthcare systems. In Italy, numerous organizations actively promote the donation of whole blood and blood components, playing a crucial role in supporting the National Health Service. This life-saving act not only protects patients’ health but also strengthens community solidarity.

The Healthcare Master’s Programs at the University of Parma incorporate these values into their educational framework, particularly emphasizing the role of donation as an integral part of prevention, healthcare risk management, and collective well-being.

The academic and cultural commitment to blood donation reflects the ethical and social dimensions embedded in the training path, preparing future professionals to view donation as a responsible and necessary act—one that sustains the life of increasingly interconnected communities.

ONE HEALTH: AN INTEGRATED APPROACH TO GLOBAL HEALTH

June 4, 2025 Federica Sorrentino

In recent years, the growing interconnection between human, animal, and environmental health has led to a fundamental paradigm shift in public health and the training of health professionals. It is within this context that the One Health approach has emerged and gained strength, promoted by the World Health Organization (WHO), the FAO, the OIE, and other international institutions, as an integrated response to global health challenges.

One Health is a strategy that recognizes the inextricable link between the health of people, animals, and the environment. The rise in diseases transmitted from animals to humans, the emergence of new infectious threats, antimicrobial resistance, climate change, and biodiversity loss have highlighted the urgent need for shared, cross-sectoral health policies.

The One Health approach aims to:

foster collaboration among physicians, veterinarians, biologists, nurses, environmental scientists, and public health professionals;
integrate data and knowledge to prevent, detect, and respond promptly to complex health threats;
promote sustainable policies that protect ecosystems and improve the health of both human and animal communities.

In line with these goals, the Healthcare Master’s programs at the University of Parma promote multidisciplinary training based on an integrated public health model, aware of the interrelationships between health, environment, and society.

Adopting the One Health model means not only responding to current crises but also building a culture of prevention, sustainability, and global solidarity. For future health professionals, being trained with this vision is a strategic choice as well as an ethical responsibility. In a world where everything is connected, caring for health means caring for the world we live in.