Saint Camillus International University of Health Sciences-UniCamillus: Where Innovation Meets Excellence

The use of technology in the medical field has become increasingly important in recent years since it can benefit humankind as a whole. Medical innovation has the potential to offer new ways to prevent, diagnose, and monitor health problems, as well as new drugs and devices to manage and cure diseases. These innovations are transforming existing processes and business models to serve better changing needs and expectations in healthcare.

Across the world, healthcare providers, researchers and institutions are working to develop and integrate new medical innovations that can improve patient outcomes and quality of life. One example of a leading institution to foster medical innovation is – UniCamillus (the Saint Camillus International University of Health Sciences). 

UniCamillus is a pre-eminent medical university located in Rome, Italy. The university is dedicated to providing top-quality education in the field of healthcare and medicine to students from all around the world. UniCamillus is committed to offering its students a wide range of learning opportunities, including theoretical knowledge and practical training, to ensure that they are prepared to meet the challenges of the healthcare industry.

With its emphasis on innovative and state-of-the-art learning facilities and commitment to research, UniCamillus is at the forefront of medical innovation. The university’s researchers are actively working on cancer and immunological diseases, as well as pathologies from developing countries. 

Furthermore, UniCamillus is committed to supporting students with disabilities and specific learning disabilities throughout their university experience. The university provides one-to-one support for each student, identifying unique solutions to enable them to perform successfully in their study courses and live an enjoyable experience.

UniCamillus also takes part in humanitarian missions in developing countries that face structural and infrastructural challenges to provide the expertise of qualified professionals in favour of the local communities. In February 2021, the first UniCamillus mission took place in Cameroon, aimed at starting academic cooperation with hospitals already operating in the territory. In August 2022, another UniCamillus task force landed in Benin, where a group of professors dedicated themselves to treating dermatological patients and patients with albinism through surgical procedures.

Medical Excellence and Innovation Converge

UniCamillus is a private university dedicated to medical sciences, founded in 2018. The university takes inspiration from Camillo de Lellis, who revolutionized medical assistance in the 16th century by creating and implementing the first efficient healthcare system. In only five years, the university has grown to accommodate approximately 2600 students (approximately 5000 students, also considering CPD and specialization courses), with the highest percentage of international students among European universities.

UniCamillus is a secular university with a strong humanitarian mark. The university is open to young people from all over the world, regardless of their faith. It is dedicated to promoting “health as its only official religion”. The university aims at fostering international cooperation and integration among different cultures, and it indeed represents proof of how medicine can be an efficient instrument for that goal. Its students are prepared to engage and become physicians focused on health issues characteristic of developing countries. Its motto, ‘In lumine tuo videbimus lumen’ (In your light we will see the light), is chosen for its evocative power and refers to ‘knowledge’.

Unravelling the Visionary

Gianni Profita is the Rector of UniCamillus and the committed architect of the institution. He has been working on creating UniCamillus for almost a decade. Profita has given the university a strong international profile and put in place a program of financial and logistical support for students from underdeveloped countries. He believes that healthcare colonialism should end so that underprivileged countries might stop depending on the occasional missions of western medical professionals. Profita is also the President of Virgil Academy, an archaeological research institution that is carrying out excavation work in Etruscan archaeological areas in Italy in collaboration with American universities.

Elevating Medical Education by Rising Above Adversity

UniCamillus offers high-level training in the health sector and combines this popular learning path with a new focus on humanitarian interests. The university is dedicated to students with a humanitarian, scientific, and professional predisposition to care for the health problems of developing countries.

UniCamillus, which welcomes students from more than 60 countries around the world, was one of the first universities to face the Coronavirus pandemic with readiness and flexibility: given the high number of foreign students who were stranded abroad without being able to reach Rome, UniCamillus had to carry out a crucial transformation of teaching techniques in order to equally guarantee everyone, in total safety, access to one of the most precious assets that the pandemic has drastically affected: education. 

In fact, the University reacted promptly to the serious initial emergency by immediately activating the UniCamillus WebApp platform. Students did not miss a single day of lessons and were still able to attend remote lectures and interact with professors. The response from the students was outstanding: 95% followed and actively attended the lectures. 

The extraordinary session of online examinations for the master’s degree Course in Medicine and Surgery and the bachelor’s degree Courses in the Health Professions ended the year session with entirely positive results. The learners, in fact, confirmed that they did not notice any major differences compared to the classroom examinations. 

Furthermore, the Academic staff, with a strong spirit of service and social responsibility, realized ‘blended’ training activities for all UniCamillus learners to face the important challenges that the world constantly offers. 

Exam sessions were not delayed, thanks to the use of information networks. As soon as the emergency was over, UniCamillus was ready to welcome back its students.

Developing International Dimension

Internationalization and cooperation represent two of the fundamental pillars of the University’s strategy. UniCamillus is concentrating its efforts on developing its international dimension. The University is also focusing on foreseeing and defining concrete interventions aimed at improving and strengthening the relations between the university, research, and business in order to create excellence and innovation in many academic fields and with reference to the performance of more administrative and managerial activities.  UniCamillus aims to offer all its students (future and current, Italian and foreign) cosmopolitan experiences.

Professors, coordinators, and administrative staff members are fully involved in the internationalization project and collaborate to enhance future exchanges and mobility programs. 

In fact, the University’s efforts in international exchange projects are intended not only for the student body but also meant to build cooperative relations in academic and research-related activities in the various health fields. The research represents the core of UniCamillus, and through its partnerships with many research centers, it focuses on the ‘needs’ of the less developed countries. 

Participating in the Erasmus Program and therefore being part of new European and non-European collaboration programs is a great opportunity for the University both from a quantitative and qualitative point of view. It represents a chance of enriching the academic and training background. Intra-university exchanges allow students to transfer at the end of
their experience, know-how and skills gained abroad. 

Out-going students become ‘ambassadors’ of Italian medical excellence and of the country itself. In order to implement international collaboration agreements, the geographical areas of interest identified by UniCamillus are: Europe and the Mediterranean area, African countries, South East Asia, and the Middle East. In this view, the University manages regular contacts with foreign embassies to promote future forms of collaboration and sponsor UniCamillus’ potential.

Bringing Different Cultures Together 

UniCamillus welcomes students from all over the world and trains them to become physicians or health professionals versatile and focused also on diseases of underprivileged countries. 

For this reason, the University is addressed particularly to EU and non-EU students who show a humanitarian, scientific, and professional interest in the health problems affecting especially developing countries. 

In addition, UniCamillus is the holder of the ERAPLUS_ECHE card (Erasmus Charter for Higher Education 2014-2020) issued by the European Commission.
The card allows students to participate in the EU’s new Erasmus+ program, which facilitates student mobility and offers internationalization opportunities. 

The Erasmus+ program aims to support the professional, educational, and personal development of students and graduates. It also tries to promote equal opportunities, inclusivity, diversity as well as fairness in every way. Finally, it contributes to achieving the EU goals of digital transformation, sustainable development, and active citizenship. The Erasmus Student Charter reflects these values and priorities, thus aiming to adequately inform participants of their entitlements and obligations and ensure the successful implementation of their mobility program.

Support in Tough Times 

Counseling service is provided to all members of the UniCamillus community, in order to help and support them through the most difficult phases of their careers and everyday life. Great attention is paid to the identification of the student’s learning needs. A dedicated Counselling service is available for all students, to help them navigate through their academic path, with the purpose of gathering all suggestions meant to make the learning process more engaging and motivating and to develop the student community. Tutoring activities are carried out by attentive and approachable lecturers, which provide constant and useful feedback.  

Instilling the Noble Values 

During the studies at UniCamillus, particular emphasis is given to the human approach, to the patient and the illness: therefore, its students will always bear in mind that the patient has his own dignity, sensitivity, and needs. Students at UniCamillus will also learn that healthcare is a mission: one that invites them to dedicate part of their professional life to the medical assistance of less fortunate people, also in countries where medical assistance is extremely deficient if not completely lacking. 

Secondly, for practical internships UniCamillus can avail itself of a wide and excellent network of hospitals among the best in Rome.

Moreover, the University offers the services of a placement office, that supports students and graduates in job orientation and career choices, working on cross-skills, like self-awareness and communication.  

Lastly, agreements are in place with major HR recruitment companies, such as Randstad, in order to help graduates ease themselves into the job market, with participation in recruiting days and events and language courses for foreign students.  

Almost all of UniCamillus graduates have a job secured in their field of specialization immediately after graduation. 

Beyond the Books

UniCamillus promotes sports practice for university students and signed agreements with different sports facilities located in the surrounding area to ease the access of its students to the sports practice. The university believes that physical activity is a fundamental tool for the training and health of young people and crucial for the development of social relationships and intercultural integration.

Different activities are being organised, that can help students creativity and self-confidence: choir, language exchanges, and social events, with the intent to create a multicultural and lively community. 

Italian language courses are offered to all foreign students to encourage further integration.

Providing Top-Notch Learning Facilities to Empower Future Medical Leaders

UniCamillus is a pre-eminent medical university in Italy that offers an array of learning facilities to its students. 

In addition, UniCamillus provides access to advanced digital databases, such as Scopus and OVID, that are essential for research in the field of bioinformatics. The university library, dedicated to students, lecturers, and technical-administrative staff, is another invaluable resource.

Among the major projects is the opening of UniCamillus Clinics, another notable feature of the university’s commitment to innovation. These clinics will include diagnostic and physiotherapy laboratories, as well as dental clinics, and will provide care to patients up to hospitalization. UniCamillus Clinics will be housed in a spacious facility near the university and equipped with state-of-the-art appliances and instrumentation.

Expanding Horizons

UniCamillus offers an extensive range of courses, including two six-year degree courses in Medicine and Dentistry, five three-year degree courses in Nursing; Midwifery; Biomedical Laboratory Techniques; Radiology, Diagnostic Imaging and Radiotherapy Techniques, and Physiotherapy, and a Master Degree course in Human Nutrition Sciences. Additionally, the university offers several CPD and high specialization medical courses.

Celebrating UniCamillus

UniCamillus’ qualifications are valid throughout the EU and most countries globally. The university is listed in the World Directory of Medical Schools, a joint venture between the World Federation for Medical Education and the Foundation for Advancement of International Medical Education and Research. Recently, UniCamillus was also listed among the ’10 most prominent Healthcare Universities in 2022′ by a US-based Education Magazine specializing in higher education.

Prescriptions for Success

UniCamillus advises young people who want to come to study in Europe to commit to their academic careers seriously. The whole education system, and UniCamillus in the first place, is committed to creating a path of value that trains and prepares students to enter the job market successfully. 

Looking Ahead

UniCamillus is giving a new impulse to research, which is the core of the university. The university’s researchers are broadening their fields of investigation on several topics. To support this activity, state-of-the-art laboratories in the biological and chemical fields have just been established. This innovative research centre is the high technology hub of the campus.

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