This week, I spent some time exploring Milan’s research buildings and historic hospitals. Since many of you are interested in medicine and research, I thought I’d share a little more about where I’ll be studying and working. I also learned some interesting medical history along the way!
My building at the University of Milan is called LITA, which stands for Laboratorio Interdisciplinare di Tecnologie Avanzate, or “Interdisciplinary Laboratory of Advanced Technologies.” It’s a multilevel building with tons of labs and classrooms, where a mix of teaching activities and research happens. Here, you’ll find medical students, master’s students and PhD students working alongside each other. Most of my classes take place here, so I’m gradually getting more familiar with the building beyond my lecture rooms.
Right down the street is San Raffaele Hospital, one of Italy’s major research hospitals. Founded in 1971, it’s much younger than the historic hospitals I’ve been learning about. Walking through the building, I got a sense of how much happens here alongside patient care. Some labs were investigating the molecular mechanisms of disease, while other teams focused on developing and evaluating potential treatments in patients.
