The University of Milano-Bicocca has set up an outpost at Lacor Hospital in Uganda to provide students and resident doctors with internship opportunities and a unique training experience. This centre will serve as a reference point for one of the world's most vulnerable populations, helping to shape the next generation of well-trained healthcare professionals. It is a model of international scientific and educational collaboration, designed to address global health challenges.
This is BRIDGE (Bicocca Research and Innovation for Development and Global hEalth) - Uganda, the new project of the University of Milano-Bicocca, which starts from Milan and extends to the Gulu District in northern Uganda, where Lacor Hospital is located. Lacor Hospital is one of the largest non-profit health centers in Equatorial Africa, supported in Italy by the Corti Foundation. It plays a crucial role in the region, providing medical care to approximately 200,000 people each year, with over 30,000 hospitalizations, and serves as a key training center in various healthcare disciplines for local and international universities.
The headquarters of BRIDGE (Bicocca Research and Innovation for Development and Global hEalth) - Uganda is located in the building of the Comboni Missionary Sisters, one of the historic buildings of Lacor Hospital. This building is being renovated to offer faculty, researchers and students a well-equipped space for scientific study and research activities, as outlined in the five-year agreement signed between the two institutions. This is the second international outpost of the University of Milan, after the MaRHE Center in the Maldives archipelago, a research and training centre dedicated to marine biology studies.
The new Milano-Bicocca outpost was presented this morning at the "Guido Martinotti" Auditorium during the event "Global Health: the role of academia" and is part of the Bicocca Global Health Centre project. This initiative leverages our University’s expertise to develop innovative and sustainable solutions to global health challenges through a multidisciplinary approach, promoting health and well-being in low- and middle-income countries. Speakers at the roundtable included, the University's Rector, Giovanna Iannantuoni; the Lombardy Regional Councillor for Welfare, Guido Bertolaso; the Deputy Mayor of Milan and Councillor for Education, Anna Scavuzzo; the Vice Rector for International Relations of Milano-Bicocca, Gabriella Pasi; the Director of the Department of Medicine and Surgery at Milano-Bicocca and BRIDGE (Bicocca Research and Innovation for Development and Global hEalth) - Uganda, Pietro Invernizzi; the President of the Corti Foundation, Dominique Corti; and the Scientific Director of Lacor Hospital, Emmanuel Ochola.
"We are proud to launch this collaboration with Lacor Hospital," said Rector Giovanna Iannantuoni. "This project aims to train the next generation of healthcare professionals. A key aspect of this partnership is the '2 Pillars Project', which provides internships for undergraduate and postgraduate students, giving them the opportunity to gain experience and immerse themselves in a complex clinical environment, developing essential practical skills and human qualities. The two pillars represent the goals of professional training (the first pillar) and human resources training (the second pillar), which are crucial for healthcare professionals. The main aim of the agreement is to understand local healthcare needs, identify areas for support, and lay the groundwork for joint initiatives to enhance education and research".
"We are very excited about the establishment of the new University of Milan-Bicocca outpost," said Dr Emmanuel Ochola, Scientific Director of Lacor Hospital. "In order to continue serving a very impoverished population suffering from numerous diseases, Lacor daily strives to keep costs affordable, and we succeed, thanks to the support of our partners. In this challenge, we must optimise services by choosing effective, evidence-based interventions. Our collaboration with Milano-Bicocca will be patient-centred, both in the hospital and in the community, and we hope it will help us provide better services and quality training, in line with our mission."
"This partnership with Milano-Bicocca is born out of mutual respect and appreciation for Lacor's identity and the needs of the population it serves," emphasised Dominique Corti, President of the Corti Foundation. "Whether it's training, research or capital development, every step we take together is in line with the principle of 'local ownership' of priorities. This approach is now recognized as essential for local development, and it has been the core of the Corti Foundation’s work for over thirty years. Sixty-five years after its creation, Lacor continues to fight every day to provide quality healthcare to patients who cannot afford it. This is made possible, thanks to the contributions of donors from high-income countries who recognize the importance of supporting an active and effective reality, such as Lacor.”
For the past two years, Lacor Hospital has been hosting internships for fifth and sixth year medical students, third-year nursing and midwifery students, and resident doctors from Milan-Bicocca. It is now expected that around 30 interns will be involved each year. The establishment of BRIDGE (Bicocca Research and Innovation for Development and Global hEalth) - Uganda will provide a coordination centre for all university activities in the area and in other Ugandan hospitals or neighbouring countries. The centre will provide workspace facilities as well as internet access for users. It will host research initiatives, including ongoing projects in pediatrics, gynecology, pathology, and infectious diseases. The scope will extend beyond clinical fields to include other scientific areas of the University, such as economics, psychology, and computer science.
Video and photo material is available in the Uganda Outpost press kit.