Program of educational activities

Here useful documents and tools for students who wish to apply to the program

• Regulation Statement
• Annexes to Regulation Statement

Starting from the first year, each PhD student is assured, in addition to the scholarship and within the financial resources existing in the budget, a budget for research activities of no less than 10 percent of the scholarship amount. The same budget is assured also to PhD students who do not hold a scholarship.

Typically, PhD students can access their research funds for:

1. Participation in conferences, seminars, and workshops (e.g., conference registration fee, membership fee, transport, food, lodging) for the presentation of articles and/or working papers included in the conference program;

2. Correction and revision (proof-editing) of texts in a foreign language for subsequent submission to conferences and/or journals;

3. Individual and non-subscription software licenses for scientific research;

4. Participation in conferences, seminars and workshops (e.g., conference registration fee, membership fee, transport, food, accommodation) of relevance for the scientific sector of the PhD student, to the maximum extent of one participation per year, even in the absence of scientific works to be presented;

5. Participation in educational activities provided by external entities (e.g., summer school, training programs, etc.) for a limited period (e.g., once a year).

Access to research funds requires the prior authorization of the Coordinator of the program by filling in Annex 5.

The Faculty of the program is composed by the Coordinator of the PhD, the Doctoral Faculty Board and the Faculty members, who are responsible for the organization and overall functioning of the PhD program, and involved in the courses of the PhD program.
The Director of the PhD also chairs and coordinates the activities and meetings of the PhD Teaching Staff Council.

Cacciapaglia Fabio – LUM University – Department of Medicine – RTT
D’Adamo Maria Cristina – LUM University – Department of Medicine – PO
Del Vecchio Pasquale – LUM University – Department of Engineering – PA
Epicoco Nicola – LUM University – Department of Engineering – PA
Fanizza Giuseppe – LUM University – Department of Engineering – PA
Forlano Roberta – LUM University – Department of Medicine – RTT
Galazzi Alessandro – LUM University – Department of Medicine – PA
Gaudio Francesco – LUM University – Department of Medicine – RTBB
Gialluisi Alessandro – LUM University – Department of Medicine – PA
Legge Francesco – LUM University – Department of Medicine – PA
Loseto Giuseppe – LUM University – Department of Engineering – PA
Massaro Alessandro – LUM University – Department of Engineering – PA
Memeo Riccardo – LUM University – Department of Medicine – PA
Oxilia Gregorio – LUM University – Department of Medicine – RTT
Perrini Sebastio – LUM University – Department of Medicine – PA
Pierucci Paola – LUM University – Department of Medicine – RTT
Rocca Bianca – LUM University – Department of Medicine – PO
Rosa Angelo – LUM University – Department of Management, Finance and Technology – PA
Rotella Giovanna – LUM University – Department of Engineering – PA
Savastano Alfonso – LUM University – Department of Medicine – RTT
Schiuma Giovanni – LUM University – Department of Engineering – PO
Starace Giuseppe – LUM University – Department of Engineering – PO
Troiano Giuseppe – LUM University – Department of Medicine – PO

Detailed requirements are indicated in the Regulation Statement to obtain the PhD in Translational Medicine and Engineering: Advanced Technologies for Health at LUM University.
Throughout the 3-year program, all students must:

YEAR 1

• Be assigned a Main Advisor and define with him their own research setting, identifying the research proposal idea and two Co-Supervisors;

• Nominate the PhD Committee:

  • Deadline is the end of the first semester (typically April).

• Prepare, Submit and Defend their Research Proposal throughout the second semester (typically, no later than August) in front of the PhD Committee;

• Attend the courses throughout the first year;

• Pass each evaluation of the first year;

• Pass the General Evaluation, typically taken by the end of the first year.

YEAR 2

• Attend the courses throughout the second year;

• Pass each evaluation of the second year;

• Give at least one presentation on their research at leading national or international conferences under the supervision of their main advisor;

• Spend a period abroad (at least 3 months) in leading Universities or Research Institutions (not mandatory but strongly suggested).

YEAR 3

• Spend a period abroad (at least 3 months) at leading Universities or Research Institutions (not mandatory but strongly suggested);

• Have at least one paper accepted for publication (or at least revised and resubmitted) as first author and two as coauthor, at leading international journals under supervision of their main advisor;

  • Paper(s) accepted for publication must be part of the PhD Thesis.

• Prepare the PhD Thesis and ask for the admission to the final evaluation, under the supervision of the main advisor;

• Defend the PhD Thesis in front of the PhD Committee at the end of the third year (typically, no later than November).

  • Candidates must ask for the admission to the final evaluation by September 30th of the third year.

  • The final thesis has to be submitted to the Doctoral Faculty Board by October 30th of the third year, having the positive expression of the PhD Committee.

  • A commission made of at least two members (nominated by the Doctoral Faculty Board) will then deliberate on the thesis, having 30 days upon submission to decide if:
    a) the candidate is admitted to the final evaluation; or
    b) the thesis requires revisions, allowing the candidate an extension of a maximum of six months.

The program is based on a tutored research program integrated by a mix of full-time courses, seminars and interactions with teachers and scholars. Students shall attend common courses to acquire foundational knowledge in both macro-areas and their points of integration. Subsequently, they will be able to customize their pathway by selecting courses best suited to their specific research project, up to the required number of credits.

Courses are organized in years:

1° YEAR

• Introduction to Basic and Translational Research Methodology

• Introduction to the Design of Epidemiological and Clinical Studies

• Technological Impact about Health, Welfare and Lifestyle

• Healthcare Process Mining

• Healthcare Project Management

2° YEAR

• Advanced Telemedicine

• Digital Therapy

• Data and Image Processing

• Health Data Science and Bioinformatics

• Introduction to Surgical Robotics

• Digital Medicine

• Advanced Digital Methods for the Study of Anatomical Morphologies

3° YEAR

• Data and Image Processing

• Health Data Science and Bioinformatics

• Introduction to Surgical Robotics

• Digital Medicine

• Advanced Digital Methods for the Study of Anatomical Morphologies

• Medical Systems and Technologies

• Introduction to the Governance of Medicines and Medical Devices

At least once a month, internal PhD seminars are organized, attended by all doctoral candidates.
These seminars cover interdisciplinary topics, which are selected on a rotating basis by faculty members from the various areas. The topics are communicated in advance to the doctoral students, who study them in depth and then present them during the seminar, offering the unique perspective of their own area of interest while engaging in dialogue with those of other fields.

Seminar topics will include:

• Insights into artificial intelligence and machine learning in healthcare

• Big data analysis techniques

• Predictive modelling for early diagnosis and the development of digital biomarkers

• Innovations in surgery, biomedical engineering, and digital dentistry

The seminars also serve as an evaluation component for doctoral students, both for admission to the following year and for the final examination.

Throughout the year, conferences and study meetings will also be organized, focusing either on specific areas or on themes shared across multiple areas of the PhD program. These events will involve faculty from other Italian and international universities, as well as high-level experts and professionals.

After admission to the doctoral degree trajectory, the doctoral candidate is assigned to a Supervisor appointed by the Doctoral Faculty Board, among the faculty members of the LUM University University. The candidate and the Supervisor establish the training and supervision plan and nominate 2 or 3 Co-Supervisors among recognized experts in the field of the training plan. Plans and Co-Supervisors must be approved as soon as possible by the Doctoral Faculty Board.

At the discretion of the board, one of the supervisors may also be appointed among experts in the field from other universities, hospitals or research centres.

The supervisor and the Co-Supervisors form the PhD Committee.

At least once a year the doctoral candidate and the PhD Committee evaluate the progress of the doctoral degree trajectory. The initiative to this end will be taken by the Supervisor, or if that initiative is not forthcoming, at the request of the doctoral candidate. A brief report is made of the evaluation, which is included in the doctoral candidate’s file.

In any case, the final assessment of each candidate’s admission to the third year and to the discussion of the final thesis is in charge of the Doctoral Faculty Board.

The research proposal represents a first ‘reality check’ for both students and advisors. The aim of the process is enabling the students to elaborate a robust research proposal capable of producing publishable papers through planning of both scientific and practical issues.

The research forming the basis of the PhD research proposal must meet the following requirements:

a. The doctoral candidate has to have carried out the research independently or has to have made an essential contribution to it;
b. The research must be conducted in accordance with the code of conduct or professional code that applies to professional conduct in the scientific field concerned and in accordance with the principles and standards as expressed in the current Italian Code of Conduct for Research Integrity;
c. Must be approved by the Committee for Ethic and Clinical Research (CERC) of the LUM University.

The PhD research proposal should be a clear, concise, and well-structured document, typically between 1,500 and 3,000 words.
The format for the PhD research proposal is included in annex.

The final thesis consists of a scientific work on a specific topic developed through one or more research questions that demonstrate sufficient cohesion.

The thesis must be written in English and must include the following elements:

• a summary of the thesis,
• an Italian translation of the title and the summary,
• an introduction indicating the positioning of the research in relation to other related studies in a national or international context,
• the research question(s),
• the general methodology,
• the published and/or submitted papers for publication*,
• a general discussion consisting of a reasoned representation of the doctoral candidate’s personal position regarding the main theme, or the main themes of the thesis,
• a paragraph on the impact of the research carried out,
• a concise curriculum vitae of the doctoral candidate.

*The thesis must include at least one article accepted for publication (or at least revised and resubmitted) as first author, and two additional articles as co-author (accepted for publication or submitted), in peer-reviewed, indexed international journals.