The management of individual cases and the role of the competent practitioner

Objective To set up the new models of diabetic education which is suitable for our national conditions in order to improve the teaching effect.Methods Many of methods were used such as training and improving diabetes nurse educators' quality,expanding the forms of diabetes education to attract patients'participate,implementing individual education case management,setting up the intersection of patient and educational group,establishing a long-term management system to offer continuous support.Results Integrated development of diabetes nurse educators' quality was achieved.Thirteen diversified large scale educational activities as well as others different forms were performed.The member of Sweet Home for the diabetic patients was increased from 15 ～20 to 2 586 at the end of 2011.The average glycosylated hemoglobin of the members was 7.16％ ± 1.67％,among which,the percent of patients with HbA1c ＜ 6.5％ was 42.9％ and patients with HbA1c ＜ 7％ was 60.5％.The annual rate of outpatient was increased from 7.9％ of 2009 to 36％ of 2010 and 47％ of 2011.Conclusions The diabetes education performed in our Sweet Home which including innovative activities,individual case management,educational group,behavioral change,continuous support and selfcheer,can promote patients to participate in the diabetes education with enthusiasm and improve the result of diabetes education effectively. Key words: Diabetes; Eeducation; Individual case management; Behavioral change

Client satisfaction with a new group-based model of case management for supported housing services

A good cooperation between occupational physicians and other healthcare professionals is essential in order to achieve an overall improvement of workers/patients’ well-being. Unfortunately, collaboration between occupational physicians and other physicians is often lacking or very poor. In this context, using a self-administered questionnaire, we investigated the cooperation of Italian occupational physicians with the National Health System (NHS) facilities and with the general practitioners in order to identify any potential critical issues that may hinder an effective and collaborative relationships between these professionals. The survey was conducted from October 2013 to January 2014. Nearly all of the interviewed occupational physicians have had contacts with colleagues of the Departments for Prevention and Occupational Health and Safety of the NHS. Regarding the relationship between occupational physicians and general practitioners findings showed that their cooperation is quite difficult and it would not seem a two-way collaboration. Cooperation between occupational physicians and NHS would benefit from the development of communication strategies and tools enhancing the support and assistance functions of the NHS facilities. The elaboration and subsequent application of operational guidelines and standardized procedures of communication would also improve collaboration between occupational physicians and general practitioners that is currently considered rather insufficient and incomplete.

I thought that most health care professionals, and ertainly case managers, were beyond segregating physical health, mental health, and behavioral health. However, I was mistaken. As recently as last week, I overheard a hospital case manager tell her manager that she was not trained in mental health

Introduction: Case management (CM) is an effective integrated model of care for patients with chronic conditions and complex care needs, given the focus on improving patient engagement in healthcare and improving self-management skills. While CM often leads to positive outcomes, little is known about the factors which promote or hinder implementation. Objective: This study seeks to examine factors which facilitated and hindered the implementation of a 12-month CM intervention in primary care clinics for individuals with chronic conditions and complex care needs, and report outcomes from the perspective of patients, nurse case managers, clinic managers, and providers. Intervention: A CM intervention was delivered by a nurse case manager (NCM), which included four activities: patient needs assessment, care planning, coordination of services, and self-management support. Design: We employed a qualitative descriptive design, using a participatory approach. The implementation was co-designed and co-led by researchers, clinicians, and patient partners, in collaboration with primary care clinics in five Canadian provinces. Participatory approach: This study involved various stakeholders, including patient partners, clinicians, researchers, and decision-makers. Patient partners were active members of the research team and played a major role in the development and governance of the larger study. Data collection: Semi-structured interviews or focus groups were conducted with patients (n= 44) and care providers (n=23), including case managers, clinic managers and primary care providers. Data analysis: Analysis of interview data was conducted using inductive thematic analysis to identify factors which facilitated or hindered implementation and outcomes. Results: Facilitators of the implementation included a holistic collaborative team-based clinic, an engaged and supportive clinic manager, the active involvement of care providers, dedicated and protected time for NCMs to complete CM tasks, and patient readiness. The implementation was hindered at clinics where staff were not engaged, leading to low recruitment numbers and difficulties carrying out the intervention. NCMs who did not have set time in their schedules or did not integrate the CM duties into their regular role struggled to carry out the program. Difficulty coordinating with specialists and external services also acted as a barrier. A final barrier to implementation was lack of access to appropriate services for patients with complex mental health needs. Outcomes included improved patient health and wellbeing, enhanced professional collaboration, expanded professional practice, more appropriate and efficient use of health services, and increased patient satisfaction. Learnings: CM is increasingly being used internationally as a way to better integrate people centered care for patients with complex care needs. The findings from this study provide insight into what worked well in implementing a 12-month CM intervention, as well as areas for improvement. Next steps: The findings from this study will be used to spread and scale CM in primary care within various provinces and First Nations, Métis, and Inuit communities in Canada over the next five years

الملخص : تناول البحث الحالي اختبار فاعلية إدارة الحالة الفردية في تحقيق المساندة الاجتماعية للأطفال الأسرى المحررين من السجون الإسرائيلية ، المرتبطة بالمساندة الأسرية ، والمساندة المؤسسية، والمساندة المعلوماتية للأطفال الأسرى المحررين من السجون الإسرائيلية. حيث اعتمدت الدراسة على المنهج التجريبي ، باستخدام استمارة مقياس المساندة الاجتماعية للأطفال الأسرى المحررين من السجون الإسرائيلية. وتوصلت نتائج الدراسة إلى أن وجود فروق ذات دلالة إحصائية في متوسط درجات مشکلات متعلقة بالمساندة الاجتماعية للطفل المحرر قبل وبعد التدخل المهني باستخدام إدارة الحالة الفردية لصالح القياس البعدي . وفي نهاية البحث تم وضع العديد من التوصيات من أبرزها ضرورة اهتمام المؤسسات الاجتماعية العاملة في مجال الطفولة في المجتمع الفلسطيني بهذه الشريحة من الأطفال نظرا لصعوبة التجربة الاعتقالية التي مروا بها ، مع ضرورة تدريب الأخصائيين الاجتماعيين على کيفية استخدام إدارة الحالة الفردية ضمن العمل مع الأطفال وبالأخص الأطفال الأسرى المحررين . الکلمات المفتاحية: إدارة الحالة الفردية ، المساندة الاجتماعية ، الأسرى المحررين ، السجون الإسرائيلية. Abstract : The current research examined the effectiveness of individual case management in achieving social support for children released from Israeli prisons, related to family support, institutional support, and informational support for children released from Israeli prisons. Where the study relied on the experimental method, using the Social Support Scale form for children released from Israeli prisons. Where the study relied on the experimental method, using the Social Support Scale form for children released from Israeli prisons. حيث اعتمدت الدراسة على المنهج التجريبي باستخدام مقياس الدعم الاجتماعي للأطفال المفرج عنهم من السجون الإسرائيلية. The study was based on the experimental method, using a measure of social support questionnaire for children of prisoners freed from Israeli jails. اعتمدت الدراسة على المنهج التجريبي باستخدام مقياس الدعم الاجتماعي لأطفال الأسرى المحررين من سجون الاحتلال الإسرائيلي. يتعذر تحميل النتائج بالکامل. إعادة المحاولة جار إعادة المحاولة... جار إعادة المحاولة... The results of the study concluded that there were statistically significant differences in the average degrees of problems related to social support for the liberated child before and after the professional intervention using individual case management in favor of the post-measurement. At the end of the research, many recommendations were made, most notably the need for social institutions working in the field of childhood in Palestinian society to pay attention to this segment of children due to the difficulty of the detention experience they went through, with the need to train social workers on how to use individual case management within work with children, especially children At the end of the research, many recommendations were made, most notably the need for social institutions working in the field of childhood in Palestinian society to pay attention to this segment of children due to the difficulty of the detention experience they went through, with the need to train social workers on how to use individual case management within work with children, especially children وفي نهاية البحث تم تقديم العديد من التوصيات أبرزها ضرورة اهتمام المؤسسات الاجتماعية العاملة في مجال الطفولة في المجتمع الفلسطيني بهذه الشريحة من الأطفال بسبب صعوبة تجربة الاعتقال التي مروا بها ، مع بحاجة إلى تدريب الأخصائيين الاجتماعيين على کيفية استخدام إدارة الحالات الفردية في العمل مع الأطفال ، وخاصة الأطفال At the end of the research have been many recommendations put notably the need for attention to social institutions working in the field of childhood in the Palestinian society in this segment of the children because of the difficult experience of arrest they had been through, with the need to train social workers on how to use the individual case management within the work with children, especially children وفي نهاية البحث تم وضع العديد من التوصيات أبرزها ضرورة الاهتمام بالمؤسسات الاجتماعية العاملة في مجال الطفولة في المجتمع الفلسطيني في هذه الشريحة من الأطفال بسبب تجربة الاعتقال الصعبة التي مروا بها ، مع الحاجة. لتدريب الأخصائيين الاجتماعيين على کيفية استخدام إدارة الحالة الفردية في العمل مع الأطفال ، وخاصة الأطفال يتعذر تحميل النتائج بالکامل. إعادة المحاولة جار إعادة المحاولة... جار إعادة المحاولة... liberated prisoners. Keywords: individual case management, social support for released prisoners, Israeli prisons.

This descriptive, exploratory study of selected characteristics of RN (registered nurse) case management utilized secondary data from a randomized controlled trial in a 5-year Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)-funded Medicare Coordinated Care Demonstration (MCCD) project. The 1,551 older adult, community-dwelling Medicare beneficiaries in the study treatment group population had at least 1 of 5 qualifying chronic diseases (atrial fibrillation, congestive heart failure [CHF], coronary artery disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diabetes), a mean age of 75 years and an average of 4.5 comorbid conditions. Case management data documented by 14 RN case managers for 2002-2005 for all treatment group patients were analyzed, including a subgroup of 300 patients with CHF as a primary diagnosis. Nurse (registered nurse) case managers (NCMs) documented case management activities for all patients using 20 standard nursing intervention categories (NICs). Data reflecting the NCM time (in minutes) and mix of interventions were analyzed for patients in all 5 primary disease categories together. Using descriptive, parametric, and nonparametric statistics, the association of case management NIC, timing, and time provided to CHF patients' inpatient admission risk was analyzed, as were patterns of NIC timing and timing for CHF patients. All patients received an average of 60 min of case management time per month, slightly less than half of which was devoted to documentation of case management tasks by NCMs who had an RN-to-patient ratio of 1:135. Patients experiencing 2 or more inpatient admissions received slightly less case management time (p < .05) than patients with either 1 or no admissions during the study period. There was no specific rate (in minutes delivered per month) that was found to be associated with individual case managers and their CHF patients' associated readmission risk. Over time, NCM time allocated to routine monitoring exceeded that of self-care, disease, and medication education or counseling. Further study of the impact of time, timing, and breadth of NCM intervention in chronic care case management outcomes is needed to better understand case management dosing effectiveness.

Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and VenereologyVolume 35, Issue 3 p. e169-e170 Letter to the Editor A multicenter study on effectiveness and safety of risankizumab in psoriasis: an Italian 16-week real-life experience during the COVID-19 pandemic K. Hansel, K. Hansel orcid.org/0000-0002-6674-4278 Dermatology Section, Department of Medicine, University of Perugia, Perugia, ItalySearch for more papers by this authorA. Zangrilli, A. Zangrilli Dermatology Unit, Policlinico Tor Vergata, Department of Systems Medicine, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, ItalySearch for more papers by this authorL. Bianchi, L. Bianchi Dermatology Unit, Policlinico Tor Vergata, Department of Systems Medicine, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, ItalySearch for more papers by this authorK. Peris, K. Peris orcid.org/0000-0003-1957-6600 Dermatologia, Dipartimento Scienze Mediche e Chirurgiche, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCCS, Rome, ItalySearch for more papers by this authorA. Chiricozzi, A. Chiricozzi orcid.org/0000-0002-6739-0387 Dermatologia, Dipartimento Scienze Mediche e Chirurgiche, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCCS, Rome, ItalySearch for more papers by this authorA. Offidani, A. Offidani Dermatological Clinic, Department of Clinical and Molecular Sciences, Polytechnic University of the Marche Region, Ancona, ItalySearch for more papers by this authorF. Diotallevi, F. Diotallevi orcid.org/0000-0003-2274-1742 Dermatological Clinic, Department of Clinical and Molecular Sciences, Polytechnic University of the Marche Region, Ancona, ItalySearch for more papers by this authorM.C. Fargnoli, M.C. Fargnoli orcid.org/0000-0002-7249-2556 Dermatology, Department of Biotechnological and Applied Clinical Sciences, University of L'Aquila, L'Aquila, ItalySearch for more papers by this authorM. Esposito, M. Esposito orcid.org/0000-0002-4773-6993 Dermatology, Department of Biotechnological and Applied Clinical Sciences, University of L'Aquila, L'Aquila, ItalySearch for more papers by this authorP. Amerio, P. Amerio Department of Medicine and Aging Science, Dermatologic Clinic, G. D'Annunzio University, Chieti, ItalySearch for more papers by this authorG. Gualdi, G. Gualdi orcid.org/0000-0002-1640-6609 Department of Medicine and Aging Science, Dermatologic Clinic, G. D'Annunzio University, Chieti, ItalySearch for more papers by this authorL. Bianchi, L. Bianchi Dermatology Section, Department of Medicine, University of Perugia, Perugia, ItalySearch for more papers by this authorL. Stingeni, Corresponding Author L. Stingeni [email protected] orcid.org/0000-0001-7919-8141 Dermatology Section, Department of Medicine, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy Correspondence: L. Stingeni. E-mail: [email protected]Search for more papers by this author K. Hansel, K. Hansel orcid.org/0000-0002-6674-4278 Dermatology Section, Department of Medicine, University of Perugia, Perugia, ItalySearch for more papers by this authorA. Zangrilli, A. Zangrilli Dermatology Unit, Policlinico Tor Vergata, Department of Systems Medicine, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, ItalySearch for more papers by this authorL. Bianchi, L. Bianchi Dermatology Unit, Policlinico Tor Vergata, Department of Systems Medicine, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, ItalySearch for more papers by this authorK. Peris, K. Peris orcid.org/0000-0003-1957-6600 Dermatologia, Dipartimento Scienze Mediche e Chirurgiche, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCCS, Rome, ItalySearch for more papers by this authorA. Chiricozzi, A. Chiricozzi orcid.org/0000-0002-6739-0387 Dermatologia, Dipartimento Scienze Mediche e Chirurgiche, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCCS, Rome, ItalySearch for more papers by this authorA. Offidani, A. Offidani Dermatological Clinic, Department of Clinical and Molecular Sciences, Polytechnic University of the Marche Region, Ancona, ItalySearch for more papers by this authorF. Diotallevi, F. Diotallevi orcid.org/0000-0003-2274-1742 Dermatological Clinic, Department of Clinical and Molecular Sciences, Polytechnic University of the Marche Region, Ancona, ItalySearch for more papers by this authorM.C. Fargnoli, M.C. Fargnoli orcid.org/0000-0002-7249-2556 Dermatology, Department of Biotechnological and Applied Clinical Sciences, University of L'Aquila, L'Aquila, ItalySearch for more papers by this authorM. Esposito, M. Esposito orcid.org/0000-0002-4773-6993 Dermatology, Department of Biotechnological and Applied Clinical Sciences, University of L'Aquila, L'Aquila, ItalySearch for more papers by this authorP. Amerio, P. Amerio Department of Medicine and Aging Science, Dermatologic Clinic, G. D'Annunzio University, Chieti, ItalySearch for more papers by this authorG. Gualdi, G. Gualdi orcid.org/0000-0002-1640-6609 Department of Medicine and Aging Science, Dermatologic Clinic, G. D'Annunzio University, Chieti, ItalySearch for more papers by this authorL. Bianchi, L. Bianchi Dermatology Section, Department of Medicine, University of Perugia, Perugia, ItalySearch for more papers by this authorL. Stingeni, Corresponding Author L. Stingeni [email protected] orcid.org/0000-0001-7919-8141 Dermatology Section, Department of Medicine, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy Correspondence: L. Stingeni. E-mail: [email protected]Search for more papers by this author First published: 20 October 2020 https://doi.org/10.1111/jdv.17003Citations: 21Read the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat No abstract is available for this article.Citing Literature Volume35, Issue3March 2021Pages e169-e170 RelatedInformation

To highlight the role of occupational physician (OP) in occupational injuries (OI) prevention and management. To suggest an approach beyond traditional focus on descriptive epidemiology, engineering interventions, administrative aspects of OI prevention. To promote a person- and enterprise-tailored approach, entailing greater attention to human factors and to practical problems of the specific workplace, with a call to a leading role played by OP. Analysis of the literature on the broader topic of OI prevention revealed thousands of publications; however, only a handful of them mention or describe the participation of OP in OI prevention. While recognizing that literature search is not the proper and only way to appreciate the current role of OP in this field, therefore, it seems necessary to call OP to a stronger effort in prevention and management of OI, through the context of a comprehensive intervention in cooperation with managers, supervisors, safety personnel and workers, focusing on specific needs of each enterprise. The following areas of OP intervention were examined: risk assessment, health surveillance, management, scientific research and health education. Within each of these topics, possible contributions, methodologies, instruments available for the OP were discussed, taking into account the relevant literature. Pathways for practical applications were illustrated, e.g., OI data generation and analyses, predictors of OI, fitness for work, case management, team work, educational issues, first aid, suggestion for OP contribution in specific research questions. OI continue to take a remarkable toll from individuals and society. New multidisciplinary interventions are needed to prevent OI. Focused activities at the single worksite with a central role from OP are definite options. OP is an effective interface between workforce and management and may offer, through a proactive approach, valuable practical and cultural contributions, while respecting technical and ethical guidelines of occupational health professionals.

Introduction Work-related stress is a significant risk factor contributing to burnout, especially in professions characterized by elevated mental demands such as front-line occupational physicians. The aim of our study was to assess the extent of psychosocial risk (PSR) factors among occupational physicians. Methods A descriptive cross-sectional survey was conducted among physicians working in occupational medicine groups in Tunisia in November 2022. The Karasek questionnaire and Siegrist’s effort/reward imbalance model were utilized to assess PSR factors among the participants. Results The participation rate was 46%. The mean age was 41± 6 years. The sex ratio was 0.2. A high psychological demand and a low level of social support were found in 79% and 75% of the cases respectively. The prevalence of job strain was 60% and iso strain 75%. Effort/reward imbalance was noted in 30% of cases. High psychological demand and low social support were significantly associated with the number of patients per day and per year. Low decision latitude was significantly associated with the number of patients per year, the scarcity of participation in medical training and the presence of third-party constraints whose purpose is to interfere with the medical decision. The main source of work-related stress was poor administrative management for 38% of cases. Discussion These findings highlight the prevalence of PSR among occupational physicians. We recommend considering a legislative reform to improve the overall well-being of these healthcare professionals. Conclusion One out of two occupational physicians is experiencing job strain. A specific preventive strategy is suggested, as well as a legislative reform.

Purpose – Psychosocial hazard and risks are of importance for work psychology. Psychosocial hazard is the potential to create psychological, social or physical damage due to the the nature of the work and the physical factors in the workplace environment. Due to conflict of the work’s requirements with the employee's knowledge, skills and needs and the lack of social support concerning the work, the work itself and the psychosocial hazards caused by the work may lead to stress and it is known that they cause serious risks for the employees’ health and safety. The purpose of this study is to assess the psychosocial hazards and risks that occupational physicians expose to considering occupational health and safety. Design/Methodology/Approach – A qualitative research method has been used and interview technique with semi-structured questions has been decided on in the study. In this technique, the interview protocol, in which questions are mentioned before, is addressed to the interviewers and the data is collected by recording the answers. In interviews with semi-structured questions, the researcher can lead the flow of the interview with extra or sub-questions in accordance with the flow of the interview and can help the interviewers to detail their answers. Findings – In this study all of the occupational physicians working in Giresun province was figured out and they were asked 10 semi-structured interview questions and the answers were recorded. Through these questions, the psychosocial hazards and risks that occupational physicians expose to were tried to be determined. Discussion – To sum up, it was determined that preventing psychosocial hazards and risks in workplaces may not only eliminate unproductive work, but also may increase individual and social life quality as well. Safety culture is one of the most effective instruments in order to create a healthy and safe working atmosphere and increase the motivation of an individual to the work.

Aims and ObjectivesBackground: People who attend the Emergency Department (ED) frequently are few in number, but have a significant impact on healthcare systems and communities. A clear link exists between...

The aim of this study is to conduct a case management model on a group of individuals with severe mental illness (SMI) and to evaluate the outcomes during a 24-month follow up. A total of 34 patients diagnosed with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder with at least one exacerbation over the last year, poor treatment compliance, who were unemployed and unable to live independently and who gave consent to participate were included to the study. Case management was conducted by a medical professional in the house, schizophrenia association, hospital, and workplace of the patients by interviewing the patients, family members, and the employers of the patients, at intervals arranged according to the need of each patient. Patients were assessed at baseline stage, the sixth, 12th and the 24th month regarding functionality, clinical condition, treatment compliance and family burden. The study was completed in 24 months with 30 patients with a mean age was 36, mean education level of 11 years, and a mean illness duration of 13 years. The majority consisted of unmarried males living with their parents. During the follow up, every patient participated in the recommended rehabilitation programs with, improvement in treatment adherence and functionality. A significant decrement was detected in the number of hospitalizations when compared to the history before the start of the study. Family burden decreased. Ten patients got employed and 3 patients left work. It can be concluded that case management hypothesized to be beneficial for people with SMI with positive outcomes on clinical recovery, improved social and vocational functionality and reduced incidences of hospital stay should be included as a routine psychosocial rehabilitation service.

Expressed emotion (EE) measured from relatives and informal carers has been consistently demonstrated to be associated with clinical outcome in schizophrenic patients. There have also been published studies that have investigated EE in professional carers that have suggested that the quality of the relationship between staff and patient may also be associated with patient outcomes. A large controlled trial of the effectiveness of different intensities of case management provided the opportunity to assess the association between the EE of case managers, including the quality of the relationship they had with patients under their care, and later clinical outcomes. This was a prospective naturalistic study of EE present in a case manager patient dyad and subsequent patient outcomes. EE was assessed from the Five Minute Speech Sample (FMSS) at least 3 months after the case manager became responsible for the patient's care and a range of clinical outcomes were assessed 6 to 9 months later. Assessment of clinical outcomes was made independent and blind of the EE ratings. High EE ratings were significantly associated with individual case managers and not to symptom or illness factors. High EE was not associated with later clinical outcome, however, the positive relationship between case manager and patient was. The absence of a positive relationship was significantly associated with poorer outcomes. In spite of very low face-to-face contact between case managers and patients, compared with the amount of contact patients have with their informal carers and family, aspects of staff attitudes and behaviour did influence clinical outcome. There are potential implications of these results for staff training and clinical practice.

Elena Cannuccia graduated in physics at the University of Rome Tor Vergata in the Condensed Matter Theory Group (1http://www.fisica.uniroma2.it/?cmtheo-group/). She is currently finishing her PhD in the same research group. Her research project focused on the investigation of the role played by electron-phonon coupling on the electronic properties of polymers. Through completing her research she made a contribution to the development of YAMBO (http://www.yambo-code.org/), a FORTRAN/C code for Many-Body calculations in solid state and molecular physics.Luca Mazzaferro is a PhD student at the University of Rome "Tor Vergata". He works on the ATLAS experiment and is a member of the ATLAS Calibration group. He gratuated from the University of Rome "La Sapienza" in May 2010, and worked with the local ATLAS group, developing the LCDS routines for the calibration of the ATLAS MDT Chambers. This software is now a standard for managing the calibration analysis of ATLAS chambers. He also works in the administrative group of "Tor Vergata" grid-computing farm.Marina Migliaccio graduated in Universe Science at the University of Rome "Tor Vergata", and she is now a PhD student in Astronomy. During her PhD she has spent eight months as a visiting scholar at the Kavli Institute for Cosmology in Cambridge (UK). The focus of her research is precision cosmology. In this context, her work so far has been devoted to the study of Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) radiation in order to constrain cosmological models and early universe physics. She has analyzed the BOOMERanG balloon-borne experiment data, searching for a primordial non-Gaussian signature. Since 2008, she has been involved in the Planck mission Core Cosmology program, where her major contribution deals with measuring the statistical properties of CMB intensity and polarization fields in view of realistic (both instrumental and astrophysical) effects.Davide Pietrobon graduated in Astronomy, sharing the PhD between the University of Roma "Tor Vergata" and the Institute of Cosmology and Gravitation at the University of Portsmouth, within the context of the European Cotutela project. His thesis represents a detailed analysis of the cosmological perturbations through needlets, a statistical tool he developed together with his colleagues in Rome. In particular he focused on two main open questions in cosmology: dark energy and non-Gaussianity. He gained his Bachelors degree in physics from the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, and his Masters in physics at the University of Roma "Tor Vergata". He spent three months at the University of California Irvine as a visiting student and is now a postdoc at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.Francesco Stellato has studied the role of metals in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinsons and Alzheimers during his PhD. To this purpose, he mainly used synchrotron radiation-based techniques, e.g. X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy. He is interested in the development of new-generation light sources such as high-brilliance synchrotron and Free Electron Lasers, and in their application to the structural and dynamical study of biomolecules.Marcella Veneziani is a postdoc fellow at the California Institute of Technology and the University of Rome "La Sapienza". In February 2009 she gained her PhD in Astronomy at the University of Rome "La Sapienza", and in Physics, Particles and Matter at the University of Paris Diderot. Her fields of interest are: physics of the interstellar medium and star formation; cosmic microwave background radiation; analysis of data from orbital and suborbital experiments, and instrumental calibration. She is a member of the Herschel-HiGal, the Planck-HFI and the BOOMERanG collaborations. Part of her work has been undertaken at the European Space Agency Astronomy Center and at the University of California Irvine.