Technological innovation, artificial intelligence and the development of young doctors: the future of radiology starts here.

The University of Insubria presented the first-level Master’s programme Itiaar, in collaboration with Asst Sette Laghi, and hosted the award ceremony for the best radiodiagnostics resident, organised by the L’Alveare association of Buguggiate. Attending the meeting were Rector Maria Pierro, the hospital authority’s Director General Mauro Moreno, the President of the Lombardy Region Health Commission Emanuele Monti, and Professor Massimo Venturini

Technological innovation, artificial intelligence and the development of young doctors: this is where the future of radiology begins. With this aim, the University of Insubria, in collaboration with Asst Sette Laghi, presented in Varese the new first-level Master’s programme Itiaar – Technological Innovation and Artificial Intelligence in Radiology and the second edition of the Radiodiagnostics Research Award, intended for the best medical resident.

The initiative took place in the Aula Magna of the Rectorate, with contributions from Rector Maria Pierro, Director General of Asst Sette Laghi Mauro Moreno, President of the Welfare Commission of the Lombardy Region Emanuele Monti, and Massimo Venturini, Full Professor of Radiology at Insubria, Director of Radiology in Varese at Asst Sette Laghi and Director of the Specialisation School in Radiodiagnostics. The speakers also included Giulio Carcano, Director of the Department of Medicine and Technological Innovation at Insubria, Nicoletta Gandolfo, President of the Italian Society of Medical and Interventional Radiology, and Diego Catania, President of the National Federation of the Orders of Medical Radiology Technicians and Technical, Rehabilitation and Prevention Health Professions.

“Medicine is undergoing a profound transformation,” said Rector Maria Pierro , “driven by technological development fostered by the extensive use of artificial intelligence. For the university, it is essential to promote this change, in order to train professionals capable of understanding, interpreting and governing new diagnostic tools and their methods of application: I am thinking of imaging, interventional radiology and radiotherapy. Keeping pace with the evolution of medicine means investing in training and collaboration with the healthcare system, and in particular with Asst Sette Laghi, in order to translate innovation into tangible benefits for patients and for the quality of care. These actions, together with dialogue with the local area, characterise our mission and today find concrete expression here.”

“The radiology of the future is already a reality in our facilities,” said the Director General of Asst Sette Laghi Mauro Moreno . “Thanks to NRRP investments and funding from the Lombardy Region , we are profoundly renewing major equipment, with new MRI scanners, CT scanners and radiology systems that will enable increasingly precise diagnoses and faster response times. But technology alone is not enough: we need trained professionals capable of managing innovation. This is why advanced training and collaboration with the University of Insubria are strategic elements in ensuring radiology that is increasingly digital, interdisciplinary and patient-centred.”

“Technological innovation and artificial intelligence are opening up a new phase for medicine, and particularly for radiology, one of the areas in which these transformations are most evident,” said the President of the Welfare Commission of the Lombardy Region Emanuele Monti. “Investing in the training of professionals and strengthening the connection between the university and the healthcare system is essential to guarantee care that is increasingly effective, timely and data-driven. In Lombardy we want to continue supporting advanced training pathways such as the first-level Master’s programme Itiaar, Technological Innovation and Artificial Intelligence in Radiology, at the University of Insubria, which enhances the skills of young professionals and helps make our healthcare system increasingly innovative and close to citizens’ needs.”

“Radiology is one of the fields of medicine in which technological innovation is advancing most rapidly,” explained Massimo Venturini. “Tools such as artificial intelligence, radiomics and new imaging platforms are changing the way people work in diagnostics, interventional radiology and research. The master’s programme was created precisely to prepare radiology technicians for this step change, with skills that combine clinical practice with a greater ability to read and use data.”

The award for the best resident

The second part of the meeting was dedicated to the second edition of the annual Radiodiagnostics Research Award, established by the voluntary association L’Alveare Odv of Buguggiate in collaboration with the University of Insubria and Asst Sette Laghi.

The award is presented to the medical resident of the Specialisation School in Radiodiagnostics who has distinguished themselves through scientific activity, such as the publication of a research paper or participation as a speaker at major conferences.

The 2026 award winner is Federica Costanza Grimoldi, a third-year medical resident at the Specialisation School in Radiodiagnostics of the University of Insubria. After graduating in Medicine and Surgery in 2023 with a thesis on interventional radiology and the endovascular treatment of traumatic thoracic injuries, she continued her training and research in the field of aortic disease and endovascular techniques. Passionately involved in clinical work at the Ospedale di Circolo in Varese, particularly in the angiography suite, and engaged in scientific research and participation in national and international conferences, in 2025 she contributed to the publication of the study “Endovascular treatment of traumatic thoracic aortic injuries in patients with normal anatomy and anatomical variants: safety, efficacy and long-term follow-up”, published in La Radiologia Medica. 

“With this award, we want to recognise the commitment and talent of young doctors who choose to invest in research and professional growth,” explained Ilaria Mai, president of the L’Alveare association of Buguggiate. “In a healthcare context increasingly oriented towards early diagnosis and precision medicine, radiodiagnostics plays a central role. Through this initiative, we want to support those who contribute to the growth of this field and strengthen the relationship with two key organisations in the local area, the University of Insubria and the Ospedale di Circolo.”