UPMC is a global leader in health care — a nonprofit organization that combines world-class medical expertise, cutting-edge innovation, and a deep commitment to community well-being. Headquartered in Pittsburgh and affiliated with the University of Pittsburgh, UPMC is at the forefront of research, education, and the development of clinical solutions that improve lives.
Each year, UPMC invests nearly $2 billion in community programs and services — more than any other health system in Pennsylvania. With over 100,000 employees, including 5,000 physicians, UPMC delivers specialized care across more than 40 hospitals and 800 outpatient centers throughout Pennsylvania, New York, Maryland, and internationally.
The ARNAS Civico e Benfratelli – Giovanni Di Cristina – Maurizio Ascoli Hospital in Palermo is southern Italy’s largest health care facility. ARNAS Civico Hospital is committed to cooperation with, and development of, national and regional programs in emergency medicine, transplantation, mother-child health, and oncology. It also carries out training and research activities in biotechnology. In addition to health care and research, the hospital organizes training/refresher courses accredited by the National Commission for Continuing Medical Education (CME). Civico Hospital is committed to humanitarian medicine for citizens of developing countries in cooperation with major international organizations. The hospital hosts the Pediatric Unit of the University Mother-Child Health Department, the Infectious Diseases and Virology Institute, the Pediatrics and Infectious Diseases Specialization Schools, and the Undergraduate Degree Program in General Nursing of the University of Palermo. ARNAS Civico Hospital serves as headquarters of the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Regional Committee and the 118 Emergency Service for the provinces of Palermo and Trapani.
The Ri.MED Foundation, established by the Presidency of the Italian Council of Ministers to encourage the socioeconomic development of Sicily and Southern Italy, is a public-private partnership management model based on a scientific collaboration agreement between the United States of America and Italy. Ri.MED is a non-profit foundation that focuses on the development of biotechnological and biomedical translational research approaches, the dissemination of scientific know-how, the training of qualified professionals in life sciences, and the development and management of research centers and laboratories. Ri.MED is currently involved in the realization in Carini, near Palermo, of the Biomedical Research and Biotechnology Center (BRBC), a research center that will place Sicily in the forefront of biotechnology and biomedical research in the whole Mediterranean region. Ri.MED has its offices in Palermo, where the computational biochemistry laboratories are also located; its regenerative medicine and biomedical research laboratories are at ISMETT IRCCS, while the structural biology laboratories are at ATeN Center of the University of Palermo. Ri.MED is also involved in several projects with research centers of the University of Pittsburgh. Ri.MED’s research combines traditional R&D approaches with innovative approaches of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. Ri.MED’s therapeutic areas of interest include oncology, neurodegenerative diseases, as well as metabolic, cardiovascular, infectious and inflamatory diseases, and organ failure. The diverse nature of its founding members – the University of Pittsburgh, the Italian National Research Council (CNR), and UPMC – and the strategic partnership with ISMETT IRCCS, have facilitated the exchange of knowledge among doctors and researchers, using a bench-to-bedside approach, integrating basic research, preclinical development of new therapies, medical devices and biomarkers, and clinical experimentation, with the ultimate goal of improving public health. In June 2017, the Ri.MED Foundation entered the governance of ISMETT IRCCS.
