Apply by: 31 May
Disability is a very relevant issue at both the global level and specifically in Europe, where over 101 million persons (25% of the European adult population) live with disabilities. Although aging is associated with an increased probability of acquiring some kind of disability, 29% of the European citizens with disability are aged below 34. Disability poses multiple challenges to individual daily functioning and quality of life across all life stages: school dropout, unemployment, poor economic resources, unequal access to care, barriers to social participation, marginalization. Family caregivers – 85% of them represented by women – experience relevant psychophysical and social burden. All these challenges, and the need to address them, are related to several UN Sustainable Development Goals, in particular Health and Well-being for All (SDG 3), Quality Education (SDG 4), Gender Equality (SDG 5), Decent Work and Equitable Economic Growth (SDG 8), Reduction of Inequalities (SDG 10), and Sustainable Cities and Communities (SDG 11).
Flagship 1 core themes revolve around urban health and demographic changes. Within this field, relevant topics are the promotion of health, well-being and a good quality of life for all citizens, community cohesion and inclusion, and the development of sustainable and resilient urban contexts. Within this general perspective, a two-day workshop open to PhD students will be organized on 7-8 October 2024, with the aim of identifying core problems and potential solutions to disability related challenges, at the individual, family and community levels and across disciplinary areas.
Participants will be PhD students, possibly addressing the issue of disability in their own doctoral project, and university researchers from different disciplines actively working in this domain. The workshop will be an opportunity to share knowledge on the most recent advancements in research, practice and policy implementation, and to design joint research and intervention projects to be submitted to European agencies. The ultimate goal is to start a stable 4EU+ collaborative group, working on the topic of disability from different disciplinary perspectives, and focused on the promotion of an inclusive European Research University, in the context of an inclusive European society.
PhD students from the 4EU+ Alliance member universities.
As for graduates from the Medical School (having acquired the MD degree), we consider the call open to them as well, if they are enrolled as students in a university-based specialization course.
Please send the following documents by 31 May 2024 to the members of faculty of the University you belong to, indicated below:
Abstract of your research thesis (please indicate the PhD Programme you are enrolled in),
Letter of motivation (max 500 words).
If eligible, you will be awarded a 4EU+ allowance for travel and accommodation expenses.
University of Milan: giuseppe.arconzo@unimi.it; davide.cattaneo@unimi.it; antonella.dellefave@unimi.it
Charles University: ludek.sykora@natur.cuni.cz; pavla.brennan.kearns@lfmotol.cuni.cz;
Heidelberg University: maja.hempel@med.uni-heidelberg.de; johannes.eurich@dwi.uni-heidelberg.de;
Sorbonne University: giovanna.fancello@iplesp.upmc.fr; eleonore.bayen@gbhi.org;
University of Copenhagen: lena.andersen@sund.ku.dk; maria.castaner@sund.ku.dk;
University of Geneva: minerva.rivas@hesge.ch;
University of Warsaw: b.lackoronski@wpia.uw.edu.pl; j.smogorzewsk2@uw.edu.pl.
7 October 2024
9:00-9:30
Introductory roundtable
9:30-11:00
Presentation of research topics/projects (faculty and students)
Coffee break
11:30-13:00
Lunch
14:00-15:40
Domain specific state of the art, challenges and goals (faculty)
15:40-16:00
Plenary discussion
16:30-17:50
17:50-18:30
Plenary discussion and preparation of multidisciplinary groups
8 October 2024
9:00-11:30
Group work on project proposals
12:00-13:00
Plenary discussion to identify topic priorities and joint projects
14:00-16:00
Group work on joint projects
16:30-17:30
Plenary discussion and action definition
Prof. Giuseppe Arconzo
Professor of Constitutional Law, his academic expertise lies primarily in the fields of Italian constitutional principles, legal theory, and jurisprudence. His research mainly concerns the legal status and rights of people living with disabilities.
Email: [e-mail]
Prof. Davide Cattaneo
Associate professor of Rehabilitation Sciences and coordinator of the Technological Lab for Research in Clinical Environment at Fondazione Don Gnocchi, his areas of interest include motor learning in rehabilitation medicine, with a specific focus on neurological disorders and telerehabilitation with digital and robotic tools.
Prof. Antonella Delle Fave
Professor of General Psychology at the Faculty of Medicine, her research activities concern health promotion among persons with chronic/degenerative diseases and disabilities, with a specific focus on positive mental health, optimal daily functioning, and family resilience.
Dr Giovanna Fancello
Postdoctoral researcher at Sorbonne and the French Institute of Health and Medical Research (Inserm), her studies are focused on urban accessibility, and on the role of exposure to noise, pollution and urban landscapes in mental health symptoms.
Prof Eleonore Bayen
Professor of Medicine and Director of the Neuro-Rehabilitation Department at Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital, her research is focused on neurocognitive rehabilitation techniques promoting effective compensation strategies and on the impact of dementia and multimorbidity on healthcare costs.
Prof. Ludek Sykora
Professor of Urban Studies at the Department of Social Geography and Regional Development, his research is primarily focused on the effects of globalization on urban transformation, with specific attention to the role of urban policies and planning in urban development and suburbanization.
Prof. Pavla Brennan Kearns
Associate professor and head of the Department of Epidemiology at the Second Faculty of Medicine, her research is focused on neurological and psychiatric health across the lifespan, in particular the impact of gender and socioeconomic status and education on affective and cognitive symptoms.
Prof. Bogusław Lackoroński
Assistant professor in the Department of Civil Law at the University of Warsaw, his research is focused on liability for indirect damages, compensation for non-material damages resulting from the infringement of family ties and private law aspects of disability (active legal capacity) in the context of Art. 12 of the CRPD.
Prof. Joanna Smogorzewska
Associate professor in the Department of Education, she is interested in the longitudinal relationship between theory of mind development and educational settings in primary and special education, and in the promotion of inclusive education for children with sensory and cognitive disabilities.
Prof. Maja Hempel
Professor at the Institute of Human Genetics and head of the Genetics outpatient clinics at the University Hospital Heidelberg, she is extensively studying the role of genetic variations in patients with developmental disabilities, exploring the connections of their functional impact and symptoms in patients.
Prof. Johannes Eurich, Practical Theology/Study of Christian Social Services
Professor of Practical Theology and director of the Institute for the Study of Christian Social Services, his research is focused on the role of religion in social services and innovation, in particular on the significance of welfare and justice for marginalized populations, particularly people with disabilities and the elderly.
Dr. Lena Skovgard Andersen
Assistant professor in Global Mental Health, her research is mainly focused on psychological and psychosocial interventions for mental health prevention and treatment in resource-constrained settings, and specifically in cultural adaptation of interventions for mental disorders in people living with HIV in South Africa.
Dr. Maria Marti Castaner
Assistant professor in the Danish Centre for Migration, Ethnicity and Health, her research is focused on the determinants of children’s mental health and on community-based interventions in disadvantaged contexts, with specific attention to the perinatal mental health of refugee women and their offspring.
Dr. Minerva Rivas Velarde
Senior research associate at the Faculty of Medicine, her research is focused on disability policy, global health, and biomedical ethics, with specific attention to the impact of disability on the marginalized populations of refugees and indigenous communities in the Global South.