Year of Establishment: 2019
The Interuniversity Centre for Integrated Study Models for Health Protection and Prevention in Living and Working Environments (MISTRAL) was established at the University of Verona.
The Centre also involves the University of Brescia (Department of Clinical and Experimental Sciences and Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering) and the University of Milano-Bicocca.
The Centre’s primary scientific mission is to develop approaches based on rigorous methodological, technical and scientific foundations to promote, support and disseminate studies and research aimed at improving the interaction between individuals, their work activities and their living environments, with particular reference to the geographical areas in which the participating universities operate.
In particular, the Centre aims to serve as a scientific reference body and a meeting point for institutions, professionals and researchers at national and international levels who, in various capacities and with different degrees of institutional responsibility, are interested in exploring, through integrated and multidisciplinary research, both basic and applied research topics. Its overarching purpose is to contribute to the advancement of knowledge concerning the proper assessment, estimation and management of physical, chemical, biological, ergonomic and psychosocial risks affecting the general and working populations.
To this end, the Centre’s priority objectives are:
- Advancing knowledge and scientific evidence concerning the biological effects, including early effects, induced by the various risk factors to which the general and working populations are exposed, in order to assess potential adverse health effects, establish effective primary, secondary and tertiary prevention strategies, and implement health promotion initiatives;
- Developing, standardising and validating effective and innovative methods for the proper monitoring of living and working environments and for the health surveillance of individuals exposed to risks;
- Developing advanced technological tools and solutions (e.g. in design, building systems and digital technologies) aimed at reducing health risks among the general and working populations;
- Contributing to the updating and improvement of regulatory instruments to ensure more effective and accurate risk surveillance among the general and working populations.