Skin Neglected Tropical Diseases

Master
2nd level vocational master
A.Y. 2025/2026
Study area
Medicine and Healthcare
2nd level vocational master
60
ECTS
1
Year
Language
English
Master Coordinator
This vocational master programme aims to provide participants with solid specialised and interdisciplinary training on skin neglected tropical diseases (also known as skin NTDs or SNTDs), in line with the eradication policies promoted by the World Health Organization (WHO NTD Roadmap 2021-2030).
Skin neglected tropical diseases are a heterogeneous group of bacterial (e.g. Buruli ulcer), fungal (e.g. Podoconiosis), and parasitic (e.g. Leishmaniasis) conditions that affect over a billion people worldwide, especially in low-income countries, and are often associated with stigma and disability. With the advent of globalisation and climate change, the incidence of these diseases has changed, also affecting high-income countries and creating a serious public health emergency that has not been addressed by targeted postgraduate programmes.
Therefore, the purpose of this vocational master is for participants to learn:
a) the main methods for validating, constructing, and using scientific evidence
b) criteria for the diagnosis of skin NTDs, including differential diagnostic criteria
c) on-label and off-label therapies for skin NTDs
d) the main prevention concepts in endemic areas.
The programme also includes an in-depth study of specific topics that influence the patient journey for individuals with skin NTDs, such as ethnopharmacology, issues related to substandard medications, drug contamination, drug resistance, and the development of guidelines.
The ultimate goal is to train future professionals who, guided by scientific evidence, will be able to manage skin NTDs safely and with clinical expertise.

The vocational master, which will be taught online and entirely in English, will begin in the second semester of the academic year 2025/2026 and will consist of 144 hours of lectures (24 credits) and 410 hours of other forms of training (25 credits).
The programme also includes a 200-hour internship (8 credits) and a final exam (3 credit) consisting of a discussion on the main topics covered by the courses.

The tuition fee is 6,000.00 euros, including insurance costs.

Public employees who enrol in a vocational master programme are entitled to a discount on tuition fees thanks to PA 110 e lode (https://www.unimi.it/en/education/postgraduate-and-continuing-education-programmes/pa-110-e-lode-training-public-administration-employees), a training initiative funded by the Department of Public Administration.
The programme is open to anyone holding a Master's or single-cycle degree under Ministerial Decree no. 270/2004, or equivalent qualifications obtained at foreign universities.
This vocational master programme aims to train a wide range of professionals not only healthcare workers who will be able to focus on skin neglected tropical diseases from various perspectives. It is intended for physicians and healthcare professionals working in tropical settings, including within NGOs or international organisations, as well as for future managers, CEOs, and policy-makers interested in global health. Moreover, it provides a solid foundation for researchers who wish to work in developing countries to contribute to the management and study of these neglected diseases.

Courses list

Open sessions
Courses or activities Professor(s) ECTS Total hours Language
Compulsory
Bacterial Sntds and Snakebites 4 24 English
Case Study On Bacterial Infections
7 118 English
Case Study On Fungal Infections 7 120 English
Case Study On Parasitic Infections
7 118 English
Environmental and Cultural Determinants of Sntd 4 24 English
Fundamentals of Dermatoscopy and Its Use in Skin Neglected Tropical Diseases 1 12 English
Fungal Sntds 4 24 English
Introduction and Methods to Study Sntd 4 24 English
Monthly Seminars of the International Noma Network
1 18 English
Parasitic Sntds 4 24 English
Pharmaceutical Determinants and Future Perspectives in Sntd 4 24 English
Pharmacontamination in the Ocean, Unesco
1 18 English
Theorical and Practical Course of Bacilloscopy
1 12 English

Enrolment

Call for applications

The call for applications is being finalized. Please refer to the call, once it is available, for admission test dates and contents, and how to register.

Application for admission: application deadlines will be published shortly.

The call for applications is being finalized