The ''Istituto Superiore di Sanità'' (Italian National Institute of Health, literally 'Higher Health Institute'), also ISS, is an Italian public institution that, as the leading technical-scientific body of the Italian National Health Service ('' Servizio Sanitario Nazionale''), performs

research Research is "creativity, creative and systematic work undertaken to increase the stock of knowledge". It involves the collection, organization and analysis of evidence to increase understanding of a topic, characterized by a particular att ...

trials In law, a trial is a coming together of parties to a dispute, to present information (in the form of evidence) in a tribunal, a formal setting with the authority to adjudicate claims or disputes. One form of tribunal is a court. The tribunal, w ...

, control,

counseling Counseling is the professional guidance of the individual by utilizing psychological methods especially in collecting case history data, using various techniques of the personal interview, and testing interests and aptitudes. This is a list of co ...

documentation Documentation is any communicable material that is used to describe, explain or instruct regarding some attributes of an object, system or procedure, such as its parts, assembly, installation, maintenance and use. As a form of knowledge manageme ...

and

training Training is teaching, or developing in oneself or others, any skills and knowledge or Physical fitness, fitness that relate to specific practicality, useful Competence (human resources), competencies. Training has specific goals of improving on ...

for public health. The Institute is under the supervision of the ''Ministero della Salute'' (Ministry of Health).

History

The official opening of the ISS, called ''Istituto di Sanità Pubblica'' (Institute of Public Health), took place on April 21, 1934. The construction of the main building in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

, designed by architect Giuseppe Amendola, started on July 6, 1931 and it was financed by the American

Rockefeller Foundation The Rockefeller Foundation is an American private foundation and philanthropic medical research and arts funding organization based at 420 Fifth Avenue, New York City. The second-oldest major philanthropic institution in America, after the Carneg ...

. In 1941 the ''Istituto di Sanità Pubblica'' assumed its present name of ''Istituto Superiore di Sanità'' In 1958 the ISS came under the protection of the Ministry of Health, from the

Ministry of Interior An interior ministry (sometimes called a ministry of internal affairs or ministry of home affairs) is a government department that is responsible for internal affairs. Lists of current ministries of internal affairs Named "ministry" * Ministry ...

ISS Directors (then Presidents)

* Gaetano Basile (1934–35) * Dante De Blasi (1935) * Domenico Marotta (1935–61) * Giordano Giacomello (1961–64) * Giovan Battista Marini Bettolo Marconi (1964–72) * Francesco Pocchiari (1972–89) * Vincenzo Longo (1989) * Francesco Antonio Manzoli (1989–93) * Giuseppe Vicari (1993–95) * Aurelia Sargentini (1995–96) * Giuseppe Benagiano (1996–2001) * Enrico Garaci (2001–13) * Fabrizio Oleari (2013–14) * Gualtiero Ricciardi (2015–18); Commissioner (2014–15) * Silvio Brusaferro (2019–present), straordinary commissioner

Nobel Prize Winners

Daniel Bovet Daniel Bovet (23 March 1907 – 8 April 1992) was a Swiss-born Italian pharmacologist who won the 1957 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his discovery of drugs that block the actions of specific neurotransmitters. He is best known for his ...

Ernst Boris Chain Sir Ernst Boris Chain (19 June 1906 – 12 August 1979) was a German-born British biochemist best known for being a co-recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his work on penicillin. Life and career Chain was born in Ber ...

Enrico Fermi Enrico Fermi (; 29 September 1901 – 28 November 1954) was an Italian (later naturalized American) physicist and the creator of the world's first nuclear reactor, the Chicago Pile-1. He has been called the "architect of the nuclear age" and ...

Rita Levi Montalcini Rita Levi-Montalcini (, ; 22 April 1909 – 30 December 2012) was an Italian Nobel laureate, honored for her work in neurobiology. She was awarded the 1986 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine jointly with colleague Stanley Cohen for the ...

Structure

Departments

* Environment and Primary Prevention * Cell Biology and Neurosciences * Haematology, Oncology and Molecular Medicine * Therapeutic Research and Medicines Evaluation * Infectious, Parasitic and Immune-Mediated Diseases * Veterinary Public Health and Food Safety * Technology and Health

National centres

* National AIDS Centre * National Centre for Chemical Substances * National Centre for Epidemiology, Surveillance and Health Promotion *Centre for Immunobiologicals Research and Evaluation * National Centre for Rare Diseases * Evaluation and Accreditation Body * National Blood Centre * National Transplant Centre

Technical services

* Service for Biotechnology and Animal Welfare * Data Management, Documentation, Library and Publishing Activities

Bibliography

* Giorgio Bignami, ''Origins and Subsequent Development of the Istituto Superiore di Sanità in Rome (Italy)''
on-line
(Italian)

References

External links

Official English website of the ISS
{{DEFAULTSORT:Istituto Superiore di Sanita Medical and health organisations based in Italy Medical research institutes in Italy 1941 establishments in Italy Organizations established in 1941 Rome Q. VI Tiburtino Food safety organizations Regulation in Italy National public health agencies