The third edition of the biennial recognition in memory of the great pediatrician goes to Ferruccio de Bortoli in his capacity as president of Vidas. The handover ceremony is on Thursday 12 May
He was the father of Italian pediatrics. In the name of Giuseppe Roberto Burgio (Palermo, 1919 – Pavia, 2014), the University of Pavia, the Policlinico San Matteo and the Pavia Pediatric School gave birth in 2016 to the Biennial Award «Burgio – On the side of children». The third edition is now awarded to Ferruccio de Bortoli in his capacity as president of Vidas, an association founded in 1982 to defend the patient’s right to live with dignity even the last moments of life. In particular, the recognition is conferred for the association’s commitment also in the field of pediatric palliative care: in 2019 the Casa sollievo bimbi was inaugurated in Milan, a hospice that Vidas has specifically dedicated to seriously ill children.
The Burgio award ceremony will be held on Thursday 12 at 5 pm in the Aula Magna of the University of Pavia: the rector of the university will deliver it to Ferruccio de Bortoli, Francesco Svelto; the president of the Foundation-IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, Alessandro Venturi; the director of the Pavia Pediatric School, Gian Luigi Marseglia. «Burgio was one of the greatest pediatricians of the last century. Undoubtedly the most important in Italy, with an extraordinary clinical activity and dozens of international publications and awards », explains Marseglia. “Having a German mother and knowing the language, he was the only Italian interlocutor with the great European pediatrics, that is essentially Germany and German-speaking Switzerland. Very long-lived, he came to the clinic until the very end, a great example for everyone. We students are grateful to him because he made us appreciate what pediatrics is: total dedication to the child in its entirety. His motto was: “The pediatrician is the child’s advocate” ».
The first edition of the award went in 2016 to Enzo Manesfounder of Dynamo Camp, the second a Ezio Greggio, television face and founder of the Association for the help of premature babies. Now the recognition of Ferruccio de Bortoli, columnist of the Corriere and president of Vidas. “In my career as a pediatrician I have unfortunately witnessed many deaths of children – says Marseglia – but the emotion I had in visiting the Vidas Children’s Relief Home it was very strong. It is a structure built for the respect of the dignity of man and children, on the part of the little ones and their families who receive maximum assistance and serenity. You really moved me deeply. “
The award sculpture was made by the artist Maurizio Fusari, pupil of Giò Pomodoro. It represents a tree of life, with deep roots. The ceremony on Thursday 12 kicks off at 5 pm with institutional greetings. Simona Ravizza, journalist of the «Corriere», will introduce the delivery of the award. The figure of Giuseppe Roberto Burgio will be remembered in the intervention of Professor Alberto G. Ugazio. Finally, at 6 pm, the conclusion with the choir of the Faculty of Musicology of the Cremona branch of the University of Pavia.
May 10, 2022 (change May 10, 2022 | 09:24)
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