On the occasion of World No Tobacco Day 2025, CoEHAR – the Center of Excellence for the Acceleration of Harm Reduction at the University of Catania – renews its annual event with medical students and the youth of the city of Catania. Following the success of the 2024 edition, this year’s CoEHAR Annual Conference will be held on Friday, May 30, starting at 8:30 AM, in the Main Lecture Hall of the “F. Latteri” Biological Tower at the University of Catania. The event will feature esteemed CoEHAR members and academic authorities from the University.
No Tobacco Day 2025, promoted by the World Health Organization (WHO), aims to raise global awareness about the dangers of tobacco use and the importance of implementing effective policies to reduce cigarette consumption, especially among young people.
The theme for 2025 focuses on youth health and protecting future generations, emphasizing the responsibility of governments, health institutions, and academia in providing educational and scientific tools to prevent smoking initiation. In alignment with this message, CoEHAR has prepared a rich program centered on the harms caused by smoking and the most effective prevention and harm reduction strategies, with a special focus on outreach to young people.
Among the speakers:
- Prof. Pasquale Caponnetto and Dr. Noemi Vitale – Department of Educational Sciences, University of Catania
- Dr. Michele Compagnone – Endocrinology Unit, “G. Rodolico – San Marco” Hospital
- Prof. Massimo Caruso – Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences
- Dr. Emanuela Tropea – Proper nutrition against smoking
- Prof. Davide Campagna – Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine
- Dr. Giovanni Mangano – Psychologist, Caritas Catania, presenting results from the project on the role of reduced-risk devices among vulnerable populations
During the conference, the winner of the national medical students’ idea contest will be announced. The contest, launched last november by the Italian Anti-Smoking League (LIAF) in collaboration with ECLAT (an academic spin-off) and CoEHAR, attracted entries from numerous students across Italian universities. The winning project – selected based on innovation, effectiveness, and sustainability – will be awarded by Prof. Giovanni Li Volti, Director of CoEHAR, along with jury members: Dr. Sergio Rassu – Chirone Moderno Publisher, and Dr. Stefano Caliciuri – Editor-in-Chief of SigMagazine. The ceremony will be moderated by journalist Valeria Nicolosi. The event is also supported by the student association SOS Unict from the University of Catania.
For more information, download the program and the press release (link after the program)
