Lucia Ferrara

Lucia Ferrara is an Associate Professor of Practice in Healthcare Management at SDA Bocconi School of Management. Since 2016, she has been a researcher at Cergas SDA Bocconi (Center for Research on Healthcare and Social Services Management) in the healthcare management area.

At SDA Bocconi, she is the Scientific Director of the DISS Network for Directors of Socio-Health Districts. She is also the Director of Managerial Training courses in Models of management of territorial services and Digital Health and Artificial Intelligence in healthcare, the multi-year project Spinal Muscular Atrophy Management Lab (SMALab), and numerous custom and open-market training programs. She is the coordinator of the Healthcare Management path of MIHMEP – Master of International Healthcare Management Economics and Policy.

Lucia has managed and conducted numerous research and training activities with both national and multinational healthcare companies and public institutions operating in the healthcare and public administration sectors at national and regional levels. She has also collaborated with local healthcare companies, hospitals, and medical-scientific and professional societies, as well as relevant international institutions (European Union). Her research focuses on the general field of clinical governance and the perspectives and tools of population health management (PHM), process management in healthcare, Diagnostic Therapeutic and Care Paths (PDTA), digitization, and the analysis of national and international health policies. Her current research activities revolve around three research questions: The first is how to improve the management of patients for specific health conditions, including the logic of service redesign and the reform of financing mechanisms (bundled systems).The second research question focuses on the use of data and digitization, managerial and organizational implications for clinical governance, and PHM approaches. The third research question focuses on the evaluation of the implementation of health policies and programs at the national and international levels.

In recent years, she has conducted national and European research on clinical networks (for oncology, rare diseases, infectious diseases), the implementation of PDTA and care models for major chronic diseases, the development of intermediate and transition care, the use of big data, PHM approaches, and the evaluation of policies (e.g., National Chronicity Plan, National AIDS Plan) and bundled financing models.

She is the author of numerous essays and articles on the topics she addresses. Her works have been published in leading international managerial and clinical community journals such as Health Service Management Research (HSMR), the International Journal of Integrated Care (IJIC), the European Journal of Public Health (EJPH), and BMC Health Services Research, as well as national journals such as Mecosan, Welfare oggi, and Politiche sociali. Lucia participates in various international networks, including the International Foundation for Integrated Care and the European Healthcare Management Association (EHMA). She is also a member of the Editorial Board of the Journal of Integrated Care (JIC).

Lucia obtained her Master's degree in Sociology, Social and Health Policy at the University of Bologna, a Master's degree in Health Economics and Policy at Coripe Piemonte, and a Ph.D. in Design and Evaluation of Social and Health Policies at the University of Bari.