Equal Opportunities Award 2024
Institutional Communication Service
10 September 2024
Antonio Landi, PhD assistant in Biomedicine, is awarded the 2024 USI Equal Opportunities Prize for scientific contributions on equality and diversity issues. The Equal Opportunities Award - now in its 7th edition - is aimed at stimulating interest and promoting the commitment of USI's student body and intermediate body to address the issues of equality, diversity and inclusion, intended in all possible dimensions. A special mention is also awarded to Dr Leandro Guedes Soares, PhD in Informatics.
In the 2024 edition, 8 applications were received from the Faculties of Communication, Culture and Society, Informatics, Biomedical Sciences, and Theology.
USI's Equal Opportunities Delegation, chaired by Pro-rector Prof. Sonja Hildebrand, awarded the prize of CHF 2,000 to Antonio Landi, PhD assistant within the Faculty of Biomedical Sciences, for his scientific article: ‘Abbreviated or Standard Dual Antiplatelet Therapy by Sex in Patients at High Bleeding Risk: A Prespecified Secondary Analysis of a Randomized Clinical Trial’, JAMA cardiology, 9(1), 35-44.
The author's study offers one of the largest current analyses investigating differences in clinical characteristics and outcomes between male and female patients at high bleeding risk undergoing coronary revascularisation. Including 4579 patients, 31% of whom were women, the study proves to be one of the few with a large presence of women in the sample, arriving at gender-specific results. Typically, in medicine, in fact, the male gender is predominantly dominant in studies thus determining standards that may not be accurately applied to women. The work is a shining example of how academic research can have a significant and tangible impact on clinical practice.
The Delegation also decided to award a special mention of CHF 500 to Dr. Leandro Guedes Soares, PhD in Computer Science, for his doctoral thesis ‘Accessibility by Design: Designing Inclusive Technologies with and for People with Intellectual Disabilities.’
The thesis was positively evaluated for the great competence and depth with which the topic of equal opportunities and inclusive technologies were treated. The work represents a significant contribution to the understanding of how technologies can be designed and implemented to promote equal and inclusive access in learning contexts.
