Health Cooperation: the University of Milan in Kenya with Pwani University

The University of Milan has obtained another extra-European Erasmus KA171 grant in the medical field, in collaboration with Pwani University (PU), Kenya. The three-year program allows bilateral mobility of teaching staff. 

PU is a public university located in the city of Kilifi, on the Kenyan coast and surrounded by rural areas within the wider Kilifi County. PU offers a wide range of study programs, including health sciences, environmental sciences, agriculture, animal sciences, biochemistry, computer science, economics, commerce, arts, and anthropology. This multidisciplinary environment is enriched by the presence of international students and researchers from partner institutions. 

The School of Health and Human Sciences (SHHS) at PU is a relatively recent school, approved in 2014. It comprises four departments: Anatomy and Physiology, Nursing, Public Health, and Food Science, Nutrition and Dietetics. SHHS offers undergraduate, master’s and doctoral programs. Since 2023, it has also offered the Degree Course in Medicine and Surgery. Last October, the third year of the Medicine program was therefore inaugurated.

Within the framework of the Erasmus KA171 project, involving the Department of Health Sciences (DISS) and the Department of Biomedical Sciences for Health (SCIBIS), Stefania Recalcati, Rector’s Delegate for International Health Cooperation, Maria Paola Canevini, Professor of Child and Adolescent Neuropsychiatry, Director of the Department of Mental Health and Addictions at ASST Santi Paolo e Carlo, and Giovanni Felisati, Professor of Otorhinolaryngology, Director of the School of Specialization in Otorhinolaryngology and of the Head and Neck Department at ASST Santi Paolo e Carlo, carried out a mission in Kilifi at PU, in the first two weeks of February 2026.

During the mission, lectures were delivered to medical students in their first three years. This was a positive experience, with students showing great interest and engagement. In addition to teaching activities, several meetings were held with the University governance and with Faculty members of the Medical School to design a long-term collaboration aimed at achieving concrete and sustainable outcomes. Representatives of World Friends, a Civil Society Organization (CSO) active in the area for many years and with direct links to PU, also took part in some of these meetings. University of Milan, World Friends and PU have recently signed an agreement that fits perfectly within this collaborative program.

During the mission, the Professors took part in the inauguration of the new maternity ward at the Malindi Sub-County Hospital, supported by AICS and WF. This facility will help strengthen maternal and child healthcare in an area characterized by high maternal mortality rates. The event was also attended by the Minister of University and Research, Anna Maria Bernini.