University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland (SUPSI)

SUPSI, the University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland, offers
more than 30 Bachelor's and Master's Degree courses and many continued education programs (CAS, DAS, MAS), characterized by innovative education formats that combine classical theoretical-scientific training with a professional orientation. Most attention deserve the research activities, carried out in key sectors on competitively acquired projects with large European and national agencies or mandated by national and cantonal organizations and institutions.

DEASS, the Department of Business Economics, Health and Social Care

DEASS, the Department of Business Economics, Health and Social Care, is one of the four Departments of SUPSI. It started in 2014 from the merger of the Department of Health (DSAN) and the Department of Business and Social Sciences (DSAS). Integrating under one roof three diverse and complementary areas (economics, social work and health care) allows DEASS to tackle more effectively the complex problems of today’s world, focusing particularly on the challenges and needs of citizens, businesses, patients and public institutions. A key feature of the educational experience at DEASS consists in its interdisciplinary and interprofessional approach aimed at preparing well-trained and proficient professionals for the social and healthcare sector, who can respond appropriately to budget constraints and user needs, constantly adapting to new and increasingly more complex healthcare and social scenarios.
In 2018 DEASS created the Research Centre for Healthcare Practices and Policies (PPS), around various research lines on clinical processes and on the welfare as well as organizational systems in which these activities are embedded. The aim of the PPS-Centre is to develop and promote effective, ethical and socially sustainable healthcare practices and policies that, based on shared scientific findings, focus on the safety and wellbeing of patients, their family members and health professionals. Half of the SSPH+ faculty members operate at the PPS-Centre. The other half is
dispersed over the Centre on Aging, the Rehabilitation Lab, the Centre on Water
and Sanitation and the Centre on Applied Microbiology.