Departments

Livia Elisa Ortensi is Associate Professor with qualification as a full professor in Demography at the Department of Statistical Sciences “Paolo Fortunati” of the University of Bologna.

She has collaborated with the ISMU Foundation since 2004 in the Statistics Department, which she coordinates since 2019, and has been part of the study group on Immigration in Lombardy of the Regional Observatory for Integration and Multiethnicity. Since 2018, he has been Associate Editor of the journal BMC Public Health.

Her main research interests are related to the study of international migration with a focus on gender issues. She has worked in particular on subsequent migration and return, integration of asylum seekers and refugees, fertility of foreigners, alterations in the masculinity ratio at birth, female genital mutilation, and the labour trajectories of female migrant domestic workers.

Alessio Menonna holds a Master’s degree in Demographic and Social Statistics (with Honours) and a Master’s degree in Sociology (with Honours) from the University of Milan – Bicocca.

He is Researcher in immigration monitoring for ISMU Foundation and for the Regional Observatory for Integration and Multiethnicity. From 2004 to 2016 he was co-authors of the annual statistical reports on immigration for all the Provinces of Lombardy.

Giorgia Papavero graduate in Political Sciences at the State University of Milan she’s Senior Researcher for Statistic Department of the ISMU Foundation since 1998; she coordinates all the national and international surveys for ISMU Foundation and coordinate the Lombardy survey for Regional Observatory for Integration and Mutietnicity (ORIM).

Nicola Pasini is associate professor in Political Science at the Department of Social and Political Studies of Università degli Studi di Milano, where he teaches Political and Administrative Systems and Local Governance.

Since 1995 he is the manager of the ISMU Foundation Welfare anf Health Department. He edited several essays on the redefinition of the Western welfare systems (including the relation between immigration and health), on the relations between ethics, politics and public administration, on sub-national governance, on the transformation of political parties and on the evolution of the Italian political system.

Chiara Dalavalle after a Degree in Education, she approached the issue of migration flows in the Mediterranean Basin during her PhD in Cultural Anthropology.

For a decade she was employed into the SPRAR network, working with asylum seekers and refugees, and at the present she operates as a freelance trainer on integration processes and new citizenships enhancement.

Since 2017 she contributes to the Welfare and Health Sector of  Fondazione Ismu, where she partakes to research projects on health of the migrant population, and engages in the organization of vocational trainings for social workers and healthcare professionals.

Lia Lombardi is sociologist. She deals with the theoretical and methodological approaches of Health and Medicine Sociology. She is currently visiting professor in Sociology and Demo-ethno-anthropological Disciplines at the Medicine Department of Università degli Studi di Milano. She is sociological research partner at the ISMU Foundation Welfare and Health department.

She is president of Milan BLIMUNDE Association – A women perspective on health and medicine. She teaches training courses aimed at medical assistants in Lombardy, Veneto and Emilia Romagna.

Since 1989 she has been carrying out studies on birth health in a gender and multi-cultural perspective, focusing notably on migration processes.

Veronica Merotta is a Political Science graduate.

She collaborates with the Welfare and health department in ISMU Foundation, carrying out researches on immigrates’ health and providing assistance in the training courses aimed at medical assistants.

She collaborates with the Regional Observer on Integration and Multiethnicity (ORIM) in the Health Section. She is researcher at Éupolis Lombardy, the Lombardy’s Higher Institute for Research, Statistics and Education/Development/Training.

Marta Regalia is a research fellow at the Department of Social and Political Sciences of the University of Milan.

She has carried out research in Universities and research centers. He has spent periods of study and research at the Université de Montréal, Stanford University, the University of Michigan, Oxford university and Sydney University.

Hes research interests include the analysis of concepts, electoral systems, public policies and actions to promote democracy. She is a member of the Executive Committee of the Italian Political Science Association and collaborates with the Cattaneo Institute of Bologna.

Since its foundation in 1991, Laura Zanfrini has been involved in the activities of the ISMU Foundation as a member of the technical-scientific committee, Head of the Economics and Scientific supervisor of Cedoc (Documentation Center).

After the degree in Political Sciences at the Catholic University of Milan (which permit her to obtain the Award as the best graduate of the year), obtained the PhD in Sociology and Social Sciences Methodology. She is currently Full Professor at the Faculty of Political and Social Sciences of the Catholic University of Milan where she teaches “Sociology of Migrations and Interethnic Relations” and “Organizations, Environment and Social Innovation”. She is also the scientific director of the research centre WWELL (Work, Welfare, Enterprise and Lifelong Learning), the coordinator of the Master’s Degree in HR and Business Management and the Scientific Director of the Summer School “Human Mobility and Global Justice”.

She authored about 350 publications, including books, essays and articles in Italian and foreign reviews (the list can be consulted through the repertoire: publicatt.unicatt.it.) and she is member of the Editorial Board of many reviews (including “Studi Emigrazione/International Journal of Migration Studies”, “Mondi Migranti”, “Revista Internacional de Estudios Migratorios”, “People on Move”, “Asian and Pacific Migration Journal”, “Rivista Internazionale di Scienze sociali”, “Mondi Migranti”, “Revista Internacional de Estudios Migratorios”, “People on Move”, “Munera”, “Sociologia del lavoro”) and consultant of various national and international bodies.

She gained a PHD in Human Sciences in 2011, from the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, with a thesis titled “Il disagio della cura. I vissuti professionali delle assistenti familiari migranti occupate in Italia” (“The malaise of caring. The professional experiences of female migrant carers working in Italy”).

She earned a master’s degree in Anthropology in 2007, from the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia.

Since 2008 she has collaborated with the ISMU Foundation working as a researcher, mainly on the issues “Migration&Development” and “Migration&Health”.

Since 2009 she has been subject curator of Sociology of Interethnic Relations at the Faculty of Political and Social Sciences of the Catholic University of Milan.

She is the author of several scientific publications.

He received his Ph.D. in Humanities (Religious studies – Islam) from the Catholic University of Milan. In 2001 he got a Diploma in Arabic Studies and in 2002 a Licentiate in Arabic and Islamic Studies at PISAI (Pontifical Institute for Arabic and Islamic Studies), Rome.

In 2000 he got a Master’s Degree in Comparative Studies (Arabic-English Language and Literature) at Istituto Universitario Orientale, Naples. Since 2005 he has worked at ISMU Foundation. Main fields of work and research interests: Education (language of origin valorisation and plurilingualism of second-generation immigrants, Italian as L2), Religions (Islam), Interreligious dialogue (Islamic-Christian relations), Intercultural relations.

Cristina Zanzottera is a researcher and trainer in the Education Area for ISMU Foundation (Initiatives and Studies on Multiethnicity), expert in Languages, Cultures and International Communication. She is in charge of the DITALS glottodidactic courses and responsible for the PLIDA certification exams.

For ISMU, she has taken part in research-action projects that led to publications on the issues of linguistic integration and school-training of migrants (e.g. training plan teachers of the regional FAMI of Lombardy, project ParL@MI), in the perspective of an intercultural approach, about an active, innovative and inclusive teaching (e.g. project “Didattica del fare, fare per includere” with F. Amiotti) and about teaching Italian as an additional language, with a focus on plurilingualism and mother tongues valorization (projects “Apriti Sesamo and Plusvalor”).

Maddalena Colombo is full Professor in Sociology of Cultural and Communicative processes; she teaches Sociology of Education, Sociology of Educational Policy and Sociology of Inequalities and Differences at the Faculty of Education, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in Milan and Brescia (Italy).

She is the Director of the CIRMiB (Centre of Initiatives and research on Migration –Brescia) and the Laris (Laboratory of Research and Intervention on Society. She managed the Master in Intercultural Skills. Education for social integration at UCSC Milan (2013/2019).

She is a member of the Scientific Board of several journals in Italy. She co-ordinates the AIS-Education section. At the Milan campus of UCSC, she co-ordinated the Jean Monnet Module IDEAL –Intercultural Dialogue in Europe and Active poLicies (a.y. 2016/2019). Her main areas of interest are education, impacts of migration in schools and migration processes at a local level.

Simona Bodo is an independent researcher and consultant with a particular interest in the social agency of museums and their role in the promotion of diverse heritage communities. On these issues she acts as an advisor to public and private institutions (e.g. the Uffizi Galleries, Brera National Picture Gallery, Fondazione ISMU, Fondazione Cariplo), and has taken part as a team expert in a number of European projects on the cultural participation of individuals with immigrant backgrounds. Toghether with Silvia Mascheroni and Maria Grazia Panigada, she is co-founder of Heritage of Stories (http://www.patrimoniodistorie.it/en).

Silvia Mascheroni is an art historian and expert in heritage education. She designs and runs training courses for Fondazione ISMU as well as a wide range of institutions, addressed to museum educators and other museum professionals (including directors and curators), and has been involved in the planning of heritage mediation projects aimed at different audiences. She teaches at the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore of Milan (Master in Museum education services) and at the Postgraduate School in Art-Historical Heritage in Pisa.

Giovanni Giulio Valtolina, educated in Padua, Milan and Chicago, is currently affiliated at the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart (Milan campus), where he is serving as Associate Professor of Developmental Psychology.

At the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart he is also member of the faculty board of the Ph.D. program in Relational Social Work and Personal Social Services. His research interests are: intercultural psychology and social practice; migrant children; acculturation and psychosocial adaptation in migrant families.

Since 2000 he is member of the editorial committee of the Ismu Italian Report on Migration and since 2009 he is also serving as Head of “Child and Family” Department at Ismu (Initiatives and Studies on Multiethnicity) foundation in Milan.

Giovanni Giulio Valtolina, educated in Padua, Milan and Chicago, is currently affiliated at the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart (Milan campus), where he is serving as Associate Professor of Developmental Psychology.

At the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart he is also member of the faculty board of the Ph.D. program in Relational Social Work and Personal Social Services. His research interests are: intercultural psychology and social practice; migrant children; acculturation and psychosocial adaptation in migrant families.

Since 2000 he is member of the editorial committee of the Ismu Italian Report on Migration and since 2009 he is also serving as Head of “Child and Family” Department at ISMU (Initiatives and Studies on Multiethnicity) foundation in Milan.

Since its foundation in 1991, Laura Zanfrini has been involved in the activities of the ISMU Foundation as a member of the technical-scientific committee, Head of the Economics and Scientific supervisor of Cedoc (Documentation Center).

After the degree in Political Sciences at the Catholic University of Milan (which permit her to obtain the Award as the best graduate of the year), obtained the PhD in Sociology and Social Sciences Methodology. She is currently Full Professor at the Faculty of Political and Social Sciences of the Catholic University of Milan where she teaches “Sociology of Migrations and Interethnic Relations” and “Organizations, Environment and Social Innovation”. She is also the scientific director of the research centre WWELL (Work, Welfare, Enterprise and Lifelong Learning), the coordinator of the Master’s Degree in HR and Business Management and the Scientific Director of the Summer School “Human Mobility and Global Justice”.

She authored about 350 publications, including books, essays and articles in Italian and foreign reviews (the list can be consulted through the repertoire: publicatt.unicatt.it.) and she is member of the Editorial Board of many reviews (including “Studi Emigrazione/International Journal of Migration Studies”, “Mondi Migranti”, “Revista Internacional de Estudios Migratorios”, “People on Move”, “Asian and Pacific Migration Journal”, “Rivista Internazionale di Scienze sociali”, “Mondi Migranti”, “Revista Internacional de Estudios Migratorios”, “People on Move”, “Munera”, “Sociologia del lavoro”) and consultant of various national and international bodies.