Distinguished Members of the Council, Dear Colleagues,
As we open our work today, I feel compelled to begin with a word of deep gratitude. Gratitude to Dr. Alessio Baldini, who, over the past five years, has led IEMIG with wisdom, with balance, and with remarkable vision. Under his presidency, this association entered a period of true consolidation and growth. The online educational projects that have reached so many professionals, the commitment to bring Basic Life Support into our schools, and the creation of the Valentina Liboni Award — all of these milestones bear his signature. They remain as a living legacy, a heritage that we now carry forward with pride and with responsibility. To Dr. Baldini goes our most heartfelt recognition, for he has charted the course on which we now continue our journey.
Today, IEMIG stands strong. We have a leadership and a structure that reflect both clarity and purpose.
As President, I have the honor to serve alongside Vice President Mario Rugna, whose expertise in prehospital emergency medicine brings balance between the field and the hospital.
With Secretary and Treasurer Irene Grassi, whose reliability and dedication provide the backbone of our operations.
With Leonardo Lai, who coordinates our online presence, and Alessandro Zella, who manages our public relations and external image.
With Nursing Representatives Alessandro Castellana and Serena Massai, who embody the multidisciplinary heart of emergency medicine.
With Auditor Giulio Lamia, ensuring the transparency and credibility that are essential to institutions and sponsors.
And with Councilor Marco Brogi, who builds the bridge with our healthcare governance and the Azienda USL Toscana Centro.
At their side stands our Scientific Committee, guided by the authority of Professor Carlo Rostagno of the University of Florence. It is a committee that combines the intellectual strength of academia with the concrete skills of clinical practice. Professors such as Stefano Ghiadoni, Luca Puccetti, Giovanni Ricevuti, Francesco Franceschi, Simone Vanni, Andrea Ungar, and Giuseppe Brisinda bring academic prestige and international visibility. Our clinicians — Mario Rugna, Francesco Venneri, Iacopo Cappellini, Simone Magazzini, Stefano Cantafio, Alessandro Sammartano, Erika Borotto, Lexi Asrow, and Gabriele Savioli, Luca D’agostino — ensure that real-world practice is never forgotten. And with Marco Brogi representing system management, and Francesco Gambassi guiding us in toxicology, the committee reflects the full spectrum of emergency medicine, from the university lecture hall to the prehospital setting, from governance to bedside care.
Colleagues, this is not just an organogram. This is the living soul of IEMIG.
Looking to the Future: The IEMIG Plan 2025–2026
From September 2025, we will launch a new cycle of IEMIG Webinars and Podcasts, monthly sessions moderated by our Scientific Committee with international guests from ACEP and EUSEM. We will present IEMIG formally to the press and to institutions, raising our profile at home and abroad. We will launch the 2026 Valentina Liboni Award, honoring excellence in medical and nursing theses. And we will begin the project “Prato: Cardioprotected City – IEMIG goes to school”, bringing BLS-D training directly into schools and to our citizens. Alongside these projects, we will open the 2025–2026 Membership Campaign, to consolidate and expand our community, to bring new energy and fresh perspectives into the heart of the association.
From January to April 2026, we will finalize the faculty for our International Congress, launch the call for abstracts, secure sponsorships, and publish our Strategic Plan, with the support and dissemination of ACEP and EUSEM.
Then, in April 2026, we will reach a milestone: the IEMIG International Congress – Major Trauma International Congress, right here in Prato, with leading speakers from Italy, Europe, and the United States. From May to December of that year, we will begin multicenter studies on major trauma, fulminant sepsis, and trauma-induced coagulopathy, while further consolidating our collaborations with ACEP and EUSEM. And, once again, we will celebrate excellence with the Valentina Liboni Award – 2026 Edition.
Conclusion: A Call to Unity and Enthusiasm.
Colleagues, IEMIG is no longer simply the first Tuscan association dedicated to emergency medicine. It is now a consolidated reality, recognized nationally and increasingly present internationally. And yet, its strength does not lie only in its history, nor only in its programs. Its strength lies in you — in our members, in our growing community. With the upcoming membership campaign, we will expand this base, ensuring that every project becomes not the dream of one, but the shared achievement of many.
The future ahead is ambitious. Training that never stops. Schools that become places of life-saving education. An international congress that will bring the world to Prato. Collaborations with ACEP and EUSEM that will anchor us on the international stage. These are not mere formalities. They are concrete steps that will establish IEMIG as a stable reference for emergency medicine in Italy, in Europe, and beyond.
But let us be clear: the greatest value we have is not in titles or in programs. It is in the harmony of our teamwork. It is in the atmosphere of collaboration, in the enthusiasm and trust that animate each one of us. This energy, this positive spirit, is what allows us to look to the future with confidence. It is what ensures that IEMIG will continue to be a place of growth for professionals, and a point of reference for institutions and for the international scientific community.
So let us go forward, not only with plans, but with passion. Let us carry out our mission with the certainty that together — and only together — we can transform challenges into opportunities, and opportunities into achievements.
"...study hard, get skilled for saving lives..."With sincere esteem and renewed enthusiasm,
Dr. Franco Lai
President, IEMIG