Professor Paolo Durando, MD, PhD, is Director of the Postgraduate School of Occupational Medicine at the University of Genoa, and practices as an occupational physician at the University of Genoa and at the IRCCS Polyclinic Hospital San Martino of Genoa, Italy. He is also an appointed Expert member of the "Infection Prevention and Control" Working Group at the Istituto Superiore di Sanità, established in March of 2020, in response to the COVID-19 health crisis in Italy. In addition to this, he is a member of the Scientific Committee of the Italian Society of Occupational Medicine.

Occupational medicine, the branch of medicine concerned with the maintenance of health and the prevention and treatment of diseases and accidental injuries in working populations in the workplace, plays a relevant role in the the fields of prevention and protection against SARS-CoV-2 during the current COVID-19 pandemic.

In Episode 13 from the Covid (r)Evolution Series, Prof. Durando discusses the urgent need for improving both human and organizational resources and qualified research to face the current pandemic in the context of workplaces, particularly the health care settings, also using novel technologies for prevention, diagnosis and treatment, to improve overall management and preparedness ahead of future waves of COVID-19. He goes on to reflect on the importance of using the best available scientific evidence in the field of Occupational Medicine, providing advice for researchers, clinicians and patients, on how to cope during the pandemic.

This interview series was made possible thanks to the unrestricted donations received by the EXCEMED Foundation