The first study on the effectiveness of the training program for young oncologists at the School of Cipomo (Italian Association of Chiefs of Oncology Units) has finally been published.
The project aims to foster the development of skills capable of reducing burnout and promoting sustainable communication with patients, families, and colleagues.
The education program is based on the integration of the protocol I have been working on over the years (Mindful Compassion Care Program) and the medical humanities perspective. It is divided into three residential modules alternating these components: an introductory symposium involving a patient, an oncologist, and a medical humanities expert; and a day of experiential training on managing the oncologist’s personal experience and relationships with patients and colleagues.
Although this is only a pilot study, the data are encouraging in terms of reduced burnout, increased compassion satisfaction, and communication skills. Further research is surely needed…hopefully a confirmatory RCT!
Thanks to the founders of the CIPOMO school (Luisa Fioretto, Andrea Scanni, Luigi Cavanna) and the PSYsimple – Formazione, strumenti e informazione team (Sara Bui, Verena Maria Balbo) with whom I co-led the training program.
A view-only version of our paper can be accessed via the following link: https://rdcu.be/ftSw2
For those speaking Italian, here’s the news on Corriere della Sera: https://www.corriere.it/salute/sportello_cancro/26_luglio_15/oncologia-non-basta-la-tecnica-la-rivoluzione-della-bussola-umana-per-battere-il-burnout-bf00bbfe-a5cf-4b02-8c4a-737f3236exlk.shtml
Cheli, S., Scanni, A., Cavanna, L., Giordano, M., Tralongo, P., & Fioretto, L. (2026). Bridging the Gap in Humanizing Oncology: A Pilot Study on the Feasibility and Acceptability of the CIPOMO School of Medical Humanities Training Protocol. Journal of Cancer Education, 1β7. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13187-026-02944-8