Exercise 4 Health: training healthcare professionals to integrate physical exercise into prevention and treatment pathways

Physical exercise is an essential resource for health, with an increasingly recognised role in preventing and managing a wide range of chronic conditions. To fully realise its potential, however, it needs to be prescribed appropriately, taking into account each person’s medical condition, physical capabilities and individual characteristics.

With this in mind, Exercise 4 Health is a training programme promoted by Wellness Foundation as part of Milano Wellness City 2030, in collaboration with IRCCS Ospedale San Raffaele and with the support of Technogym. Launched in July 2025, the programme has involved 500 participants, at least half of whom are general practitioners and medical specialists, exploring how physical exercise can be integrated into prevention and treatment pathways.

The programme comprised five CME-accredited training modules, coordinated by sports medicine physician Massimo Massarini, covering five key areas: cardiovascular and metabolic health, neurological conditions and mental health, oncology, women’s health, and musculoskeletal conditions associated with ageing.

Led by a multidisciplinary faculty of specialist physicians, researchers and experts, the sessions explored the latest scientific evidence and its application in clinical practice. Topics included functional assessment, the development of personalised exercise programmes and the monitoring of outcomes through digital technologies and tools.

The programme will conclude on 19 November at Technogym Village in Cesena, with a day dedicated to translating clinical guidelines into practice. The event will feature discussions on local experiences, clinical case studies and a workshop on exercise prescription. Speakers will include Prof. Alberto Mantovani, President of Fondazione Humanitas per la Ricerca, who will deliver a keynote lecture on the relationship between physical exercise, the immune system and health, and Prof. Andrea Ermolao, Head of Exercise is Medicine Italy and lecturer at the University of Padua, who will explore the challenges and opportunities of integrating exercise into healthcare pathways.

Exercise 4 Health also contributes to the legacy of Milano Cortina 2026, fostering a culture of health in which physical exercise is an integral part of prevention, treatment and healthy ageing, through closer collaboration between scientific research and healthcare practice.

The project is supported by the patronage of Fondazione Milano Cortina 2026 and the Milan Medical Association (Ordine dei Medici Chirurghi e degli Odontoiatri di Milano), and is promoted by the Municipality of Milan’s Department for Welfare and Health.