Giovanna Pedroni

I am Giovanna Pedroni, born on 4th October 1999, and a resident of the old municipality of Indemini, now part of Gambarogno. I grew up and also currently live with my family in Gnosca, a small village of around 800 inhabitants that is part of the greater Bellinzona region. I have a 22-year-old sister studying philosophy in Paris, my wise and inexhaustible source of support. I studied health sciences and technologies at ETH Zurich, where I earned both a Bachelor's degree (2018-2022) and a Master's degree (2022-2023) with a specialization in Public Health. I graduated in July 2023. At the polytechnic, I was an assistant professor for four semesters, which allowed me to learn how to teach, be in close contact with academia, and develop a strong critical sense. I then did a research internship at the Institute of Public Health of the University of Lugano where I also wrote my master's thesis entitled "The Importance of a Healthy Lifestyle to Prevent Mental Health Problems during Crisis Situations: Evidence from Corona Immunitas Ticino" under the supervision of Dr. Anne- Linda Camerini. I then worked (2022-2023) also at the Institute of Public Health on two projects on concussion. One in collaboration with physicians from Ticino cwith the aim of studying the current state of concussion awareness among youth and adolescents playing sports. The other was in collaboration with the Universities of Lucerne and Lausanne, which aimed to devise, through the collaboration of experts in the field, campaigns for the prevention of head trauma.    

In July 2024, I started a doctoral program on the GIOCO project "The role of offline, hybrid and online play in the social-emotional, cognitive and physical functioning of school-age children and adolescents: A mixed method study" under the supervision of Dr. Anne- Linda Camerini. Given my background in public health I focus on the physical cognitive aspects, while my colleague Matilde Melotto, who is also doing her doctorate on this topic, focuses on the socio-emotional aspects.

In my spare time I love to play sports, in particular I often go to the gym, do climbing, running, cycling and skiing in winter. I have a personal trainer's certificate, a fitness instructor's certificate and a G+S in skiing. I care about having a healthy lifestyle. I am also a member of the Bellinzona City Council for the "Il Centro" party and secretary of the Gnosca Neighborhood Association. After finishing my studies at the ETH in Zurich, I decided to return to my Canton Ticino, a canton that has given me so much and to which I wish to give back with enthusiasm, rigor and energy, what I learned during my studies. I therefore decided to make myself available to the world of politics-a path I am very passionate about-to make this Ticino a better and more attractive place for a prosperous future.

Projects

PhD Project GIOCO

Young athletes and concussion: a study of the situation in Italian-speaking Switzerland