Week 4 was a shorter week due to a long holiday weekend, but the star of the show was undoubtedly Proxy Village, a community engagement festival held over the weekend that brought together community members, healthcare professionals, researchers, and local stakeholders involved in the Proximity Care project. The event took place in Castelnuovo di Garfagnana, a remote village in Tuscany about an hour and a half from Pisa. Castelnuovo is one of the primary towns the Proximity Care project engages with, alongside Valle del Serchio and Barga.
What went well this week was the opportunity to see the project interact directly with the communities it aims to serve. While much of my previous experience had focused on understanding the healthcare system, field operations, and strategic planning behind the initiative, ProxyFest provided a chance to observe community engagement in action. Through conversations with physicians and municipal leaders, biorobotics workshops, performances from local arts groups, and more, I was able to better understand how the project communicates its goals and builds trust with local populations. Most importantly, I was struck by how enthusiastic participants were to be in Castelnuovo — that sense of shared excitement felt central to the project’s ability to remain active and meaningful.
Given the shortened work week, there was less time dedicated to project analysis and research activities. However, the festival highlighted the importance of maintaining strong community relationships and demonstrated how public health initiatives extend beyond healthcare delivery alone. One of the most memorable encounters I had was with a teacher from Barga. We shared dinner together, and although our communication was limited, we were still able to exchange gestures, laughter, and a few shared words. In hindsight, I would have liked to spend even more time speaking directly with attendees and learning from their perspectives on the project and local healthcare needs.
Interacting with community members, project staff, and event participants demonstrated how many different groups contribute to the success of an initiative like Proximity Care. It also emphasized the importance of making healthcare innovation accessible and understandable to the communities it is designed to support. And, I noticed how effective leadership was evident not only in organizing a large-scale event, but also in creating space for dialogue, fostering participation, and ensuring that diverse voices were represented throughout the activities and discussions.
Looking ahead, I hope to continue building on the insights gained from ProxyFest and better understand how community engagement can be integrated into long-term public health planning and program sustainability. As I am now approaching the final two weeks of my LiA (which I am admittedly a bit gutted about), I am beginning to synthesize my experiences into a final presentation on exactly this pressing theme.