Roberta Bonfiglioli, M.D.
Bologna (Italy) 7th July 1966
e-mail address: roberta.bonfiglioli@unibo.it
Academic qualifications
1991 M.D. in Medicine and Surgery (summa cum laude), University of Bologna
1991 State exam for Medical Doctors
1995 Postgraduate Specialty Diploma in Occupational Health (summa cum laude), University of Bologna.
Other qualifications, special registers
Since 1998: National Register of Authorized Radiation Protection Physicians, Ministry of Labor, nr. 41233.
National Register of occupational physicians, Ministry of Health, id.13540 (art. 38 D.Lgs n.81/2008).
Academic positions - Clinical activity
- 09/2014 to present - Associate Professor of Occupational Medicine (06/M2 – MED/44), University of Bologna and Staff physician, Unit of Occupational Medicine, IRCCS Policlinico di Sant’Orsola University Hospital, Bologna Italy.
- 07/2025 to 3/2026 - Appointed as Interim Director, Unit of Occupational Medicine, IRCCS Policlinico di Sant’Orsola University Hospital, Bologna Italy.
- National Scientific Qualification, Full Professor of Occupational Medicine 06/M2 (3rd August 2017)
- 03/2005-08/2014 - Researcher in Occupational Medicine and Lecturer (at undergraduate/postgraduate level) at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Bologna and Staff physician, Unit of Occupational Medicine, Sant’Orsola Malpighi University Hospital, Bologna Italy
- 01/1998-02/2005 - Staff physician, Unit of Occupational Medicine, Sant’Orsola Malpighi University Hospital, Bologna Italy.
- 1996-1997 Occupational physician, self-employed
Member of the Italian Society of Occupational Medicine (SIML) (01/2005 to present)
2015-2018 – SIML Board member
2019-2024 - Chair of the SIML Emiliano-Romagnola branch
Member of the International Commission on Occupational health (ICOH) (03/2008 to present)
Membership in the ICOH Scientific Committee on Musculoskeletal Disorders (06/2009 to present)
2018-2021 - Chair of the ICOH “Scientific Committee on Musculoskeletal Disorders”
Teaching positions:
Degree program Director - First Cycle Degree Program/Bachelor in Environment and Workplace Prevention Techniques L/SNT4 - Health Professions for Preventive Care from 1/11/2021 for the triennium 2021-2024 and for the triennium 2024-2027.
Degree program Director - Second Cycle Degree Program in Health Professions of Prevention Sciences from 1/11/2015 for the triennium 2015-2018 and for the triennium 2018-2021.
2018 - Member for the Assessment Committee of a PhD dissertation at The Graduate School of Health, Aarhus University, Denmark. Dissertation title “Carpal tunnel syndrome and work: time course of nerve impairment, incidence rates as sentinels of harmful occupational exposure, and prognosis”. Public defence held on 30/11/2018.
Since 1999 teaching in First and Second Cycle Degree Programs, Medicine and Surgery Single Cycle Degree Program and Medical Specialisation School of Occupational Medicine.
Research:
ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4248-4448
Author of scientific papers published in peer-review international journals in the field of Occupational medicine.
Research interests include diagnosis and prevention of work-related diseases, musculoskeletal disorders and peripheral neuropathies, work-related stress, and the interaction between psychosocial and ergonomic risk factors, as well as occupational health in the health care setting. Wearable technologies to monitor occupational safety and health.
Patents
- Co-inventor (16%), Ergonomic handle for hand-held tools. Complete filing date 03.11.2016; number 102016000110570. Acceptance date 18.03.2019. Country Italy.
- Co-inventor (20%), Sensorized glove for monitoring hand force during manual work. Complete filing date 21.06.2017, number 102017000069353. Acceptance date 30.09.2019 Country Italy.
- Co-inventor, System and method for assessing biomechanical risks associated with manual handling of loads. Complete filing date 5.8.2020, number 102020000019315, Acceptance date 6.09.2022 Country Italy.
Research projects
April 2023 – October 2025 “CoRoMan: valutazione del carico Cognitivo nella interazione con Robot collaborativi in compiti di presa e Manipolazione di oggetti in contesti lavorativi / Cognitive load assessment in human-cobot interaction during gripping tasks and manipulating objects in the occupational setting”. Bando BRIC 2022
Role: Responsible for the Local Research Unit.
Multicenter study supported by funds from the National Institute for Insurance against Accidents at Work (INAIL). Coordinated by the Department of Industrial, Electronics and Mechanical Engineering (DIIEM), Roma Tre University (Maurizio Schmid) with the collaboration of the Italian Institute of Technology Central Research Labs (Arash Ajoudani), Department of Physiology and Pharmacology “Sapienza” University of Rome (Stefano Ferraina) and the Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Bologna (Roberta Bonfiglioli).
Aim: To develop a system capable of detecting and characterizing changes in the decision-making process in tasks of gripping and manipulating objects involving the interaction with collaborative robots.
Competitive project: Yes. Funds (UNIBO Local Research Unit): 90,1 k€
September 2020 – August 2022 “BRISK: a multi-sensor wearable platform to assess Biomechanical Risk when Interacting with collaborative robotS in worK-related scenarios” Bando BRIC 2019 ID48
Role: Responsible for the Local Research Unit.
Multicenter study supported by funds from the National Institute for Insurance against Accidents at Work (INAIL). Coordinated by the Department of Industrial, Electronics and Mechanical Engineering (DIIEM), Roma Tre University (Silvia Conforto) with the collaboration of the Italian Institute of Technology Central Research Labs (Arash Ajoudani), the Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences and Biotechnologies, “Sapienza” University of Rome (Mariano Serrao), the Centre of Space Bio-medicine, Medical Faculty of the University of Rome Tor Vergata (Francesco Lacquaniti) and the Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Bologna (Roberta Bonfiglioli).
Aim: To provide a comprehensive instrument-based biomechanical risk assessment associated with the use of collaborative robots in work-related scenarios, through the design and development of a multi-sensor wearable platform.
Competitive project: Yes. Funds (UNIBO Local Research Unit): 130 k€
July 2020 – June 2022 “Productive economic sectors, occupational biomechanical risk factors and work-related stress: literature systematic reviews and secondary analysis” Bando BRIC 2019 ID26
Role: Responsible for the Local Research Unit.
Multicenter study supported by funds from the National Institute for Insurance against Accidents at Work (INAIL). Coordinated by the Department of Psychology, University of Rome La Sapienza (Claudio Barbaranelli) with the collaboration of Norwich Business School, University of East Anglia UK (Roberta Fida) and the Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Bologna (Roberta Bonfiglioli).
Aim: To analyze specific job characteristics linked to work-related stress within different productive economic sectors. A systematic literature review as well as a secondary analysis of the INAIL dataset on work-related stress and the interaction between psychosocial and biomechanics risk factors will be performed to improve preventive strategies.
Competitive project: Yes. Funds (UNIBO Local Research Unit): 140 k€.
2015 “Validation through longitudinal epidemiological study of the EAWS system for the assessment and prevention of biomechanical overload”
Role: Co-PI.
Fondazione Ergo and the University of Bologna carry out the study thanks to the collaboration of FCA, a large automotive company, and with the scientific contribution of a panel of experts from academic and non-academic institutions.
Aim: To investigate the predictive validity of EAWS (Ergonomic Assessment Work-Sheet) scores and composite measures in a large cohort of workers employed in the automotive industry (1000 assembly line and production workers and 400 non manual and office workers).
Competitive project: No. Funds: 60 k€.
2014-2018 “Monitoring of musculoskeletal disorders in workers employed in manual work”.
Role: PI
The main aim of the project is to identify higher risk tasks and personal factors that may modify the effect of exposure. The whole working population of each company will be invited to participate in order to record and monitor musculoskeletal disorders over time in exposed and non-exposed workers. The project will take advantage from the collaboration and funding of companies from high-risk sectors as meat processing industry, retail sector, automotive, textile industry.
Competitive project: No. Funds: 88 k€.
2015- March 2017 “Development of a non-invasive and easy to use model for reproducible measurement of biomechanical parameters in manual jobs characterized by handling loads tasks”.
Role: PI Coordinator and Responsible for the Local Research Unit.
Multicenter study supported by funds from the National Institute for Insurance against Accidents at Work (INAIL).
Coordinated by the Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Bologna (Roberta Bonfiglioli) and carried out with the collaboration of University of Milan (Claudio Colosio), University of Bari (Leonardo Soleo), University of Messina (Giovanna Spatari) and University of Chieti (Francesco Caciagli).
Aim: Development and application in the field of non-invasive and easy to use devices for reproducible measurement of biomechanical parameters in manual jobs characterized by handling loads tasks.
Competitive project: Yes. Funds 240 k€ (UNIBO Local Research Unit 110 k€.
2000-2011 Longitudinal study of work-related carpal tunnel syndrome.
Completed project, the goal was to investigate the dose-response relationship of forceful and fast manual work and the occurrence of carpal tunnel syndrome in a cohort of approximately 4,500 workers with a follow-up of 10 years. I collaborated with the Principal Investigator; my role was mainly related to the definition of criteria and recording of nerve conduction parameters.
2008 Participation as a national expert (Italy) to the study on the socio-economic impact of possible Community initiatives in the area of prevention of musculoskeletal disorders in the European Union (EU project managed by TNO Quality of Life, Amsterdam).
2006-2007 Responsible for the Local Research Unit of the national multicenter study (Prin 2005, Prot. n.2005062547) "Biological monitoring using markers of the internal dose and effect in workers exposed to antineoplastic drugs"
Competitive project: Yes. Funds UNIBO Local Research Unit 46,9 k€.
2006-2007 Participation as Coordinator Researcher to the Project "Usefulness of surface electromyography in the diagnosis of Carpal tunnel syndrome and in the assessment of myoelectric parameters changes due to repetitive manual tasks", funded by ISPESL – n. B1-9/DML/04
2004-2005 Participation as Coordinator Researcher to the Project "Reference electrodiagnostic and ultrasound parameters for the diagnosis of upper limb entrapment disorders due to repetitive manual jobs funded by ISPESL – n. B92/MDL/03
2002-2003 participation to the European Project NEW: Neuromuscular assessment in the Elderly Worker
1994: Contract 94-3030-15, participation to the project The European Health and Safety Database (HASTE): extension, demonstration and dissemination, European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions, Dublin
1992: Contract 92-4030-25, participation to the project Systems for monitoring working conditions related to health and safety, European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions, Dublin
