Istituto Superiore di Sanità

The Istituto Superiore di Sanità (Italian National Institute of Health, literally 'Higher Health Institute'), also ISS, is an Italian public institution that, as the leading technical-scientific body of the Italian National Health Service (Servizio Sanitario Nazionale), performs research, trials, control, counseling, documentation and training for public health. The Institute is under the supervision of the Ministero della Salute (Ministry of Health).

History
The official opening of the ISS, called Istituto di Sanità Pubblica (Institute of Public Health), took place on April 21, 1934. The construction of the main building in Rome, designed by architect Giuseppe Amendola, started on July 6, 1931 and it was financed by the American Rockefeller Foundation.

In 1941 the Istituto di Sanità Pubblica assumed its present name of Istituto Superiore di Sanità

In 1958 the ISS came under the protection of the Ministry of Health, from the Ministry of Interior.

ISS Directors (then Presidents)

 * Gaetano Basile (1934–35)
 * Dante De Blasi (1935)
 * Domenico Marotta (1935–61)
 * Giordano Giacomello (1961–64)
 * Giovan Battista Marini Bettolo Marconi (1964–72)
 * Francesco Pocchiari (1972–89)
 * Vincenzo Longo (1989)
 * Francesco Antonio Manzoli (1989–93)
 * Giuseppe Vicari (1993–95)
 * Aurelia Sargentini (1995–96)
 * Giuseppe Benagiano (1996–2001)
 * Enrico Garaci (2001–13)
 * Fabrizio Oleari (2013–14)
 * Gualtiero Ricciardi (2015–18); Commissioner (2014–15)
 * Silvio Brusaferro (2019–present), straordinary commissioner

Nobel Prize Winners

 * Daniel Bovet
 * Ernst Boris Chain
 * Enrico Fermi
 * Rita Levi Montalcini

Departments

 * Environment and Primary Prevention
 * Cell Biology and Neurosciences
 * Haematology, Oncology and Molecular Medicine
 * Therapeutic Research and Medicines Evaluation
 * Infectious, Parasitic and Immune-Mediated Diseases
 * Veterinary Public Health and Food Safety
 * Technology and Health

National centres

 * National AIDS Centre
 * National Centre for Chemical Substances
 * National Centre for Epidemiology, Surveillance and Health Promotion
 * Centre for Immunobiologicals Research and Evaluation
 * National Centre for Rare Diseases
 * Evaluation and Accreditation Body
 * National Blood Centre
 * National Transplant Centre

Technical services

 * Service for Biotechnology and Animal Welfare
 * Data Management, Documentation, Library and Publishing Activities