Italy frequently experiences major events like earthquakes, floods and migrant shipwrecks. Global concerns include climate change, pandemics and wars. We would assess the role of public health experts and the current state of Italian post-degree Public Health schools towards these challenges.

A cross-sectional online survey was conducted in Italy in June 2023, among all Italian Public Health residents enrolled in SItI. The study investigated the presence of trainings and updates about emergencies. It also explored interest and importance of topic, impact of Covid-19 pandemic and sources of information.

Out of 289 respondents, 86.2% deemed the topic important and 74.4% expressed interest (both p<0.001). 90.1% pointed out the lack of dedicated courses and 93.1% as for specialized master’s programs (both p<0.001). Perceived importance in the topic correlates with the desire to attend dedicated conferences (p<0.001). For COVID-19, 24.6% recognized the importance of topic pre-pandemic, while 50.9% raised awareness during (both p<0.001).

A discussion is needed for enhanced training programs in public health emergency prevention and management across Italy, pledging for uniformity within different training networks. In this way, a more robust response to future emergencies may be ensured.