WUDRome 2021

Patients and people with disabilities rights activist, Francesca co-founded Fightthestroke Foundation together with Roberto D'Angelo, with the aim of developing inclusive solutions for young stroke survivors and people with Cerebral Palsy, like their son Mario. Thanks to the use of translational technology and science, Fightthestroke has revolutionized the rehabilitation ecosystem with the www.mirrorable.org platform, winner of numerous awards for being able to combine the most advanced discoveries in Neuroscience with Artificial Intelligence. Francesca is the author of the book "

Lotta e Sorridi" published by Sperling & Kupfer in 2015 and translated into German by Bastei Lubbe in 2018, she is an Eisenhower Fellow 2014 and the first Ashoka and Global Good Fund Fellow in Italy, a TED speaker and TEDMED ambassador in Italy since 2014.

Since 2015, Francesca has evolved her initial idea of Mirrorable ecosystem that has been patented and better defined in its scale-up model: clinical trial results were published in major scientific journals, it received more than 70 awards and has been showcased in +250 international events. As a first example of community-led healthcare in Italy, Fightthestroke Foundation enlarged its scope from advocating only for young stroke survivors to 17 millions of people with a disability of Cerebral Palsy, while kept on developing inclusive solutions for reducing the mismatch of the person with the environment: just to mention some, Fightthestroke promoted the first and only Italian Neonatal and Pediatric Stroke Center, able to screen children for free and promote genetic research in this field; an adapted, sensorized and reconfigurable climbing wall, optimised for children with cerebral palsy; a chat-BOT (conversational agent) designed for a better and dynamic medical-patient communication; an epilepsy research kit, Mirror HR, able to collect biometric and environmental data through Artificial Intelligence, in a friction-less experience for the patient and in partnership with doctors and researchers; a video-gaming platform with adapted devices for motor rehabilitation; four editions of the unique intensive rehab camp through adaptive sports, Fight Camp; six editions of ‘Call for brain’, the main Italian event on the challenges of medicine, science and tech innovation.

In the recent years, Fightthestroke also opened up a social enterprise channel, aimed to deliver sustainable and online rehab services to their beneficiaries, while offering qualified opportunities to adaptive sports trainers and therapists. A problem solver by nature, Francesca was always frustrated by system inability to welcome new parents in the process of trauma experience: therefore she keeps on advocating for the rights of children, youngsters, caregivers of people with multiple disabilities, providing them with training modules, reskilling and job opportunities, self-help community support.

In October 2021 she will turn up as a candidate for the city council of Milan.www.mirrorable.org · Mirrorable ecosystem ·