The Case for Social Prescribing - Swissnex in Boston and New York

Social prescribing is a growing practice reshaping how we think about health and well-being. Rather than relying solely on clinical interventions, health professionals are increasingly referring patients to non-medical, community-based support — from arts programs and volunteering opportunities to nature walks and social clubs. The approach recognizes what many of us already know intuitively: that social and cultural activities play a key role in physical and mental well-being, and that isolation and lack of community can have serious negative consequences for our health.

This discussion will explore pioneering social prescribing efforts taking shape in Switzerland and the US, and seek out common ground for community-centered care across healthcare systems. We will hear from experts working at the intersection of arts and health — practitioners, researchers, and advocates who are defining best practices in this emerging field and the programs that bring this vision to life.

Following the panel discussion, share your own experiences, reflections, and ideas on social prescribing in our “Speakers’ Corner,” and join us for a networking apéritif.

Join us for an evening of interdisciplinary dialogue between culture, art, and public health.

Program

5:30pm – Doors Open
6:00pm – Opening Remarks by Swissnex
6:05pm – Introduction to the topic of social prescribing by Julia Hotz
6:15pm – Introduction IBSA Foundation and City of Lugano
6:30pm – Panel Discussion, Q&A
7:00pm – Speakers Corner
7:30pm – Networking Apero
8:00pm – End

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Event start time

New York
6:00PM

Opening Remarks

Silvia Misti

Silvia Misti
Director
IBSA Foundation for scientific research
Silvia Misiti, MD, PhD, began her academic career in 2001 as an Assistant Professor of Endocrinology at Sapienza University of Rome, where she was actively involved in research and teaching, with a focus on molecular mechanisms of endocrine diseases. In 2012, she moved to Lugano and became Director of the IBSA Foundation for scientific research, a non-profit organization established by the Swiss pharmaceutical company IBSA Institut Biochimique SA. In this role, she promotes a vision of scientific research as a driver of cultural and social progress, integrating innovation, education, and high-quality scientific dissemination. Through strong collaborations with academic, scientific, and cultural institutions, the Foundation fosters interdisciplinary dialogue and supports the advancement of knowledge beyond traditional boundaries. She currently also serves as Head of Corporate Communication at the IBSA Group.
Bio

Luigi Di Corato
Director
Cultural Division, City of Lugano
Luigi Maria Di Corato graduated with honors in art history from the University of Siena. He continued his education with a master’s degree in Business Administration at the MIP Politecnico di Milano and a postgraduate course in Management and Economics of Culture at the SDA Bocconi School of Management. He gained field experience in the management of major cultural projects, worked in international organizations, and directed important institutions characterized by public-private collaboration, such as Forte di Bard in Valle d’Aosta (from 2005 to 2006), Museo e Tesoro del Duomo di Monza (from 2007 to 2009), Fondazione Musei Senesi (from 2009 to 2014) and Fondazione Brescia Musei (from 2014 to 2018).
From 2003 to 2018, he was university lecturer in cultural management at the Faculty of Economics of the Catholic University in Milan; from 2017 to 2018, he was Chairman of the Strategic Plan Committee of ICOM, the international association of museums based in Paris. Since 2018 he has been Director of Cultural Affairs of the City of Lugano.

Panelists

Bio

Javier Silva
Senior Associate Director of
Community Engagement,
Federal Reserve Bank of New York
Javier Silva is senior associate director of community engagement with the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. In this role, he works with financial institutions, government agencies, universities, and for-profit and non-profit organizations on emerging issues in the community development field. Currently he is focused on community risk from climate hazards, financing food ecosystems, leveraging community assets to improve health outcomes, the social drivers of health, and healthy longevity through stakeholder engagement, convenings, research, and thought leadership. He is also responsible for outreach and implementing community economic development programming in Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands.
Bio

Larissa Trinder
Assistant Vice President,
New York City Health + Hospitals
Larissa Trinder serves as Assistant Vice President for Arts in Medicine at New York City Health + Hospitals, where she leads one of the most ambitious arts-in-healthcare initiatives in the country. She oversees the stewardship, exhibition strategy, conservation, maintenance, acquisition, and curation of the health system’s collection of more than 7,500 works of art—the largest non-museum collection in New York City—with many pieces dating back to the 1930s. Installed throughout the system’s facilities, the collection advances evidence-based design principles that support patient experience, enhance trust, and improve workplace environments for staff.
Bio

Aly Maier Lokuta
Assistant Vice President,
New Jersey Performing Arts Center
Aly Maier Lokuta, MA (she/her) is the Assistant Vice President of Arts & Well-Being at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC), where she leads innovative programming, research, evaluation, and education at the intersection of arts and health, serving communities in Newark and across New Jersey. A multidisciplinary artist, Aly stays well through creating visual art, writing, and playing guitar.

Moderator

Bio

Julia Hotz
Journalist and Author
Julia Hotz is a solutions-focused journalist and award-winning author of THE CONNECTION CURE (Simon & Schuster)—the first book chronicling the science & stories of social prescribing. She currently works at the Solutions Journalism Network and advises Social Prescribing USA and Walk with a Doc. For her insights on the health and healthcare, she has delivered keynote speeches and TEDx talks, taught medical professionals, and has been interviewed on over 100 podcasts and talk shows. Her reporting and writing has been featured in The Boston Globe, BBC, The Guardian, The Wall Street Journal, Scientific American, NBC, WIRED, TIME, PBS, Slate, The New York Times, Fast Company, and more.