The Final Conference of the PANACEA project will take place in Brussels on 5 November 2025, hosted by the European Pain Federation (EFIC).
This one-day event will bring together researchers, educators, clinicians, and policymakers to explore how placebo and nocebo effects can be translated into concrete strategies for improving healthcare training and clinical practice across Europe.
🗓️ Date: 5 November 2025
📍 Location: Brussels
🌐 Hosted by: European Pain Federation (EFIC)
To learn more about the event and sign up for updates, visit the official EFIC page:
👉 https://europeanpainfederation.eu/[…]/
There you can subscribe to the newsletter to stay informed about the programme, speakers, and registration details.
Don’t miss it!
The second edition of the PANACEA International Summer School on Placebo and Nocebo has just come to a successful close in Faenza!
From 14 to 18 July 2025, 30 students — 6 from each partner university (University of Bologna, Jagiellonian University, Leiden University, KU Leuven, and Complutense University of Madrid) — took part in an intensive and stimulating week of training on how placebo and nocebo effects can be understood and applied in clinical contexts.
Over the course of the week, participants engaged in:
- Expert lectures from leading researchers in the field;
- Practical workshops and real-case simulations;
- Group activities including role-playing and peer teaching;
- Critical discussions on how to minimize nocebo effects and maximize placebo benefits in both research and healthcare practice.
In addition to the academic programme, the Summer School fostered international collaboration and professional networking, creating a vibrant learning environment aimed at empowering the next generation of healthcare professionals.
Organized as part of the Erasmus+-funded PANACEA project and co-funded by Comune di Faenza, the Summer School represents a core step toward integrating evidence-based knowledge of placebo and nocebo mechanisms into healthcare education.
On 19–20 June 2025, the PANACEA consortium met in person in Kraków for a productive project meeting hosted by the Jagiellonian University. This two-day event brought together representatives from all partner institutions to share progress, align priorities, and plan the next stages of the project.
Key topics included:
- Updates on ongoing work packages and deliverables;
- Strategic planning for the upcoming PANACEA Summer School, to be held in Faenza in July;
- Preparations for the Final Conference, scheduled for later this year.
The meeting fostered rich exchanges and strengthened the collaborative spirit of the consortium, reaffirming the shared goal of integrating placebo and nocebo education into healthcare training across Europe.
Stay tuned for more updates as the project moves into its final phase!
On 18 June 2025, the PANACEA project was presented during a plenary session at the 5th International Conference of the Society for Interdisciplinary Placebo Studies (SIPS). The session, titled "Integrating placebo and nocebo insights into healthcare curricula: Educating future and current clinical practitioners" by Prof. Katia Mattarozzi, offered an important opportunity to showcase the project’s objectives and achievements to a global scientific audience.
The presentation focused on the crucial role of education in translating placebo and nocebo research into clinical practice. Despite two decades of compelling evidence on the impact of these effects on treatment outcomes, their integration into healthcare education remains limited. PANACEA—funded by the Erasmus+ programme—seeks to fill this gap by developing innovative, evidence-based training for healthcare students and professionals.
The session highlighted:
- The importance of teaching placebo and nocebo mechanisms in clinical training;
- Strategies for embedding this knowledge into educational curricula;
- Key milestones reached by the PANACEA project and plans for future dissemination.
The event marked an important step in raising awareness and promoting a more patient-centred and evidence-based approach in healthcare through education.
As part of the PANACEA project’s commitment to advancing scientific knowledge and improving healthcare practices, we are proud to share a new publication resulting from our collaborative work: a comprehensive scoping review examining the factors that influence placebo and nocebo responses in clinical research and practice.
The review analyzed 306 systematic reviews and meta-analyses, mapping out the individual, psychological, clinical, and contextual determinants that modulate these effects.
Key findings include:
- Placebo responses are significantly more studied than nocebo responses.
- Factors such as age, symptom severity, expectations, and trial design are consistently associated with the magnitude of placebo/nocebo effects.
- There is a critical need for more person-centred research, especially on nocebo mechanisms.
This work highlights the importance of integrating psychosocial variables into clinical trial design and routine care, to enhance treatment outcomes and reduce unintended adverse effects. The publication represents a major milestone in PANACEA’s effort to bridge research and clinical application in the field of placebo and nocebo studies.
Link: https://doi.org/10.1080/17437199.2025.2471792
On 15 January 2025, the PANACEA consortium met online to share updates and plan the next phases of the project. The meeting began with a review of the current status of project management and the most recent developments across work packages.
A central focus of the meeting was the discussion of key project outputs, including the webapp, learning materials, and educational syllabus. Particular attention was given to the trial semester conducted at the University of Bologna, where these outputs were successfully tested and positively evaluated by students and staff.
The meeting concluded with the first steps in planning the next edition of the PANACEA Summer School, confirming the consortium’s commitment to education and knowledge transfer on placebo and nocebo effects in healthcare.
On 2 October 2024, the PANACEA consortium met online for a new project meeting focused on advancing research, education, and clinical practice related to placebo and nocebo effects. The meeting was hosted by the University of Bologna and brought together all project partners to discuss ongoing activities and next steps.
During the meeting, significant progress was made in the development of clinical communication guidelines, the refinement of educational materials for healthcare professionals and students, and the preparation of new scientific manuscripts. The collaborative efforts of the consortium continue to contribute to the broader goal of enhancing healthcare practices through a better understanding of placebo and nocebo mechanisms.
Mark your calendars for PANACEA Day on September 27, 2024 (at 2.00 p.m.), at the beautiful Faventia Sales Complex in Faenza (RA)!
This event will explore the crucial role of placebo and nocebo effects in clinical practice. Join us for insightful presentations, including an introduction to the PANACEA project and a detailed discussion on the impact of communication in clinical settings. The afternoon will feature the latest project results, such as PANACEA’s clinical guidelines and an exciting demonstration of the new PANACEA WebApp. Don’t miss the final discussion and feedback session, followed by a networking aperitivo!
Participation is free, but registration is required. To register, please send an email to panacea.placeboproject@unibo.it.
Please note that the language of the event is Italian.
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Segnatevi la data per la Giornata PANACEA del 27 settembre 2024 (ore 14.00), presso il bellissimo Complesso Salesiano Faventia a Faenza (RA)!
Questo evento esplorerà il ruolo cruciale degli effetti placebo e nocebo nella pratica clinica. Unitevi a noi per presentazioni stimolanti, tra cui un'introduzione al progetto PANACEA e una discussione dettagliata sull'impatto della comunicazione nei contesti clinici. Il pomeriggio presenterà i risultati più recenti del progetto, come le linee guida cliniche di PANACEA e una dimostrazione entusiasta della nuova PANACEA WebApp. Non perdete la discussione finale e la sessione di feedback, seguita da un aperitivo!
La partecipazione è gratuita, ma è necessaria la registrazione. Per registrarsi, inviate un'email a panacea.placeboproject@unibo.it.
The PANACEA International Summer School on Placebo and Nocebo took place in Madrid from July 15 to 19, 2024. The first day began with ice-breaking activities, followed by an overview of the educational needs in the field, a review of the basic concepts, and a historical evolution of placebo and nocebo effects. Participants were introduced to a new web app designed to enhance the learning experience. Throughout the week, sessions delved into the underlying mechanisms of these effects, their role in clinical trials, and ethical considerations. Engaging group activities and debates fostered collaboration and critical thinking. The final day concluded with reflective discussions, marking the end of an enriching week. Many thanks to all participants and organizers for making this event a success!
The partnership meeting took place in person on May 29-30, 2024, in Leiden, at the "Grachtenkamer" room of the Academy Building. During the first day, discussions included a progress review of the first version of guidelines and learning materials, alongside adapting these materials into the WebApp. There was also a dedicated session for assessing WebApp tests. On the second day, the focus shifted towards planning the Summer School program and developing an evaluation questionnaire for its assessment. Partners also discussed the upcoming PANACEA Days and finalized the schedule for future meetings. Special thanks to Universiteit Leiden for hosting the event!
The fifth partnership meeting occurred online on March 13, 2024. During the meeting, partners presented and deliberated on the progress of various ongoing activities, including the development of PANACEA learning materials, practice-based guidelines, and the syllabus. The latest version of the WebApp was also showcased to facilitate discussions regarding the implementation of the PANACEA educational outcomes. Additionally, discussions revolved around the planning of the Summer School scheduled for July in Madrid.
Many thanks to UNIBO for organizing this meeting!
On 25-26 October 2023, the fourth partnership meeting took place in Bologna.
This meeting, led by UNIBO, focused on the preparation of learning materials and guidelines on placebo and nocebo effects, proposed by KU and ULEI respectively. UNIBO presented the report of the evidence-based content collection, while EFIC the proposal of the survey to collect practice-based data. The main pilot activity (the Summer School) was discussed in detail.
Many thanks to UNIBO for organizing the meeting!
On 24 October 2023, virtually and in Bologna (Italy), we introduced our project and discussed how to achieve synergies between cognitive and affective neuroscience, medical practice, and the best possible clinical outcomes.
For more information about the program: https://site.unibo.it/[…]/placebo-nocebo-effects-in-healthcare
On 18 May 2023, the third partnership meeting took place online.
This meeting, led by JU, focused on dissemination activities, including the website and social media. Samuel Nowak, a social media expert, was invited and presented some strategies on how to use social media effectively, while Serena Correale, the graphic designer hired by UNIBO, presented the website and the social media pages under construction. A detailed dissemination plan was proposed and discussed.
The partners presented and discussed the current status of the other ongoing activities, i.e. the practice- and evidence-based content collection and the work on the WebApp. The pilot activities (trial semester and summer school) were discussed and the International Expert Advisory Board, i.e. placebo and nocebo effect experts who are interested in the project and can provide external feedback and evaluate the project results if needed, was introduced.
Many thanks to JU for organizing the meeting!
On 8 and 9 March 2023, the second partnership meeting took place in Leuven.
During the 2-day, the partners discussed the ongoing activities, such as the practice- and evidence-based content collection as well as the WebApp functional analysis. Dissemination activities about the website and social media were introduced. Finally, transversal activities such as project management and financial issues were discussed.
Many thanks to KU for hosting us!
On 25 and 26 January 2023, the KoM took place in Madrid.
The 2-day meeting set the foundation of the project. The project structure and plan were discussed along with the dissemination plan. The partners discussed the first activities to be implemented such as the practice- and evidence-based content collection as well as the WebApp functional analysis. Moreover, transversal activities such as project management and risks, project evaluation and quality assurance were analyzed.
Many thanks to UCM for hosting us!