San Raffaele Hospital

IRCCS Ospedale San Raffaele is one of Italy's most prestigious private research hospitals, located at Via Olgettina 60 in the northeastern part of Milan. The name 'San Raffaele' derives from the Hebrew 'Raf-el' meaning 'God's medicine' or 'God heals' — a name that captures the founding institution's integration of medical care with spiritual and human values. The hospital belongs to the Fondazione San Raffaele del Monte Tabor (San Raffaele del Monte Tabor Foundation), which was established by the Sodalizio di San Raffaele, a Roman Catholic religious association, and has guided the hospital's values and mission since its founding.

San Raffaele has been recognised by the Italian Ministry of Health as an IRCCS (Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico) — a Scientific Institute carrying out biomedical research and clinical activities of relevant national interest. This designation places San Raffaele among Italy's elite research hospitals, with over 1,300 beds and a staff of over 3,500 professionals across clinical and research roles. The hospital provides care for more than 60,000 inpatients per year and conducts hundreds of clinical trials, representing one of the largest research hospitals in Italy.

San Raffaele's foundational mission — as articulated in the inspiring principles of its founding organization — is to cure and assist individuals who are diseased, following the motto 'Go, teach, heal.' This mission is operationalised by placing the whole person — viewed as a multidimensional entity with inseparable biological, psychological, and spiritual dimensions — at the center of every clinical and research activity. This holistic, person-centred philosophy has shaped San Raffaele's approach to care for more than six decades.

The hospital is also the clinical base for the Università Vita-Salute San Raffaele, a private university that offers degrees in Medicine and Surgery, Philosophy, and Psychology — making San Raffaele a comprehensive academic medical center where world-class research, medical education, and clinical excellence converge. The university is one of Italy's most selective medical schools and the integration of its students into the hospital's clinical environment contributes to a culture of academic rigour and evidence-based practice.

San Raffaele is a comprehensive tertiary and quaternary care hospital with recognized excellence across multiple clinical specialties. Neuroscience is one of the hospital's most internationally distinguished areas — encompassing neurosurgery (brain tumors, vascular neurosurgery including aneurysm and AVM, spinal surgery, deep brain stimulation for Parkinson's disease and movement disorders, epilepsy surgery), neurology, neuroradiology, and neuropsychology. San Raffaele's neuroscience faculty have made major international contributions to multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer's disease, and neurodegenerative disorders research.

Oncology at San Raffaele covers all solid and hematological malignancies through a multidisciplinary approach. The institute is particularly recognized for the Hematology Department, which was among the first in Italy to deliver allogeneic bone marrow transplantation and continues to lead in CAR-T cell therapy, gene therapy for rare diseases, and clinical trials in hematological cancers. The oncology surgery program encompasses hepato-biliary, colorectal, urological, thoracic, and gynecological oncological surgery.

Cardiovascular medicine and cardiac surgery encompass complex coronary bypass surgery, valve repair and replacement, aortic surgery, TAVI, cardiac resynchronization therapy, and heart transplantation. Interventional cardiology performs coronary angioplasty and stenting, and structural heart interventions. Organ transplantation — kidney, liver, and heart — is performed by dedicated multidisciplinary transplant teams. Internal medicine subspecialties (gastroenterology, pulmonology, rheumatology and autoimmune diseases, endocrinology, nephrology, infectious diseases, and HIV) reflect the breadth of San Raffaele's clinical offering.

Urology provides all urological surgical services including robot-assisted radical prostatectomy, cystectomy, nephrectomy, and reconstructive urology. Orthopedic surgery, obstetrics and gynecology, ophthalmology, and dermatology complete the comprehensive specialist portfolio.

IRCCS Ospedale San Raffaele operates a large campus at Via Olgettina in northeastern Milan — a campus that has expanded substantially since the hospital's founding to encompass multiple hospital buildings, research laboratories, the university, and supporting facilities. With over 1,300 inpatient beds, it is one of Italy's largest private hospitals and one of the most comprehensively equipped.

The surgical complex includes modern operating theatres across all specialties — including dedicated neurosurgical suites equipped with intraoperative neurophysiology monitoring, robotic surgery suites (da Vinci Surgical System) for urology, gynecology, and thoracic surgery, cardiac surgery theatres with heart-lung bypass capability, and hepato-biliary surgery operating rooms with advanced laparoscopic platforms. Multiple intensive care units — general ICU, cardiac ICU, neurological ICU, and transplant ICU — provide critical care across all major specialties.

Diagnostic imaging is comprehensive, including multiple MRI scanners, high-definition CT and CT-angiography, PET-CT, digital mammography, interventional radiology suites, and dedicated neuroradiology and cardiac imaging platforms. The bone marrow transplant unit provides specialized isolation rooms and high-level nursing care for immunocompromised transplant patients.

San Raffaele's research infrastructure is one of Italy's most extensive, with major laboratories in molecular biology, genomics, immunology, gene therapy (the institute is a world leader in gene therapy for rare diseases, including work by Prof. Luigi Naldini), and neuroscience. The hospital's proximity to the Università Vita-Salute San Raffaele and its biomedical campus creates a symbiotic research environment. The campus also hosts the San Raffaele Telethon Institute for Gene Therapy (SR-Tiget), internationally recognized for groundbreaking gene therapy clinical trials.

IRCCS Ospedale San Raffaele has a long history of receiving international patients, particularly from the Middle East, Eastern Europe, North Africa, and other European countries, who are drawn to its specialties in neuroscience, hematology and stem cell transplantation, oncology, cardiac surgery, and gene therapy for rare diseases.

The hospital provides international patient coordination services through its international patient office, assisting with medical record review, treatment planning consultations with relevant specialists, scheduling, accommodation, and translation. The Italian NHS agreements mean that a proportion of services are at regulated tariffs, while international private patients are accommodated on a private basis with transparent pricing provided in advance.

San Raffaele's research hospital status means that many international patients are seeking access to clinical trials or cutting-edge experimental treatments — such as CAR-T cell therapy, gene therapy, or novel oncological protocols — that may not be available in their home countries. The hospital is a member of multiple international research networks and continuously runs clinical trials across oncology, neuroscience, gene therapy, and cardiovascular medicine.

Milan's Linate Airport (approximately 15 minutes from the hospital by road) serves as the most convenient airport for San Raffaele, with frequent European connections. Malpensa Airport serves intercontinental routes. The hospital is also accessible by metro, suburban rail, and bus from the city center. A range of hotels in northeastern Milan is available near the hospital campus, and the international patient office can assist with accommodation recommendations for patients and accompanying family members.

IRCCS Ospedale San Raffaele holds the IRCCS (Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico) designation from the Italian Ministry of Health — the highest national recognition for hospitals conducting biomedical research of outstanding national interest. This designation was awarded in recognition of San Raffaele's exceptional research output across neuroscience, hematology, oncology, gene therapy, and immunology, and is subject to ongoing Ministry review and renewal based on continuing scientific productivity and clinical excellence.

As a private hospital registered in Italy, San Raffaele is licensed and regulated by the Italian Ministry of Health and the Lombardy Regional Health Authority under the Accreditamento Regionale system. All clinical facilities meet or exceed the standards required for regional accreditation for the full range of specialties offered, including transplantation, cardiac surgery, and neurosurgery. All physicians hold Italian Medical Council licensure, with specialists holding board certification through the relevant Italian specialty colleges.

San Raffaele is affiliated with the Università Vita-Salute San Raffaele, Italy's leading private medical school, and participates in the Quality Assurance frameworks applicable to Italian academic medicine. The hospital's research activities are subject to ethical review by its independent Ethics Committee. SR-Tiget (San Raffaele Telethon Institute for Gene Therapy) and the broader San Raffaele Scientific Institute are internationally recognized members of major global biomedical research networks, providing ongoing external validation of the institute's scientific excellence.