Dr. Chiara Barone: Ph.D Student at Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Italy
Chiara Barone is an Italian researcher and Ph.D. candidate in Communication and Social Research at Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Milan, where she is actively engaged in projects that combine theory and practice in the fields of communication, health, and behavioral sciences. Born in Pisa in 1998, she has consistently demonstrated academic excellence and professional versatility, earning full marks in both her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees. Her career has been shaped by a unique blend of humanities training, business communication expertise, and applied marketing experience, allowing her to approach complex social phenomena with both critical thinking and creative problem-solving. She stands out as an emerging scholar who bridges academic research and real-world practice, with a strong commitment to exploring innovative strategies that enhance human well-being through effective communication.
Online Profiles
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Publications (Scopus-indexed): 3
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Citations: 13
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h-index: 1
Chiara maintains a professional presence across academic and research-oriented platforms, where she shares her ongoing projects, collaborations, and publications. Her academic contributions can be found in conference proceedings such as CAD’23 and EKSIG23, and her journal articles are accessible in leading peer-reviewed outlets like the Journal of Gambling Studies. She is also active in research networks and institutional repositories of Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore and Engage Minds Hub, where her projects on healthcare communication, behavioral prevention, and digital media applications are featured. These profiles allow her to connect with other researchers, disseminate findings, and showcase her interdisciplinary expertise at the intersection of communication science, psychology, and digital innovation.
Education
Chiara completed her Bachelor’s degree in Modern Literature at the University of Pisa in 2020, graduating with full honors (110L/110) after defending a thesis on the effectiveness of the Human Development Index as a measure of well-being. She then pursued a Master’s degree in Communication for Business, Media, and Complex Organizations at Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Milan, where she graduated in 2022 with top honors (110L/110) after completing a research thesis on doctor–patient communication in aesthetic medicine. Building upon these foundations, she began her Ph.D. in Communication and Social Research in November 2023 at the same university, where she now specializes in systematic reviews, mixed-method research, and prevention studies. This trajectory reflects both her strong academic preparation and her ability to translate theoretical insights into applied strategies for communication and social development.
Research Focus
Her research interests lie at the crossroads of communication, health, and social behavior, with a particular emphasis on understanding how digital tools and media shape interactions between institutions, professionals, and individuals. She has explored themes such as the transformation of doctor–patient communication in aesthetic medicine, the effectiveness of international well-being indicators, and the role of financial literacy in preventing gambling-related harm. Methodologically, she employs a combination of qualitative and quantitative approaches, from focus groups and interviews to surveys, systematic reviews, text mining, and statistical modeling. By applying these diverse methods, she seeks to design communication strategies that are both evidence-based and innovative, with implications for healthcare providers, policymakers, and companies aiming to engage their stakeholders in a responsible and impactful way.
Experience
Chiara has developed a versatile professional profile through experiences in academia, research, and industry. She worked as a Copywriter at Golden Eggs Agency in Milan, where she contributed to the planning of creative campaigns and managed social media profiles for clients. Later, she became Marketing Manager at AirNivol S.p.A., a dental sector company, where she was responsible for online and offline marketing campaigns, event participation, supplier relations, and graphic content creation. She then served as an External Research Collaborator at Politecnico di Milano’s Department of Mechanics, focusing on user experience design for sustainability applications. Since 2023, she has held dual roles at Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore—as a Ph.D. Researcher and as Junior Researcher at Engage Minds Hub—where she manages systematic reviews, focus groups, text mining projects, and company-sponsored studies. This broad spectrum of experience demonstrates her adaptability and her ability to apply academic insights to diverse real-world contexts.
Research Timeline & Activities
Over the years, Chiara has built a strong research trajectory that integrates multiple methods and areas of application. During her undergraduate and master’s studies, she engaged in theoretical and applied research projects on human development, healthcare communication, and the role of new digital paradigms in shaping consumer and patient relationships. In her Ph.D. and junior researcher role, she has expanded her expertise into systematic literature reviews, prevention studies, and the development of text-mining algorithms. She has presented her work at international conferences, including EUSPR 2024, and has authored or co-authored multiple scientific publications spanning topics from virtual reality in education to sustainable design and gambling prevention. Her research timeline illustrates a steady progression from humanities-based inquiry to highly interdisciplinary projects combining communication sciences, psychology, marketing, and digital innovation.
Awards & Honors
Chiara’s academic achievements have been consistently recognized through her outstanding performance in higher education, where she obtained the maximum grade with honors in both her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees. Her early recognition in the research community includes the acceptance of her work at prestigious international conferences such as CAD’23, EKSIG23, and XR Salento, as well as her invited presentation at the European Society for Prevention Research (EUSPR) in 2024. Furthermore, the acceptance of her systematic review article in the Journal of Gambling Studies marks a significant milestone in her early academic career, underlining the relevance and quality of her contributions to the field of prevention research. These accomplishments reflect her dedication to both scholarly rigor and applied impact.
Top Noted Publication
Among her various contributions, one of Chiara’s most significant works is the article “Financial Literacy and Economic Attitudes as Protective Factors against Pathological Gambling? A Systematic Review” (Barone & Graffigna, 2025), published in the Journal of Gambling Studies. This paper provides a comprehensive synthesis of the literature on gambling prevention, highlighting the importance of financial knowledge and responsible economic attitudes in reducing risky behaviors. It represents a clear example of her ability to combine methodological precision with practical relevance, offering insights that can inform both academic discussions and real-world prevention strategies. The publication has positioned her as an emerging voice in the field of social communication and behavioral prevention research.
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Barone, C., & Graffigna, G. (2025). Financial Literacy and Economic Attitudes as Protective Factors Against Pathological Gambling? A Systematic Review. Journal of Gambling Studies. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10899-025-10375-1
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Rossoni, M., Spadoni, E., Carulli, M., Barone, C., Colombo, G., & Bordegoni, M. (2024). Virtual Reality in Education to Enable Active Learning and Hands-on Experience. Computer-Aided Design and Applications, 21(2), 258–269. https://doi.org/10.14733/cadaps.2024.258-269
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Carulli, M., Spadoni, E., Barone, C., & Bordegoni, M. (2023). Emotion Tracking in Virtual Reality Fashion Shows. In Lecture Notes in Computer Science (LNCS, vol. 14163, pp. 402–412). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-43401-3_31
Strength for the Best Researcher Award
1. Academic Excellence and Rigor
Chiara Barone has demonstrated consistent academic excellence throughout her career, earning full honors (110L/110 cum laude) in both her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees. Her strong academic foundation is matched by her commitment to methodological rigor, as seen in her doctoral research and systematic review studies. This balance of intellectual depth and precision in execution highlights her as a researcher capable of producing work of the highest quality.
2. Interdisciplinary Research Expertise
Her research uniquely bridges the humanities, communication sciences, psychology, and marketing, enabling her to investigate complex social issues from multiple perspectives. Whether exploring doctor–patient communication, financial literacy in gambling prevention, or the role of virtual reality in education, Chiara integrates theory and practice to generate interdisciplinary insights that are innovative and impactful.
3. Applied Impact and Societal Relevance
A defining strength of Chiara’s work is its applied relevance. She actively translates academic findings into practical strategies for healthcare providers, policymakers, and companies. Her studies on behavioral prevention, sustainability applications, and digital communication strategies illustrate a strong commitment to using research as a tool for societal betterment, ensuring her work extends beyond academia.
4. International Recognition and Dissemination
Chiara’s contributions have been recognized at prestigious international conferences, such as CAD’23, EKSIG23, XR Salento, and EUSPR 2024. She has published in high-impact journals like the Journal of Gambling Studies and contributed to interdisciplinary conference proceedings. These achievements demonstrate her growing visibility within the global research community and her ability to effectively disseminate her work at an international level.
5. Innovation and Early Career Potential
As a young researcher, Chiara has already authored multiple publications, secured citations, and achieved an h-index, showcasing both productivity and early academic impact. Her focus on emerging fields—such as digital health communication, text mining for prevention studies, and virtual reality applications—positions her as an innovative scholar with strong potential for leadership in future research. This combination of creativity, productivity, and foresight makes her a strong candidate for recognition as an outstanding early-career researcher.