Treatment in Milan (Italy)

Professor Carlo Selmi is leading the Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology Unit at Humanitas Research Hospital. 

Since 2009, he is the responsible of the Autoimmunity and Metabolic Laboratory, dedicated to the study of the possible mechanism linked to the progression of autoimmune diseases. 

The research focuses on four main areas: 

• - The epigenetic mechanisms that regulate the environment-genomic interface by influencing the susceptibility and the phenotype of chronic autoimmune and inflammatory diseases in the model of discordant monozygotic twins for disease. To date, the laboratory has biological sample of discordant couples for numerous diseases.
• - The target antigens of autoimmunity modifications that affect the development of the course of autoimmune diseases. In particular, the laboratory studies the post-translational modifications of joint collagen in rheumatoid arthritis.
• - The prevalence of non-organ autoantibodies, such as anti-nucleus and anti-ENAs and disease specific autoantibodies, such as anti-citrulline and anti-endomysium in a non-specific population of health adults and the significance of the positive founds over time.
• - Gender medicine in real-life, through the analysis of administrative databases.

The team holds dedicated clinics also for, spondiloarthritis and connetcive tissue disease, and it is active in articular ultrasound, videocapillaroscopy, arthrocenthesis and joint injection of steroid or hyaluronic acid.  The Division includes an inpatient clinic for complex cases. All group members are fluent in spoken and written English

Current Teaching Activity: Professor Selmi works as Assistant Professor of Rheumatology at the University of Milan since 2006. Furthermore, he holds a joint appointment as Assistant Professor of Medicine at the Division of Rheumatology of the University of California at Davis since 2005.

He is member of the American College of Rheumatology, American Association of Allergists and Immunologists, and the Italian Society of Rheumatology. He serves on the International Group for Research on Psoriatic Disease (GRAPPA) and the working group for autoantibody standardization within the ACR (ASC).

Publications: Selmi C[Author] - Search Results - PubMed (nih.gov)

Professor Antonino Spinelli is the Director of the Division of Colon and Rectal Surgery at Humanitas Research Hospital.

The Division of Colon and Rectal Surgery is one of the most important centres for colorectal disease, especially for procedures of sphincter preservation for rectal tumours, but also for chronic inflammatory bowel disease (Crohn disease, ulcerative rectal colitis…) and the surgical treatment of diverticular pathologies. 

Professor Spinelli carries out a constant research on minimally invasive surgeries, including the single-port surgery, mini-laparoscopy, low-impact surgery and trans-anal techniques (TATME, TAMIS, TTSS). Furthermore, the advanced postoperative recovering is another area of his interest.

He graduated as MD in 2001 at University of Milano. During his education, he won several scholarships: he trained ad University of Berlin Charitè for two years at the Department of General, Visceral and Transplantation Surgery. Also, he obtained his PhD on Surgical Phsyiopathology with a dissertation on enhanced recovery for laparoscopic colorectal surgery in 2011. 

Current Teaching Activity: he is Full Professor of Surgery at Humanitas University. 

Also, Professor Spinelli is general Secretary of the European Society of Coloproctology (ESCP) and Board Member of the Guidelines Committee (GulCom) of the European Crohn Disease and Colitis Organization (ECCO). He is Fellow of the American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgery (FASCRS), Honorary Fellow of the Czech Society of Surgery (CSS) and Honorary Member of the Brazilian College of Digestive Surgery (CBCD). 

He is a member of the International Organization for the study of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IOIBD) and several other national and international scientific societies. 

In addition, Professor Spinelli serves as Associate Editor for Colorectal Disease (Journal of the Association of Coloproctology of Great Britain & Ireland, Royal College of Surgeons of England, of the European Society of Coloproctology and of the Spanish Society of Coloproctology – Asociación Española de Coloproctología), Diseases of the Colon and Rectum (official journal of the American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons), Journal of the Anus, Rectum and Colon (official journal of the Japan Society of Coloproctology).

He is Editorial Board Member of the Journal of Crohn’s Colitis (official journal of the European Crohn’s Colitis Organization), Advisory Board of Coloproctology (official journal of the German Society for Coloproctology – Deutsche Gesellschaft für Koloproktologie) and Editorial Board Member of Updates in Surgery (official journal of the Italian Society of Surgery – Società Italiana di Chirurgia).

Dr. Bernhard Reimers – Clinical and Invasive Cardiology Unit Director in Humanitas Research Hospital, was born in Germany. He graduated in medicine and surgery in University of Padua (Italy) in 1990, followed by specialization in Cardiology. During the first 3 years of specialization in Cardiology in the Coronary Unit of Padua University, his particular interests were in managing cardiovascular urgency and critical patients, including management of fans, balloon pump, hemofiltration, temporary pacing, placement of central venous pathways and Swan-Ganz catheter. He spent his last year of specialization at the Hemodynamics of Casa di Cura Columbus (Milan), where he acquired his knowledge on the main diagnostic techniques he uses. After a short period of study at the Thoraxcenter of Rotterdam, during which he wrote his first scientific publications, Dr. Reimers has dedicated himself to hemodynamics and cardiovascular surgeries, working as Unit Director main assistant, executing angioplasty, coronary and peripheral procedures, reaching complete autonomy in coronary stenting, atherectomy, ultrasound intravascular and intracoronary doppler.

Since September 1997 he has managed and developed the diagnostic and interventional cardiovascular program at the Department of Cardiology of Mirano (Venice), where, thanks to his achievements, since 2000 the highest number of coronary angioplasties were performed. In 2006 the Unit has performed 975 coronary angioplasties (including 125 primary), more than 400 carotid angioplasty and peripherals. Dr. Reimers became Unit Director and has trained and taught a young team of interventional cardiologists, including 4 completely independent in the performance of coronary angioplasty, which manages both hemodynamics and largely the CCU in close collaboration between the two services. After this important experience, he was invited to be part of Humanitas Research Hospital as Clinical and Invasive Cardiology Unit Director.

Dr. Reimers participates in many scientific studies on the treatment of myocardial infarction considering new interventional or pharmaceutical approaches for primary angioplasty. He was also member of the Technical Commission of the Regional Bid for the purchase of stents. Thanks to Dr. Reimers’ efforts, Hemodynamics of Mirano (Venice) is considered reference center for primary angioplasty and elective complex procedures. Dr. Reimers is considered to be one of the leading experts of carotid angioplasty worldwide. He is preparing a program for interventional treatment of acute stroke. He performs routine renal angioplasty and implants percutaneous devices and endoprosthesis systems for aortic aneurysms.

Dr. Reimers has published, as author or co-author, 77 articles quoted in Medline. The impact factor calculated based on 2006 is 263. He published 9 book chapters and several abstracts for important international conferences dedicated to Cardiology, such as TCT, PCR, National GISE ANMCO, JIM and ESC, were he also performed live invasive procedures.

Dr. Reimers has always considered participation in clinical trials and scientific international events among the main activities of his professional carrier. Besides teaching at University of Tor Vergata in Rome, he organizes many conferences, national and international medical follow-up courses. For over 9 years he has been organizing theoretical and practical courses with lectures and transmission of live procedures in Venice. He has so far organized two editions of TOBI, international meeting dedicated to invasive treatment of total coronary occlusions and bifurcations, three editions of ETI, international conference and the largest in Italy, dedicated to invasive cardiology devices. 

Dr. Reimers was member of the scientific committee in the editions of 2006 and 2007 of National Convention GISE (Italian Group of Hemodynamic Study) and participated at important events dedicated to CAPTURE study, ESIRIUS, SYNTAX, TIMI 38, FINESSE and many others.

Publications: ttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=bernhard

Prof. Marco Klinger is director of the School of Specialization in Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery at the University of Milan and Head of the Operating Unit in Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery at Humanitas Research Hospital.

He specializes in plastic and reconstructive surgery: treatment of scars, burns, outcomes of bariatric surgery, regenerative medicine and surgery, post-oncological breast reconstruction, breast malformations and skin oncology. Aesthetic plastic surgery: augmentation mammoplasty, mastopexy, reduction mammoplasty, rhinoplasty/ rhinoseptoplasty, lifting, liposuction, abdominoplasty, blepharoplasty and otoplasty.

Research interests: Regenerative medicine and surgery.

Prof. Klinger and his team have performed more than 35,000 plastic surgery and reconstructive surgery; he is the author of over 200 scientific articles, published in national and international journals. Among his most recent and significant studies, the use of lipofilling in treatment of severe burn outcome, scleroderma and chronic pain syndromes, such as Post Mastectomy Pain Syndrome.

Scientific publications: 

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=klinger%20marco

Prof. Alessandro Castagna is the Orthopedic Surgery of the Shoulder and Elbow Unit Director in Humanitas Research Hospital. He performs both traditional surgeries and arthroscopic surgeries. He developed experience in arthroscopic surgery of the shoulder in the United States where he studied at the Southern California Orthopedic Institute, under the guidance of Dr. Stephen J. Snyder (famous shoulder surgeon, inventor and co-developer of surgical tools for shoulder arthroscopy).

Prof. Castagna gained experience in open surgery of the shoulder under the guidance of Prof. Mario Randelli, founder and past-president of the Italian Society for Surgery of the Shoulder, in Milan (Italy). He has specialized almost exclusively in shoulder surgery for more than 25 years and counts over 40.000 cases in his career. He carries out about 900 surgeries per year, including total shoulder prostheses, reverse prostheses, open and arthroscopic stabilization, rotator cuff repair and proximal humerus fractures.

Research areas of interest: 

Improvement of surgical and therapeutic methods of shoulder pathology. He gives particular attention to the study of biological and functional aspects with the development of surgical techniques, materials and dedicated tools. 

Teaching experience: Adjunct Professor at the Orthopedics Course of Specialization in Diseases of the Locomotor System at the University of L'Aquila.

Scientific activity: 

Prof. Castagna was president of European Society for Surgery of the Shoulder and the Elbow (ESSSE/SECEC) (www.secec.org) from 2012 to 2014 and president of Italian Society for Surgery of the Shoulder and Elbow (SICS&G) (www.sicseg.it) from 2010 to 2012. He is also a Member of the Board di International Congress of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery (ICSES, www.icses.org) nominated for the period from 2013 to 2022.

Publications: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=castagna+alessandro

Prof. Alessio Michele Goffredo Aghemo is the Hepatology Unit Director in Humanitas research Hospital.

Medical areas of interest: 

• liver diseases
• viral hepatitis
• metabolic hepatitis
• liver cirrhosis

Previous experience: 

From 2007 to 2017 he was the 1st level Medical Director at the U.O of Gastroenterology of the IRCCS Foundation Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan.

Research areas of interest: 

Clinical and research activity focused on natural history and treatment of viral hepatitis.

He is the author of 155 peer-reviewed publications (Impact Factor total 1151.3, H-Index 25 according to Scopus, H-Index 20 last 5 years Scopus, H-Index 30 according to Google Scholar) (updated September 2017).

From 2013 to 2016 he was a scientific member of the governing board of the European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL).

Since 2016 he is a member of the scientific committee of the European Association of Gastroenterology (UEG).

He is a member of the AISF (Italian Association for the Study of the Liver) commission for antiviral drugs directed against HCV (2012-present). Since 2016 he has been the coordinator of the same. 

He was AIFA/EMEA expert for liver disease since 2008.

Member of the Executive Committee of the HCV Regional Network, determined by the Lombardy Region on 28 September 2015.

He participated as an expert in the drafting of the European Guidelines 2013-2014-2015-2016-2017 (EASL) and Italian (AISF) on the Treatment of Chronic Hepatitis C.

Teaching experience:

He is associated professor of Gastroenterology at Humanitas University since September 2017.

Prof.  Roberto Gatti is the Physiotherapy Unit Director in Humanitas Research Hospital. Prof. Roberto Gatti became physiotherapist in 1985 at the University of Milan (Italy). In 1996 he got the licénce en kinésithérapie et réadaptation  at the Catholique University of Louvain la Neuve (Belgium) and, in 2009, the Master of sciences in Rehabilitation Sciences at the University of Florence (Italy).

Medical areas of interest: 

motor rehabilitation

Previous experience:
 

Didactic coordinator of Physiotherapy degree programme of the Vita-Salute San Raffaele University

• Group Leader of the Motor Function Analysis and Rehabilitation Laboratory of the Department of Neuroscience of San Raffaele Hospital
• Head of physiotherapy at San Raffaele Hospital

Research areas of interest:

Research lines of Prof. Roberto Gatti are mainly addressed on Biomechanics and Neurorehabilitation, with a focus on the effects of cognitive facilitations (i.e. action observation) on motor relearning of subjects with lesion at the central nervous system. As Biomechanics research lines his interest is focused on the study of anticipatory postural adjustments and their coordination with the agonist component of movement.

Teaching experience: 

Associated Director of the Physiotherapy degree programme of Humanitas Research Hospital since 2016

Prof. Dr. Maria Grazia Bordoni is the Vascular Surgery Unit Director in Humanitas Research Hospital. She has graduated at Università degli Studi of Milan and specialised as a vascular surgeon and since then she has been interested in vascular surgery in all its aspects.

Medical areas of interest:

Her main specialties are endovascular surgery and treatment of the large vessels of the abdomen and thorax (aorta, thoracic cavity), carotid surgery, endovascular and surgical treatments for arteries of the lower limbs, preparation of complex vascular access in hemodialysis, phlebology, diagnosis and treatment of vascular malformations. 

Research areas of interest: 

When it comes to the research activity, Dr. Bordoni is mainly dealing with early treatment of acute ischemic strokes and stimulation of the carotid baroreceptors in patients with heart failure. Prof. Bordoni has performed more than 2000 surgeries as first surgeon in her Humanitas career. 

Since 2005, she is also Milan University professor: she teaches General Surgery and focuses on the topic of vascular and surgical emergencies.

Publications: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=bordoni+mg

Dr. Maurizio Fornari is the Head of the Neurosurgery Unit in Humanitas Research Hospital.

After his specialization in neurosurgery in 1979 at the University of Milan, Dr. Fornari has followed courses in neurosurgery at Mount Sinai Hospital, New York (USA) and advanced courses in Spinal Surgery and skull base at the Center St. Louis (USA) and the Center of Albuquerque (USA).

Dr. Fornari specializes in the treatment of all major diseases of the central and peripheral nervous system, from the compression of the spinal nerves (lumbar and cervical disc hernias, stenosis of the cervical canal, instability of the spine, spinal cord tumors), primary and secondary brain tumors, to congenital malformations of the central nervous system. Dr. Fornari is a recognized leader in the development of computer assisted spine surgery.

Dr. Fornari is a recognized leader in the development of minimally invasive surgery, who among the first has adopted bloodless methods such as micro decompression with unilateral approach for the treatment of lumbar stenosis instead of the much more invasive laminectomy.

Another dreaded disease, sometimes associated with stenosis or lumbar spondylolisthesis, which Dr. Fornari is approaching for quite a long time with the help of spinal navigation systems and intraoperative CT scan, which helps the work of the surgeon during the intervention, reducing invasiveness and risks for the patient, represent lumbar instability.

He and his team perform more than 1.300 surgeries a year, and he has one of the most important case studies in the world (data from a few years ago published in the Journal of Neurosurgery: 
http://thejns.org/action/doSearch?displaySummary=false&AllField=maurizio+fornari.) 

Since 2012, he teaches at the University of Milan. He is also Assistant Editor of "Advanced Technology in Neurosurgery" published by Sprinter Verlag Berlin Heldelberg (1988).

Publications: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=fornari%m

Prof. Enrico Arnaldi is the Arthroscopic and Reconstructive Surgery of the Knee Unit Director in Humanitas Research Hospital. 
He was the medical apprentice of Dr. Lorenzo Spotorno (a master and pioneer in prosthetic surgery). Since 1984, he has dedicated himself to arthroscopic knee surgery and later on shoulder surgery.

Medical areas of interest: He is specialized in degenerative and post-traumatic shoulder diseases (rotator cuff tendon injuries, glenomeral arthrosis, shoulder instability) and related surgical treatments, arthroscopic (tendon repairs, capsuloplasty, etc.) and open (latarjet stabilization, orthoprosthesis, etc.). 
He also deals with degenerative and post traumatic knee pathologies, with particular attention to the osteoarthritis of the knee (primitive or secondary), the post-traumatic complex capsule-ligamentous instabilities, the lesions of the cruciate ligaments, meniscus and cartilage, and open-air surgical treatments (such as corrective osteotomies, first implant orthoprosthesis and revisions) and arthroscopic (meniscectomies and meniscal sutures, meniscal transplants, ACL reconstruction, treatment of focal cartilage lesions). 

Research areas of interest:
There are many research interests, ranging from biotechnology to meniscal transplants and osteochondral grafts, from allogeneic grafts for reviews from failures of ligamentous reconstruction to patella stabilization.

He practiced his specialty in the US in some of the world-renowned medical institutions along with internationally famous doctors: the University of Pittsburgh (Dr. Freddie Fu, Dr. Harner, Dr. Savio Lee Wo), the Intermountain Hospital in Salt Lake City (Dr. Rosemberg, Dr. Paulos), Dr. E. Wolf (San Francisco), Dr. Helman and Dr. Morrison (Los Angeles), Dr. Nottage, Dr. Esch (San Diego), Dr. Steadman and Dr. Hawkins (Vail), Dr. P. Fowler (London Ontario Canada), and J. P. Warner in Boston University.

He has performed more than 10,000 arthroscopic knee surgeries and approximately 1,200 prosthetic reconstruction of the knee. He has always been very involved in the research works in the area of new biotechnologies, meniscal and osteochondral transplantation, allogeneic grafts for revisions by failures of ligament reconstructions, stabilization of the patella.

Publications: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=arnaldi+enrico

Prof. Michele Ciccarelli is the Pneumology Unit Director in Humanitas Research Hospital.

He has acquired significant experience in managing infectious pneumonias, treating about 300 cases annually. 

He has also acquired a wide experience in managing respiratory allergies of bronchial asthma and COPD with over 500 patients followed in these pathologies.

Previous experience:

1988-1995 Hospital of Niguarda, Milan, Italy
Visiting doctor at the Centre for High Specialisation in Allergology and Clinical Immunology with full-time specialisation in the Department of Pneumology Piazza.

Other medical areas of interest:

• Obstructive pathology of the airways
• Pulmonary infectivity
• Bronchoscopy techniques
• Pulmonary oncology
• Interstitial pneumopathies
• Non-invasive ventilator therapy
• Sleep medicine
• Pneumopathies in the course of systemic diseases

Research areas of interest:

• Lung oncology
• Community and hospital acquired pneumonia
• Bronchial asthma
• Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Teaching experience: Medicine and Surgery Professor at “Università degli Studi” of Milan.

Scientific activities: Medicine and Surgery Professor at “Associazione Italiana Pneumologi Ospedalieri” (AIPO).

Prof. Raffaello Furlan is the Unit Director of the Internal Medicine Center Unit.

Since 1990 he has been focusing his clinical interests on hypotensive phenomena and episodes of loss of consciousness, organizing and developing a functional multidisciplinary unit called "Syncope and Posture Disorders Unit", as part of the Internal Medicine Unit where he worked (currently Medical Clinic, Istituto Clinico Humanitas, Rozzano, and in the past L. Sacco Hospital, Milan, and Bolognini Hospital, Bergamo). 

This unit is composed of a neurologist, an endocrinologist, a cardiologist and a psychiatrist, in accordance with clinical-care facilitated protocols. Thanks to this organizational structure, and thanks to the use a special clinical laboratory, more than 1600 tilt tests have been carried out, together with intensive work with outpatients and inpatients, which led to the care of patients also from other regions in Italy and abroad (France, Switzerland, Australia, Comoros Islands and United States).

The Syncope and Posture Disorders Unit is currently part of a worldwide network of centres that refer to the National Dysautonomia Research Foundation, an American non-profit foundation providing advice and support to patients with different types of dysautonomia and financing international research protocols on the subject.  

Research areas of interest:

From 1977 to 1984, he took an active part in studies conducted on experimental models, to clarify the nervous mechanisms of cardiac, cardio-vascular and vascular reflexes involved in the regulation of blood pressure and in the genesis of cardiac pain. He also applied techniques of direct recording of sympathetic nerve activity and spectral analysis to the study of cardiovascular variability in the physiological, pathophysiologic and pathological  fields, studying the changes in the nervous control of the cardiovascular system during postural changes, physical training, neuromediated syncope in patients suffering from dysutopianism (Pure Autonomic Failure), and in subjects with Chronic Orthostatic Intolerance, Fibromyalgia, Esophageal Reflux Disease, Ulcerative Colitis and Parkinson’s disease. 

Since January 2004, the Syncope Unit directed by Prof. Furlan has conceived, realized and coordinated some observational multicentric studies aimed at studying the short-term prognosis of syncope, to evaluate the effectiveness of risk scales in the emergency room and the role of clinical judgement (steps studies, Short Term Prognosis of Syncope). The Syncope Unit was also an active part of EGSYS2 and other multicenter syncope studies. Currently, a study is underway to assess the effects of bilateral plantar stimulation on the path and neurovegetative profile of cardiovascular regulation in Parkinson’s disease. It involves 10 hospitals sponsored by the Lombardy region on syncope costs and a multicentric European study on the use of neuronal networks for syncope management in the emergency room.

Previous experience:

2007-2012 Hospital, Seriate, Italy
Director of Internal Medicine Unit, Outpatients and Day Hospital for medicine. 
1982-2007 Hospital, Milan, Italy
• Hospital assistant of Internal Medicine (Medicine II) until 1990. During this period, he was directly responsible for 8 beds in this Department and carried out regular call duties in the A&E Department. He was also involved in invasive measurements of blood pressure.

• Co-manager assistant in Internal Medicine (Medicine II; from February 1990). During this period, he was responsible for 12-18 beds of the Medicine Department, coordinating the work of two assistants. From January 2002 to January 2005 he had the title of "High Specialisation" in the field of disorders from orthostatic intolerance. From January 2005 he was responsible for the simple structure "Unit for Syncopes and Posture Disorders". 
• Following the incorporation process of Italian hospitals (as from 1996), he was involved in programmes for the ottimization of efficiency and cost reduction of the Medicine II Department and he had an active part in the discussion of the annual budget from 1998. He was responsible for the Day Hospital in Medicine II until January 2005. 

• He followed the course for Directors of Complex Operative Units, hospital area, edition UBMDSCO0201, held at the School of Management in Health of the Lombardy Region (I.Re.F.) in 2002, discussing the final project entitled "Evaluation of diagnostic performance and cost analysis of tilt test in the diagnosis of syncopal episodes", obtaining the resulting certification.

Publications: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=furlan r

Prof. Renato Maria Bragato is the Autonomous Echocardiography Unit Director in Humanitas Research Hospital.

His main medical specialties are 2D, 3D transthoracic and transesophageal echocardiographies.

He executes echo transthoracic and transoesophageal intra-operative monitoring in heart surgery, vascular surgery and hemodynamics (intra-operative diagnostics, cardiac function monitoring, mini-access treatment and surgery using the Heartport technique, monitoring implantation of vascular and valvular percutaneous endoprostheses, monitoring PFO closure, monitoring LAA Occluder and Mitral clip positioning), intraoperative evaluation and follow-up of application and correct functioning of “Ventricular Advanced Device” (VAD, NOVACOR, CIRCULATE),  resynchronisation and evaluation of bi-ventricular cardiac stimulation, vascular ultrasound (EchocolorDoppler of the supra-aortic trunks) and study of endothelial dysfunction (Shear test), evaluation of cardio-embolic risk using CEUS, transthoracic and transesophageal techniques.

Research areas of interest: His research activity is dedicated to Artificial Heart Device and Fusion Imaging.

Author and co-author of over 70 published papers on different national and international journals mainly from personal original research project

Member of Italian Society of Cardiovascular Echography (SIEC)

Publications: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=bragato+renato

Prof. Efrem Civilini  is chairman at Humanitas University and Vascular Surgery Unit Director at Humanitas Research Hospital.

He received his medical degree from the University of Milan, Italy and board-certified in Vascular Surgery at the University of Siena, Italy. He took his internship and residency in vascular surgery at San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan (Italy) where he completed his training with clinical and research fellowships under the guidance of his mentor Prof. Roberto Chiesa.

As an attending surgeon and later as chief of Thoracic Aortic Surgery at the Cardiovascular Department of San Raffaele he practiced his surgical skills in an internationally recognized team treating thoraco-abdominal aneurysms and then studied minimally invasive aortic surgery at the Cleveland Clinic (OH). After an experience of about 15.000 vascular surgerie, in 2015 was appointed to Humanitas at the head of a relatively young team: the department of Vascular Surgery I. This department provides comprehensive treatments for all types of vascular disorders including the new technology of catheter-based intervention as well as traditional surgical treatment all geared toward maximizing safety and optimizing outcomes.

Prof. Civilini’s research has been focused on aortic surgery and minimally invasive vascular therapies. He co-authored practice guidelines for the treatment of patients with cardiovascular diseases and has played a role in industry-sponsored clinical trials assessing the performance of new expandable stents used to treat thoracic aorta disease. He has been invited to present his clinical experience at international and national medical conferences and symposia.

He has authored or co-authored several peer-reviewed articles and book chapters on his clinical experience and research. He serves as a reviewer for the Annals of Vascular Surgery and is member of the European Society of Vascular Surgery and the Società Italiana di Chirurgia Vascolare ed Endovascolare.

Previous experience:

1995-2014
Scientific Institute San Raffaele, Milan. Italy
Staff surgeon and Director of the Thoracic Aortic Surgery

2003-2014
“Vita – Salute” University, Milan. Italy
Fellow and Contract Professor of Surgery

2008 
Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland (OH)
Additional training in catheter-based interventions and endovascular surgery of thoraco-abdominal aneurysms.

Publications:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=Civilini%20E%5BAuthor%5D&cauthor=true&cauthor_uid=26344379

Prof.  Marco Francone is the Cardiovascular Imaging Unit Director in Humanitas Research Hospital.

Medical areas of interest:

Imaging in cardiovascular and pulmonary diseases

Previous experience:

- First level Medical Director at the Department of Radiological, Oncological and Anatomy-Pathological Sciences, at Policlinico Umberto I in Rome

- Past-President, Cardiology Section at the Italian Society of Medical Radiology (SIRM)

Research areas of interest: 

Inflammatory heart disease, cardiomyopathy, imaging of acute myocardial infarction, imaging in cardio-toxicity, imaging of post-COVID patients.

Prof.  Marco Francone is the author of more than 150 indexed scientific papers with an impact factor of more than 500 and has lectured around the world for fifteen years, from the United States to Asia, from Africa to Australia.

Teaching experience:

Full Professor of Radio diagnostics at Humanitas University

Publications:

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=marco+francone&sort=pubdate&size=200&show_snippets=off

Prof. Carlo Castroro is the General Gastric and Esophagus Surgery Unit Director in Humanitas Research Hospital. He has graduated in the University of Padua and specialised in general medicine and thoracic surgery.

Medical areas of interest:

• gastric esophagus surgery
• day surgery
• general surgery

Previous experience:

Head of Simple Departmental Oncological Surgery Unit at the “Istituto Oncologico Veneto”, IOV - IRCCS, Padua.

Research areas of interest: 

• gastro-intestinal oncological surgery
• diseases of the esophagus with particular focus on oncologicy
• training, new technologies and distance learning
• day surgery and surgical services reorganization

Teaching experience: He is a professor in the Graduate School of General Surgery of the University of Padua and has also participated as a lecturer in numerous postgraduate training courses in the field of esophageal surgery, day surgery and minimally invasive surgery.

Publications: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=castoro+carlo