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Professor Santoro is heavily involved in research, with interest in many topics, such as the development of new cancer drugs and new biological therapies, interests for solid and haematological tumours, and not only he treats cancer survivors but also patients with comorbidities.

He has worked in Humanitas Research Hospital for 22 years. Professor Santoro’s post-graduate research was carried out at the Unité de Development Therapeutique (Institut de Cancerologie et d’Immunogenetique, Villejuif of Paris) from 1974 to 1975, and in the Division of Medical Oncology of the National Cancer Institute of Milan from 1976 to 1977. 

In 1977, he specialized in Clinical and Laboratory Haematology at University of Rome. In 1979, he completed his fellowship post-graduate work in the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center of New York and later, at Stanford University. In 1980, he specialized in oncology at the University of Genoa. 

Current Teaching Activity: Professor Santoro worked as Contract Professor at the Specialization School in Clinical Pathology ad Pavia University from 1992 to 1997. Also, from 1993 to 2002 he has been President of the Rare Tumour Group. Now he is full professor at Humanitas University. 

Current Positions: 

• .Since 1997, he is the Director of the Department of Medical Oncology and Haematology, at Istituto Clinico Humanitas, Milan. Also, he is Member of the Ethics Committee of Istituto Clinico Humanitas and Director of Clinical Research in the same Institute since 2007.
• - Since 2008, he is Member of the Planning Committee, Ministry of Work and of Health and Social Politics, Rome, Italy.
• - Since October 2008, Professor Santoro is Counsellor of the Board of Directors of the Fondazione Humanitas for Research of Rozzano, Italy.
• - Since November 2008, he is Expert Member of the National Centre for the Prevention and Control of Disease, Ministry of Work and of Health and Social Politics (Rome, Italy).
• - Since February 2009, he is National Representative preparatory actions for the "European Partnership for Action against Cancer" Ministry of Work and of Health and Social Politics (Rome, Italy).
• - Since February 2009, Professor Santoro is member of National Italian Committee on the Research Network in Oncology, Ministry of Work and of Health and Social Politics (Rome, Italy).
• - Since May 2009, he is Coordinator of the Oesophageal-Stomach Cancer Group Coordinator of the Liver and Biliary Tree Cancer Group, Regional Oncology Commission – Lombardy Oncology Network.

In addition, Professor Santoro’s unique expertise was recognized through numerous awards, such as the Managing Doctor of the Year award (2013), the City of Siena S. Caterina d’Oro Award (2013, Serra Association Award for scientific research) and social and healthcare commitment (Salerno, 2009). 

Publications: santoro%a - Search Results - PubMed (nih.gov) 

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)

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. 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

Dr. Nunzio Paolo Nuzzi has graduated at Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore (Milan) and carried out his specialisation in neuroradiology. He is the Unit director of Interventional radiology at Humanitas Research Hospital.

Medical areas of interest: interventional neuroradiology, cerebrovascular diseases, ischemic and haemorrhagic stroke, brain aneurysms, brain and spinal arteriovenous malformations and arterial-venous fistulas (AVF), intracranial stenosis and neck stenosis.

Research areas of interest: new biomedical devices for the treatment of cerebrovascular diseases. Clinical research on minimally invasive endovascular procedures.

Dr. Giuseppe Marinari is a specialist in general surgery (1991) and nutrition (1995). He started his career in Bariatric Surgery in 1987 and, since then, he has performed over 7000 bariatric procedures, mainly Sleeve Gastrectomy, Gastric Bypass, and Biliopancreatic Diversion. Dr. Giuseppe Marinari has international experience, and he is one of the leading Bariatric surgeons in Italy. Over the past 10 years, he has focused on the implementation of a high-volume centre (>1250 procedures in 2019). Since 2016, he adopted an Enhanced Recovery After Bariatric Surgery (ERABS) protocol, to improve benefits for the patient. In essence, this means a faster recovery and an early return to daily activities, with a very high patient approval rating.

Obesity is a complex condition that encompasses a variety of comorbidities. Therefore, the role of a bariatric surgeon is multidisciplinary, including the understanding (and sometimes treating) of comorbidities as well as performing surgery.

Bariatrics interested Dr. Giuseppe Marinari at first because it was a new and growing field. He then developed an appreciation for the multidisciplinary aspect. Now Dr. Giuseppe Marinari is eager to help people transform their lives.

Dr. Giuseppe Marinari  was mentored by Prof. N. Scopinaro at the University Hospital in Genoa, Italy. He invented the biliopancreatic diversion (with or without duodenal switch), a malabsorptive bariatric operation. Dr. Marinari is now Director of the Bariatric Center. He has international experience and is one of the leading surgeons in his field. He performs both restrictive and malabsorbative bariatric procedures, mainly using the laparoscopic approach. In Humanitas Reasearch Hospital patients are treated by a multi-disciplinary team. The patients are given full attention and support throughout all the steps along the treatment.

Publications: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=marinari+giuseppe

Dr. Federico Pessina is the Cranial Neurosurgey Unit Director.

Medical areas of interest: Brain tumors, glioblastomas, low grade gliomas, brain metastases, meningiomas, neuromas, cavernous angiomas, brain aneurysms

Surgical treatment with brain mapping techniques, awake and minimally invasive surgery of all central nervous system tumors.

Surgical treatment of highly complex tumors of the skull base and cranio-cervical hinge: meningiomas, neuromas, craniopharyngiomas, brain stem tumors.

All the tumor pathologies described above are addressed after multidisciplinary multi-specialist evaluation.

The surgical approach is customized to the patient and to the type of lesion, making use of the most advanced intraoperative techniques for malignant brain tumors (neuronavigation, intraoperative neurophysiology, intraoperative CT) and more complex approaches (anterior, posterior and combined petroosectomies, minimally invasive accesses) for benign diseases of the skull base such as meningiomas and neuromas.

Research areas of interest: Experimental protocols in the treatment of glioblastomas

- Prospective protocols in the treatment of brain metastases

- Role of surgical removal and integrated treatments in glioblastomas and malignant brain tumors

- Intracranial meningiomas

- Cadaver lab dissection

Author of more than 60 scientific publications and 5 book chapters, he is member of Italian Society of Neurosurgery (SINCH).

In 2018 he joined the Scientific Committee of European Society of Neuroncology (EANO) and the Skull Base Surgery Committee of World Federation of Neurosurgical Society (WFNS).

Specialized training: 

Prof. Pessina obtained his Degree in Medicine and Surgery in University of  Insubria,  Varese, where he also completed his Residency Program.

From 2007 to 2008 he covered the role of Clinical Fellow in Neurosurgery in Lausanne University Hospital, focusing on image-guided intrinsic brain tumors resection and vascular neurosurgery

In 2018 he covered the Skull Base fellow position in Lariboisiere Hospital, Paris, fully dedicating to skull base surgery and hands-on dissection practice and teaching.

Since 2022, he is Full Professor in Neurosurgery (MED/27) in Humanitas University

Additional information of interest:

Member of the Scientific Committee of the European Association of Neuroncology (EANO)

Publications:  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=Pessina+Federico

Dr. Daniela Pini is the Head of the Cardio-respiratory rehabilitation Unit.

Medical areas of interest: Dr. Daniela Pini has been working and researching heart failure and has gained considerable experience in the management of advanced forms of this pathology. She is also very interested in the evaluation and "overall" management of patients suffering from this disease, which mainly affects elderly people and who already have other chronic diseases, which, if neglected, can easily impair the effectiveness of treatment for heart failure itself.

Research areas of interest: new therapies for advanced heart failure: replacement therapy of the heart with mechanical assistance devices to the circulation or heart transplant. New drugs and devices. Multidisciplinary patient management programs.

Further information of interest: thanks to the high competence of cardiosurgeons, electrophysiologists and hemodynamists, Humanitas can count, as a clinical cardiologist, on a team that allows it to offer the patient all the range of therapeutic options for heart failure.

From June 2000 to October 2001 she was Visiting Assistant Professor at the Cardiovascular Division Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. During this period, she worked in the Heart Failure/Heart Transplantation Program, where she participated in the management of patients with advanced heart failure waiting for transplantation, dealing in particular with medical complications in patients with mechanical assistance devices. She has also worked with kidney, kidney-pancreas, pancreas-insulae, lung, liver and heart transplant teams, dealing with the multiple aspects of managing solid organ transplant recipients.

She worked in the Niguarda Ca' Granda Hospital, at the Cardiomyopathy and Heart Transplantation Service, dealing mainly with patients with advanced heart failure and undergoing a cardiac transplant.

Dr. Pini is a member of the coordination committee of the Decompensation Area of the National Association of Medical Hospital Cardiologists – ANMCO. In the last two years she has been mainly concerned on building a network of “heart failure clinics” on the national territory.

Prof. Leonardo Maradei is specialised in orthopaedics and traumatology and is the Director of the Foot Surgery and Minimally Invasive Operations Unit in Humanitas Research Hospital. 

Prof. Leonardo Maradei performs surgery on the foot with minimally invasive techniques and arthroscopic surgery. After his specialization he deepened his studies in arthroscopic surgery of the shoulder and the knee at the Mississippi Sports Medicine & Orthopaedic Center (USA), under the guidance of prof. F. H. Savoie. He has developed considerable experience in shoulder prosthetic surgery as a pupil of prof. Mario Randelli. 
His research is focused on the development of new prosthetic materials for the shoulder. During his years in Humanitas he has performed more than 2000 surgeries on the foot, more than 1000 on the knee and more than a 1000 on the shoulder. 

Dr. Maradei is a professor at Università Statale of Milan where he teaches Medicine and Surgery - Lessons on minimally invasive surgery of the shoulder and knee.

Publications: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=maradei+leonardo

Dr. Lucia Torracca is leading the Cardiac Surgery Unit at Humanitas Research Hospital. She received her training at Ospedali Civili di Brescia and at Ospedale San Raffaele with Professor Ottavio Alfieri, were she improved her knowledge in the mitral disease focusing in the reparative and preservative approaches. At the same institution she led the minimal invasive and robotic division before moving to Ospedali Riuniti Di Ancona to be chief of the Cardiac Surgery Complex Unit. Dr. Torracca has performed more than 55 hundred cardiac surgeries. Thanks to her surgical and academic curriculum, she has been an active member of the steering committee of the European Society editing Guidelines for the treatment of heart diseases.

Together with her team in Humanitas, she can approach every cardiac disease affecting adults, especially focusing on the minimal invasive approach to reparative valve disease. State of the art technologies are regularly explored and implemented in the Open Heart dedicated Operating Room and Intensive Care Unit to ensure best outcomes, shorter hospital stay and fewer surgical complications.

The surgical expertise of Dr. Torracca go from open heart circulatory-arrest procedure to off-pump and/or trans-catheter procedures (MitraClip or TransApical Aortic Valve Implants).

Dr. Torracca and her team can claim the highest rate of mitral valve repair in Bi-leaflet prolapse (Barlow Disease) hitting almost 99% of conservative approach in minimal invasiveness at the time of surgery, maintaining >95% success rate at long term follow up: this option is further advantageous in the youngest patient population allowing restrain from anticoagulation therapy and perfectly normal quality of life.

Author or co-author of 151 publications in national and international scientific journals.

Prof. Marco Montorsi is the Director of the Department of General and digestive surgery unit in Humanitas Research Hospital and he is Professor of General Surgery at the Humanitas University. His academic career started in the the Humanitas University of Milan, where he entered in 1980 as Assistant Professor and was appointed as Professor of Surgery in 2001.

His main interests are in the field of digestive diseases and in the surgical treatment of the related pathologies, mainly hepatico-pancreatico-biliary (HPB) and colorectal pathologies. He is indeed the Director of the Department of Surgery in Humanitas Research Hospital where a great volume of major abdominal surgeries is routinely performed. Around 250 -300 hepatic and pancreatic resections and 350 colorectal resections.
He began performing laparoscopic colorectal surgery in the early 90s and gained a lot of experience in this field. The vast majority of colorectal tumours diagnosed in the department of Surgery is submitted to laparoscopic resection thus allowing a smooth and safe disease course. A robotic approach with the new Da Vinci equipment is now available for patients with rectal tumours.

Transanal endoscopic microsurgery (TEM) with dedicated instruments is also offered to selected patient with low-sited rectal tumours so sparing major abdominal approach.

A routine policy of strict interaction with the Dept. of Oncology is active for patients needing a perioperative chemo- and radiotherapy with the aim of full integration for a better care and results.

Prof. Marco Montorsi is also Humanitas University President with over 10 years of experience in didactic and clinic teaching to medical students.

Publications: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=montorsi+marco