I attended Classical High School, and obtained a degree in Medicine and Surgery from l'Università di Milano in 1963. I was a tenured assistant at the Istituto di Fisiologia Umana della Università di Torino from 1964 and obtained Professorship in 1970. I then did my specialization in General Surgery, Thoracic Surgery and Cardio Surgery.
Thus began my journey in both Adult and Pediatric Cardio-surgery: first at the Public Hospital, under the direction of Prof. Gaetano Azzolina until 1992, and then with the Gruppo Villa Maria until 2018, both as Resident Cardio-Surgeon and Medical Team Director.
With Prof. Gaetano Azzolina, I participated in the conceptualization of corrective and palliative interventions in cases of congenital cardiopathy.
The First Heart Transplants
In 1968, I performed heart transplants on dogs at Istituto di Farmacologia della Università di Milano.
In 1977, I spent 6 months as Visiting Professor in the Cardio-surgical department of the University of Birmingham (USA) directed by Prof. John W. Kirklin.
In 1978, I did a consultancy with the Company Leibinger - Tuttlingen (D) for the construction of surgical instruments used in newborn patients.
In 1982, I began collaboration on the Ventricular Assist Device (VAD) project, and that same year participated in the acute implant of the device in two sheep.
Since 1991, I’ve been Consultant Surgeon for the Cardiothoracic Center di Monaco
Over the course of my cardio-surgical journey, as Lead Surgeon I performed 2,460 interventions of which 15% were pediatric patients.
1982 MASSA CARRARA HOSPITAL
