Associate Professor in the scientific discipline of Internal Medicine (MED09), since 24 October 2022. From 1 May 2001 to 23 October 2022, he was a tenured researcher (MED09) with the title of Adjunct Professor from the 2005/2006 academic year. Affiliated with the Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences at the University of Bologna
Born in Bologna on 28 January 1961. Graduated with distinction in Medicine and Surgery in 1986. Specialised in Geriatrics and Gerontology with distinction in 1990. PhD in Experimental Medicine: Atherosclerosis in 1996. Postdoctoral fellowship in 1999.
Since 1982, without interruption, he has been a member of the Centre for the Study of Metabolic Disorders and Atherosclerosis, initially under the direction of Prof. Giancarlo Descovich and subsequently under the supervision of Prof. Antonio Gaddi. Since his appointment as a researcher, he has been affiliated with the Department of Clinical Medicine and Applied Biotechnology, subsequently with the Department of Internal Medicine, Ageing and Nephrological Diseases, and now with the Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences.
Clinical coordinator of the Brisighella Study, a longitudinal study of the population of Brisighella aimed at identifying the main risk factors for cardiovascular disease, launched in 1972 by Prof. Giancarlo Descovich.Head of the Bologna research unit for the 2010/2011 PRIN project entitled: ‘Identification of molecular, metabolic and clinical determinants of heart failure progression: a translational medicine approach to identifying new therapeutic targets’. Project coordinator: Prof. Bruno Trimarco, University of Naples ‘Federico II’.Head of the Epidemiology and Clinical Nutrition Section for the Bologna branch of the Study Group on Metabolic Disorders and Atherosclerosis.He has collaborated or is currently collaborating on the following projects:Genetic factors and the risk of statin-induced myopathies: a case-control study. Project funded under an internal call for proposals for clinical and healthcare research projects, pursuant to Article 7 of the University Regulations concerning the implementation of Article 43 of Law 449/97. S. Orsola Malpighi University Hospital. Bologna.He is a member of the Italian Society for the Study of Atherosclerosis (President: Prof. Alberto Corsini), of which he was President of the Emilia-Romagna regional section; he has served as coordinator of the regional presidents and is now President of the Tuscany-Emilia section.
He is a member of the Italian Society of Geriatrics and Gerontology.
He is a member of the Luso-Italian Arteriosclerosis Group (Chair: Prof. Egidio Pedro).
He is a member of the European Atherosclerosis Society (Chair: Prof. M. John Chapman).
He is a member of the Italian Society of Arterial Hypertension.
He is a member of the Italian Society of Internal Medicine
He is a member of the College of University Lecturers in Internal Medicine
Teaching activities.
During the 2001/2002 academic year, he undertook teaching activities including tutoring, thesis supervision, practical sessions and participation on examination boards for over 150 hours.
In the 2002/2003 academic year: he was appointed to teach on the Bachelor’s Degree Programme in Podiatry: C.I. Geriatrics and Gerontology, teaching Internal Medicine within the discipline of podiatry sciences (with teaching responsibilities). He was appointed to teach on the Bachelor’s Degree Programme in Orthopaedic Techniques, Course Module ‘Musculoskeletal Disorders II’: Internal Medicine, with teaching responsibilities.
From the 2003/2004 to 2010/2011 academic years: he was a lecturer on the Bachelor’s Degree Course in Podiatry: Geriatrics and Gerontology, and a lecturer on the Bachelor’s Degree Course in Podiatry: Specialised Podiatry I module, teaching Internal Medicine, with teaching responsibilities.
From the 2008/2009 to the 2010/2011 academic years, he was the lecturer in Internal Medicine for the Internal Medicine module on the degree course in Dentistry and Dental Prosthetics.
From 1 November 2004 to 31 October 2009, he was a lecturer in Internal Medicine at the Postgraduate School of Geriatrics and Gerontology (Directed by Prof. G. Ravaglia and M. Zoli).
From 1 November 2009 to 31 October 2011, he was a lecturer in Internal Medicine at the Postgraduate School of Orthopaedics (Director: Prof. Sandro Giannini).
For the 2011/2012 academic year, he was a lecturer in Internal Medicine at the Postgraduate School of Internal Medicine (Director: Prof. R. Corinaldesi)
For the academic years 2012/2013, 2013/2014 and 2014/2015: Lecturer in Geriatric Podiatry (C.I. GERIATRIA) on the Bachelor’s Degree Course in Podiatry, with teaching responsibilities.
From the 2012/2013 academic year: Overall cardiovascular risk, general overview, diagnosis and treatment of the two main determinants: Hypertension and dyslipidaemia C.I. [code 71032] – Diagnosis and treatment of primary and secondary lipid metabolism disorders [code 71035]
In the 2014/2015 academic year: Lecturer and Chair of the Specialised Podiatry Teaching Committee; teaching module: Signs and symptoms in the lower limbs associated with cardiovascular diseases.
From the 2015/2016 academic year: Lecturer and Chair of the Specialised Podiatry CI. The foot in the elderly.
From the 2015/2016 academic year: Lecturer and Chair of the Specialised Podiatry CI. The foot in patients with vascular disease
Academic year 2016/2017: Lecturer in Podiatry, CI Medicine – INTERNAL MEDICINE
He is a thesis supervisor for students on the Podiatry degree programme and a co-supervisor for final-year theses in Medicine and Surgery.
He is a tutor for trainee doctors in Internal Medicine.
He is an assessor for candidates seeking qualification to practise as a doctor and surgeon in the Department of Internal Medicine headed by Prof. Claudio Borghi.
He has consistently fulfilled his institutional obligation to hold office hours for students.
He has supervised numerous students in the preparation of their specialisation theses, PhD theses and undergraduate dissertations.
He is a member of the Quality Committee for the Podiatry degree programme.
He has regularly served on the examination boards for the degree programme in Medicine and Surgery: Geriatrics and Gerontology; Internal Medicine and Ageing; and on the examination boards for the degree programmes in Podiatry and Orthopaedic Techniques. He was appointed by Prof. E. Ambrosioni and Prof. Claudio Borghi and Prof Luciano Potena to supervise the clinical placements of final-year students on the Medicine and Surgery degree programme.
He has delivered refresher sessions for General Practitioners on topics of internal medicine interest, as well as on evidence-based therapy derived from pharmacological trials (CME courses).
Scientific Activity
He is the clinical director of the Brisighella Study, a longitudinal study of the population of Brisighella designed to identify the main risk factors for cardiovascular disease, which was launched in 1972 by Prof. Giancarlo Descovich; the follow-up phase, which began in 2008, is currently underway.
He collaborated on drafting the protocol for the ‘Massa Lombarda Study’, an academic spin-off. He played an active role in the planning and implementation of the EUROLIVE study, a project funded under the EU’s Fifth Framework Programme (a European multicentre study on the effects of foods high in polyphenols on oxidative damage to human DNA and lipids).
Within the scope of the aforementioned protocols, he investigated the relationship between a healthy diet low in saturated fats and calcium intake. He addressed the much-debated issue of the link between uric acid levels and cardiovascular disease. He contributed to demonstrating the role of systolic, diastolic and differential blood pressure in determining cardiovascular events in the population of Brisighella. He investigated the distribution patterns of Lp(a) in a population of individuals with combined hyperlipoproteinaemia and in the general population. He demonstrated the role of high body mass index (BMI) levels in determining the onset of diabetes mellitus in the population of Brisighella.
He collaborated with Prof. Jaume Marrugat of the University of Barcelona on research into a suitable tool for measuring physical activity in populations.
He contributed to the assessment of immune status in ultra-long-lived individuals and to the formulation of an immune-mediated theory of ageing.
He contributed to research into the interactions between lipid-lowering drugs and other medicines. He has investigated the efficacy of statins in the prevention of cerebrovascular diseases.
He has studied the use of alternative treatments for hypertension and dyslipidaemia.
He has participated as an investigator in various multi-centre, multi-country trials conducted in accordance with Good Clinical Practice, including: the Bay W 6228 Study – Bayer Italy; FACT Study (fluvastatin and bezafibrate) – Sandoz Italy; XUO F302 E00 Study (fluvastatin) – Novartis Europe; COAT Study (cerivastatin) – Bayer Italy; XUA-INT-01 Study (fluvastatin in the elderly) – Novartis Europe; CXUO 0302 0206 Study (fluvastatin) – Novartis Europe; 4522IL/0027 and 4522IL/0034 Study – AstraZeneca Europe; MERK0144 (HC3) Protocol MK-0524A-133 (Merck Sharp and Dome). ACCELERATE Study: Assessment of the clinical effects of cholesteryl ester transfer protein inhibition with evacetrapib in patients at high risk of vascular outcomes. LAPLACE-2: Amgen Protocol 20110115A: Double-blind, randomised, placebo- and ezetimibe-controlled, multicentre study to evaluate the safety, tolerability and efficacy of AMG 145 on LDL-C in combination with statin therapy in subjects with primary hypercholesterolaemia and mixed dyslipidaemia. OSLER-2: A multicentre, controlled, open-label extension (OLE) study to assess the long-term safety and efficacy of AMG 145. GAUSS-2: Goal Achievement After Utilising an Anti-PCSK9 Antibody in Statin-Intolerant Subjects-2, a Phase III study. Study code: 104CF13054: Effect of a food supplement on lipid levels: a randomised, double-blind, placebo- and comparator-controlled study. STRENGTH: A Long-Term Outcomes Study to Assess Statin Residual Risk Reduction with EpaNova in High Cardiovascular Risk Patients with Hypertriglyceridaemia. Protocol Number: D5881C00004 AstraZeneca. APPRISE: A multi-country, multicentre, single-arm, open-label study to document the safety, tolerability and effect of alirocumab on atherogenic lipoproteins in patients at high cardiovascular risk with severe hypercholesterolaemia not adequately controlled with conventional lipid-modifying therapies. Study Number: LPS14245 Sanofi. MK-0524-133 A 12-week, international, multicentre, double-blind, randomised, parallel-group, placebo-controlled study designed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of a prolonged-release niacin/laropiprant formulation (RP), when combined with ongoing lipid-modifying therapy in patients with primary hypercholesterolaemia or mixed dyslipidaemia. FITORED: Evaluation of the effect of dietary supplementation with phytosterol and the effect of red yeast rice on LDL cholesterol levels in subjects with sub-optimal cholesterol levels: a randomised, double-blind study. He collaborated on study protocols investigating the efficacy of soya protein in reducing lipid levels. MERK0144 (HC3) Protocol MK-0524A-133 (Merck Sharp and Dome); MIPO3801011 (Genzyme), Accelerate (Lilly), AMG145 20110115 (Amgen). CTQJ230A12301_HORIZON. CTQJ230A12001_HERITAGE. EXOSTAR
MINISTRY OF EDUCATION, UNIVERSITIES AND SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH RESEARCH PROGRAMMES – YEAR 2010–2011, duration 36 months Participation as scientific coordinator of the University of Bologna’s research unit in the PRIN: Research Title: Identification of molecular, metabolic and clinical determinants of heart failure progression: a translational medicine approach for the identification of new therapeutic targets Scientific Coordinator: Bruno Trimarco
He was Principal Investigator of a study on the use of soya and cow’s milk proteins in subjects with hypercholesterolaemia.
He participates in: LIPIGEN (LIPid transport disorders Italian GEnetic Network) – the Register of Familial Dyslipidaemias in Italy, promoted by the SISA Foundation. SISA (Italian Society for the Study of Atherosclerosis).
He participates in: PROSISA – SISA Statin Intolerance Project, promoted by the SISA Foundation, in the role of Principal Investigator
Head of the Bologna Clinical Centre for the study: ‘Evaluation of the efficacy of Lomitapide in reducing LDL cholesterol levels and the incidence of cardiovascular events in patients with homozygous familial hypercholesterolaemia: a retrospective analysis of a European cohort (LoCVHoFH)’
Participates as Principal Investigator in the LOWER study: ‘Lomitapide Observational Worldwide Evaluation Registry’.
Participates as an investigator in the international study: Study No. DSE-HCL-01-19 “Treatment of High and Very High Risk Dyslipidaemic Patients for the Prevention of Cardiovascular Events in Europe – a Multinational Observational Study (SANTORINI)”.
He is a member of the study group on homozygous familial hypercholesterolaemia
He is a member of: HoFH International Clinical Collaboration – HICC. The HoFH International Clinical Collaboration (HICC) registry
Clinical activities
Since 1 June 2001, he has served as a Senior Consultant in the Department of Internal Medicine headed by Prof. Claudio Borghi, an operational unit within the Cardiothoracic and Vascular Department headed by Prof. Claudio Borghi
He is in charge of the Dyslipidaemia Outpatient Clinic within the Cardiothoracic and Vascular Department of the AOSP in Bologna, which treats approximately 4,500 patients a year with severe dyslipidaemia management issues.
He participates in the Quality Project of the Operational Unit in which he is employed.
He took part in the project to assess the appropriateness of therapeutic prescriptions in accordance with the CUF guidelines of the S. Orsola-Malpighi Hospital Trust
No. of scientific publications: 115
Total number of citations: 2,922
Current h-index: 30
