Current Position
Associate Professor (Scientific Disciplinary Sector MEDS-03/A – Microbiology and Clinical Microbiology), Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences (DIMEC), University of Bologna.
National Scientific Qualification (ASN) for Full Professor (First Level) in Competition Sector 06/A3 – Microbiology and Clinical Microbiology (awarded on 14 March 2025).
ORCID: 0000-0003-0862-4937
Scopus ID: 6603814113
Education and Academic Qualifications
2005–2018 – Permanent Researcher in Microbiology and Clinical Microbiology, Department of Specialized, Diagnostic and Experimental Medicine (DIMES), University of Bologna.
2005 – PhD in Viral Immunology, Department of Medicine, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden.
2004 – Diploma in Tropical Medicine, Department of Medicine, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden.
2001 – Specialist Degree in Microbiology and Virology, University of Bologna (70/70 cum laude).
1998 – Medical License.
1997 – MD (Medicine and Surgery), University of Bologna (110/110 cum laude).
International Experience
2008–2010 – Clinical Microbiologist, Unit of Clinical Virology, Karolinska University Hospital, Huddinge, Sweden.
2006–2008 – Postdoctoral Researcher, Department of Immunology, Stockholm University, Sweden.
2002–2005 – PhD Student, Department of Medicine, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden.
Teaching Activities
Lecturer for several courses at the School of Medicine, University of Bologna, including:
- Microbiology (Medicine and Surgery, English-taught Degree Programme, 5 ECTS)
- Clinical Microbiology (Laboratory Diagnostics, MSc in Medical Biotechnology, 4 ECTS)
- Mycology and Parasitology (Clinical Microbiology II, Biomedical Laboratory Techniques, 2 ECTS)
- Diagnosis of Tropical Diseases within the elective course Tropical Diseases and Travel Medicine (Medicine and Surgery, 1 ECTS)
- Global Health, Climate Change, Viruses and Parasites within the elective course Infections and Infectious Diseases in a Globalized World: Traveling of Humans, Animals and Microbes, for which she is the course coordinator (Medicine and Surgery, 1 ECTS).
She has also:
- Served as Visiting Professor at Addis Ababa University (Ethiopia), teaching the course Vector-borne Diseases in a Context of Global Changes: A One Health Approach to Master's students and PhD candidates in the One Health Programme (PNRR-TNE, NextGenerationEU, 2026).
- Taught the course Parasitic and Viral Vector-borne Infections to Master's and PhD students at Mekelle University (Ethiopia) Erasmus+ International Credit Mobility, 2019.
- Delivered courses in Microbiology and Virology abroad in collaboration with the NGO CESTAS, including La Paz (Bolivia, 2013) and Windhoek (Namibia, 2012).
Research Activities
From 1997 to 2013, her research focused on the development and implementation of diagnostic methods for pathogens causing severe infections in immunocompromised patients and neonates, including human cytomegalovirus and bacterial pathogens responsible for sepsis.
Her research also investigated:
- the pathogenesis of human cytomegalovirus infection,
- virus-host innate immune interactions,
- virus-mediated immunopathology,
- the epidemiology and pathogenesis of arboviral infections.
Since 2013, her research has focused on:
- validation of novel diagnostic tools,
- One Health epidemiological studies,
- drug discovery for human parasitic diseases,
with a particular emphasis on human leishmaniasis.
Her scientific output includes:
- 107 publications,
- 94 original articles in international peer-reviewed journals,
- 11 review articles,
- 2 international book chapters.
Scopus metrics
- Total citations: 2,813
- H-index: 29
Peer-Review Activities
Reviewer for:
- University of Florence (competitive research funding programme, 2025–2026)
- PRIN 2017 (Italian Ministry of University and Research)
- REPRISE (Register of Expert Peer Reviewers for Italian Scientific Evaluation)
Reviewer for journals including:
- Journal of Infectious Diseases
- iScience
- PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases
- Parasites & Vectors
- Clinical Microbiology and Infection
- Transboundary and Emerging Diseases
- Acta Tropica
- Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease
- Pathogens
- Microorganisms
- New Microbiologica
- InfezMed
Invited Lectures (last 2 years)
Recent invited presentations include:
- Leish Talk 2026 – Human Leishmaniasis: Integrated Monitoring for a Zoonotic Challenge.
- FNOVI Webinar (2025) – Epidemiology and Diagnosis of Leishmaniasis in Humans and Domestic and Wild Animals.
- 53rd Italian Society for Microbiology Congress (2025) – Emerging Human Leishmaniasis in Northern Italy: Insights from a One Health Approach.
- Advanced School in Microbiology and Host–Microbe Interaction (2025) – Epidemiology of Leishmaniasis in Europe and Italy.
- Regional Congress of the Italian Society of Infectious Diseases (2024) – Updates in the Diagnosis and Surveillance of Human Leishmaniasis.
Institutional Responsibilities
She has served on numerous academic committees, including:
- Selection committees for researcher and associate professor positions at the University of Turin.
- Evaluation committees for research staff at the University of Bologna.
She is currently:
- Member of the Doctoral Board of the National PhD Programme One Health Approaches to Infectious Diseases and Life Science Research (INF-ACT), University of Pavia (since 2025).
- Member of the PhD Board in Surgical Sciences and Innovative Technologies, University of Bologna (2009–2026).
- Member of the Executive Committee of the same PhD programme (2024–2026).
- Member of the Technical-Pedagogical Committee of the Medicine and Surgery Degree Programme (since 2024).
- Member of the Quality Assurance Committee of the Medicine and Surgery Degree Programme (since 2026).
- External examiner for a PhD thesis at the University of Amsterdam (2024).
- Erasmus+ Academic Coordinator for Biomedical Laboratory Techniques (since 2017).
Funding
Principal Investigator
- 2018–2022 – Italian Ministry of Health ("Ricerca Finalizzata"): Emerging Blood Protozoa in the Immunocompromised Population: Novel Strategies for Screening, Diagnosis, Monitoring and Clinical Management.
- 2017 – Fondazione del Monte di Bologna e Ravenna: Leishmania as an Emerging Infectious Agent in Emilia-Romagna: Diagnostic Implications and Development of New Drugs.
Project Leader
Projects funded by:
- Ragnar and Torsten Söderberg Foundations (Sweden)
- Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA/SAREC)
- Swedish Society of Medicine
on cytomegalovirus immunopathology, malaria in pregnancy, and dendritic cell biology.
Work Package Leader
- ECLIPSE – ECL-based Infectious Pathogen (bio)Sensor (Horizon Europe, 2022–2025), WP5 Leader.
Responsible of Scientific Unit
Research projects funded by the Italian Ministry of Health on integrated surveillance of leishmaniasis in Emilia-Romagna (Ricerca Corrente 2016, Ricerca Corrente 2019).
Project Participant
Participation in major national and European projects including:
- TECH4PATH (PRIN2022)
- INF-ACT (PNRR)
- PASS (EIT Food)
- PREDEMICS (FP7)
- STOPPAM (FP7)
Professional Memberships and Other Activities
She is a member of the Steering Committee of LeishMan, a network of approximately 50 specialists from 13 European countries dedicated to harmonizing the diagnosis and treatment of leishmaniasis across Europe.
From 2020 to 2022, she served as a Temporary Adviser to the World Health Organization (WHO) for the development of the WHO Guidelines for the Treatment of Visceral Leishmaniasis in HIV Co-infected Patients in East Africa and South-East Asia.
She was a member of the Committee for Parasitology of the Italian Association of Clinical Microbiologists (AMCLI) (2018–2023).
She is a member of several scientific societies, including:
- Italian Society for Microbiology (SIM)
- Italian Society of Tropical Medicine and Global Health (SIMET)
- Italian Society of Parasitology (SOIPA)
- European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ESCMID)
Third Mission and Outreach
Since 2023, she has served as the University of Bologna focal point for Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), promoting educational initiatives on healthcare in humanitarian crises and the global spread of emerging infectious diseases for undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral students.
From 2019 to 2021, she coordinated the University of Bologna's participation in the University Corridors for Refugees (Ethiopia–UNIBO) programme.
