MD, Specialist in Orthopaedics and Traumatology

Medical Director at the II Orthopaedic and Traumatology Clinic, Rizzoli Orthopaedic Institute

Degree in Medicine and Surgery obtained in 1999 at the University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli” (formerly the Second University of Naples).

Specialization in Orthopaedics and Traumatology with a final grade of 50/50 cum laude at the University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli” (formerly the Second University of Naples).

• President of the Cartilage Committee of the scientific society SIAGASCOT for the 2025–2027 term.
• President of the Fellowship, Scholarship & Research Grant Committee of the international scientific society ICRS (2023–2025), renewed in 2025 through 2027.
• October 2017: Permanent employment contract at the Rizzoli Orthopaedic Institute – II Orthopaedic Clinic, directed by Prof. Stefano Zaffagnini.
• From June 2008 to September 2017: Freelance professional appointments with the Research Department of the Rizzoli Orthopaedic Institute and with the Rizzoli Orthopaedic Institute.
• From April 2006 to April 2008: Winner of the competitive selection for the award of one Research Fellowship issued by the Department of Human Anatomical Sciences and Pathophysiology of the Musculoskeletal System, University of Bologna.

Italian: Native language

English: Fluent

Use of the Windows platform.
Excellent knowledge of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Internet and e-mail systems.
Use of internal management software of the Rizzoli Orthopaedic Institute, such as SIR2020, and radiological image visualization systems such as PACS.

Teaching contract at Alma Mater Studiorum – University of Bologna for the 1st level Master’s degree in “Sports Orthopaedics and Traumatology” from 17/05/2021 to 30/03/2022.

Principal Investigator and collaborator in 67 research projects, including projects funded by the Italian Ministry of Health, and clinical trials.
Projects funded by the Italian Ministry of Health:

• MRgFUS – “Pain in knee osteoarthritis, a placebo-controlled randomized clinical trial for a new potential therapeutic approach: magnetic resonance guided focused ultrasound surgery” (Young Researchers, Targeted Research 2013, Ministry of Health).
• OPHIS – “Composite phenotypic triggers for bone and cartilage repair” (2010–2014), funded by the European Community.
• INTERFACE – Double-blind randomized clinical trial evaluating the efficacy of the combination of intra-articular and intra-osseous injections of bone marrow concentrate versus intra-articular injection alone for the treatment of knee osteoarthritis. Funding: GR-2016-02361990.

• BIOMAT – Prospective randomized controlled double-blind clinical trial (RCT). Knee osteotomy associated with meniscal allograft transplantation in patients with mechanical axis alteration, post-meniscectomy outcomes and osteoarthritis: clinical, biomechanical and biological evaluation. Funding: RF-2021-12374767.

   

• Participation in 91 courses and congresses
• Author of 102 international publications in indexed journals
• Author of 7 international publications in non-indexed journals
• Author of 17 national publications
• Author of 13 book chapters
• Author of 22 published abstracts
• Author of 165 international posters, abstracts and presentations
• Author of 166 national posters, abstracts and presentations

AWARDS AND SCIENTIFIC RECOGNITIONS
 

• 2024: “Magna Cum Laude” Award at the ICRS Summit.
• 2024: Basic Science and Research Award – Best Free Paper, “Injection of micro-filtered adipose tissue vs placebo for bilateral knee OA: Results of a RCT.” SIAGASCOT 2024.
• 2023: “Excellence in Cartilage Research” Award – “BMAC intra-articular and subchondral injections vs intra-articular injections to treat knee OA: From in vitro results to a double blind RCT.” ICRS.
• 2023: Certificate of Merit for the publication “Injection of Micro-filtered Adipose Tissue vs Placebo for Bilateral Knee OA: Results of a RCT.” ICRS.
• 2023: Lamberto Perugia Award – Best Knee Paper 2023, “Leukocyte-Rich versus Leukocyte-Poor Platelet-Rich Plasma for the Treatment of Knee Osteoarthritis: A Double-Blind Randomized Trial.” SIAGASCOT.
• 2022: “Excellence in Cartilage Research” Award for the presentation “The Inflammatory/Catabolic ‘Signature’ of IL-1 Primed sEVs on Osteoarthritis Joint Cells.” ICRS.
• 2022: “Young Investigator Award” for the presentation “Patellofemoral Cartilage Lesions Treated with a Hyaluronan-based MACT Technique: Results at >15 Years’ Follow-up.” ICRS.
• 2022: “Rookie of the Year” Award for the presentation “Evaluation of the efficacy of combining intra-articular and intra-osseous injections of autologous bone marrow concentrate versus intra-articular injection only for the treatment of knee osteoarthritis.” SIAGASCOT.
• 2022: “Publication Magna Cum Laude” Award for the presentation “MF-AT versus PRP for the Treatment of Knee Osteoarthritis: A Prospective RCT at 2-year Follow-up.” ICRS.
• 2021: Winner of the “Best Virtual Communication on Sports Medicine Topic” with the presentation “Long-term results of arthroscopic autologous chondrocyte transplantation with matrix. Prospective follow-up at 15 years.” SIOT.
• 2021: Winner of the “Best Virtual Communication on Biotechnologies and Regenerative Medicine Topic” with the presentation “Combined intra-articular and subchondral BMAC injection represents a safe and effective treatment for knee osteoarthritis: a pilot prospective multicentric study.” SIOT.
• 2016: Winner of the “Highly Cited Research” Award for the article “Osteochondral scaffold reconstruction for complex knee lesions: a comparative evaluation,” awarded by The Knee Journal.
• 2016: Co-author of the article “Scaffold-based repair for cartilage healing: A systematic review and technical note,” awarded the “Highly Cited Research” Certificate by Arthroscopy: The Journal of Arthroscopic and Related Surgery.
• 2015: Winner of the Cum Laude Award for the study “Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) vs Viscosupplementation for the Treatment of Degenerative Knee Pathology: a Randomized Controlled Trial.” ICRS.
• 2013: Winner of the Cum Laude Award for the study “Should we still talk about ‘patellofemoral’ cartilage lesions? A comparative study.” ICRS.
• 2012: Winner of Best Scientific Presentation at the 7th ORTOMED Congress: “New bio-ceramization processes applied to hierarchical plant structures for bone regeneration: an experimental sheep model.”

OTHER RECOGNITIONS

2025: Member of the “Cell-based injections for the management of knee osteoarthritis: The ESSKA-ICRS consensus – indications for different clinical scenarios using the RAND/UCLA appropriateness method” with ICRS and ESSKA.

2023: Member of the “Platelet-rich plasma injections for the management of knee osteoarthritis: The ESSKA-ICRS consensus – indications for different clinical scenarios using the RAND/UCLA appropriateness method” with ICRS and ESSKA.

2018: Member of the 2018 ICRS RAND consensus on scaffolds for knee chondral and osteochondral defects.
 

• Sports Medicine
• Ligament and meniscal reconstruction
• Prosthetic surgery
• Regenerative medicine

Memberships:

• Italian Society of Orthopaedics and Traumatology (SIOT)
• International Cartilage Repair Society (ICRS)
• Italian Society of the Knee, Arthroscopy, Sports, Cartilage and Orthopaedic Technologies (SIAGASCOT); member of the Cartilage Committee