Dr. Ignazio R. Marino, MD, ScD, FACS

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH

Born in Genoa, Italy, in 1955, I am a transplant surgeon and a university professor, civil rights activist, former Italian Senator and Mayor of Rome.

As a surgeon, I trained with Thomas E. Starzl, who performed the first liver transplant in humans.

In 1992–1993, I was a member of the team that carried out the first baboon-to-human liver transplants in medical history.

In 2001, I performed the first organ transplant in Italy on an HIV+ person.

In the United States I have held chairs as Professor of Surgery at the University of Pittsburgh and currently at the Thomas Jefferson University, in Philadelphia.

Between 2006 and 2013 I have held a seat in the Italian Senate where I chaired the Health Committee and the Investigative Committee on the National Health System.

Among my main civil rights interests, those in favor of end-of-life decisions and same-sex marriages.

In June 2013, I was elected Mayor of Rome.

I have published extensively, as clinician and essayst.

I am married and have a daughter, presently working in London, UK.

ACADEMIC ACTIVITY

In 1979, I earned my medical degree with honors from the Catholic University in Rome, Italy.

After earning Board certification in General and Vascular Surgery, I spent 4 years training in the two most prestigious transplant centers in the world: the Transplantation Institute of the University of Cambridge (UK), and the Pittsburgh Transplantation Institute (USA). In Cambridge I trained with Sir Roy Y. Calne, the surgeon who performed the first liver transplant in Europe. In Pittsburgh, I completed a multi-organ transplant fellowship under the direct lead of Professor Starzl and was hired by him.

In 1991, I accepted a permanent Faculty position at the University of Pittsburgh where I was later appointed Professor of Surgery.

Since 2002, I have been a Professor of Surgery at the Sidney Kimmel Medical College of the Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, where I have directed the Division of Transplantation.

I am a Distinguished Adjunct Professor in Science at Temple University, Philadelphia, and in 2015 I have been the recipient of an honorary degree in Science from Thomas Jefferson University.

In 2016 The David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and The Longmire Surgical Society have appointed me Longmire Visiting Professor.

During the same year, in the Spring semester, I have been the Presidential Scholar in Residence at Temple University Rome, in Rome, Italy.

From October 2016 until December 2017 I have been the Strategic Advisor to the President and CEO of Thomas Jefferson University. Since January 1^st, 2018 I have been the Senior Vice President for Strategic Affairs of Thomas Jefferson University.

CLINICAL ACTIVITY

I have been an attending physician at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, at the Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, and the Associate Director of the National Liver Transplant Center of the Veterans Affairs Medical Center of Pittsburgh. I have personally performed over 650 transplants, and was a member of the surgical team that on June 28, 1992 and January 10, 1993, performed the only 2 baboon-to-human liver transplants in medical history.

In 1999-2002, I performed the first series of liver transplantation, from cadaveric and live donors, south of Naples, Italy, and in July 2001, the first transplant ever carried out in Italy on an HIV+ person. This spurred a clinical and social debate and brought to an ad hoc new national rule, preventing discrimination of HIV+ people.

RESEARCH

In the late ‘80s, in Pittsburgh I was part of the team who developed the clinical use of Tacrolimus, a drug that revolutioned anti-rejection treatments in liver transplantation worldwide.

In 1987, I participated in the first multivisceral transplantation on a human being in the history of medicine. In 1988, I was the first to describe epitheliod hemangioendothelioma of the liver, and the use of liver transplantation for its treatment. I was also involved in the first clinical series of liver transplantation in patients with portal vein thrombosis, a procedure considered not feasible until the early ‘90s.

In 1992, I was a member of the surgical team performing the first autologous bone marrow infusion associated with liver transplantation to induce tolerance in solid organ transplantation.

In the same year, I described the first series of liver transplantation in children for the Alagille’s syndrome.

I was a member of the surgical team that performed the only 2 baboon-to-human liver transplants in medical history (1992-1993), and I was also responsible for the intensive care provided post-surgically to the patients.

In 1995, I led the analysis of the largest clinical series of liver transplantations (2,376) ever reported in the literature, identifying 10 different variables associated with transplant successful outcome.

I am a member of 27 international scientific societies, and the founding or emeritus member of several of these. I have been a Committee member of the United Network for Organ Sharing, which coordinates organ transplant activities in the US, and one of the 5 Board Members of the first National Center for Transplantation of Italy, personally contributing to the writing of many national regulations in the field of transplantation and organ allocation.

I was included among the international experts advising the Pontifical Academy for Life, and more recently the Pontifical Academies for Sciences and Social Sciences.

HEALTH MANAGEMENT   

In 1995, in Pittsburgh, I started the European Medical Division, which in less than 22 months resulted in a cultural and scientific cooperative agreement between the University of Pittsburgh and the University of Palermo, Italy, and produced the exchange of numerous visiting professors, fellows, and scholars.

As the director of the European Medical Division, I led the successful effort in forming of a partnership between the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and Italian Government, which resulted in the Istituto Mediterraneo per i Trapianti e Terapie ad Alta Specializzazione (Mediterranean Institute for Transplantation and Advanced Specialized Therapies – ISMETT). The new facility was built in Palermo, and still offers state-of-the-art medical treatments to the Mediterranean Basin.  This medical institution received $75 million in funding by the Italian Government and the European Union, and a 9-year annual operational budget was approved for funding by the Italian Government. Until 2002, I have served there as clinical director, chief surgeon and CEO.

EDITORIAL ACTIVITY

I am a member of 18 editorial boards of scientific peer-reviewed journals.

I have authored and/or co-authored over 700 publications on national and international journals. In Italian, I have signed columns on major national newspapers, on magazines and online, and I have authored 6 long essays.

LANGUAGES

My mother language is Italian, but I am perfectly fluent in English as well.

CITIZENSHIPS

I hold dual citizenship, Italian (European) by birth and US.

AVOCATIONS

I enjoy reading history books, scuba diving and mountain climbing. I have earned PADI advanced open water, deep diver and wreck diver certifications.