Michele Emdin

Michele Emdin is Full Professor of Cardiology (Malattie dell'Apparato Cardiovascolare), Coordinator of the Health Sciences Interdisciplinary Center at the Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies (“Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna”), Contract Professor of Pathophysiology and Diagnostics at the Department of Physics, University of Pisa, Italy, Chief of Cardiology, Director of Cardiothoracic Department at Foundation G. Monasterio, a large Teaching Hospital, reference center for Cardiovascular Disease care in Tuscany, Italy. He was graduated from Pisa and Milan University with M.D. and Cardiovascular Pathophysiology Ph.D. degrees in 1987 and 1992, respectively. His Graduation Thesis was on the Prinzmetal’s angina related dysrhythmias, his Ph.D. dissertation research was on autonomic impairment in cardiac Chagas’ disease. He received Cardiovascular Medicine and Nuclear Medicine Specialty degrees in 1987 and in 1997 (Theses on electroncephalographic patterns in nocturnal angina pectoris patients, and on myosin as a novel marker of cardiac damage, respectively) at Pisa University, and a Master Degree in Health Service Management in 2009 at the Sant’Anna School. He worked as an Intern and Resident in Cardiology at the Institute of Clinical Physiology (branch of the Italian National Research Concil) in Pisa, Italy, studying the pathophysiology of ischemic heart disease, and the neuroendocrine control of the cardiovascular system, in collaboration with the MIT in Boston and other international research groups.

Emdin’s research during the last decades, conducted with his group (now including Claudio Passino, Alberto Giannoni, Giuseppe Vergaro, Andrea Barison, Roberta Poletti, Alessandro Valleggi, Alberto Aimo, Vincenzo Castiglione, Francesco Gentile, Iacopo Fabiani, Christina Petersen, Maria Franzini, Angela Pucci, among others) and with strong National (Michele Senni, Piergiuseppe Agostoni, Massimo Piepoli, Gianfranco Sinagra, Claudio Rapezzi, Giampaolo Merlini, Federico Perfetto, Iacopo Olivotto, Gianluca di Bella, among others) and International collaborations (James Januzzi, Alan Maisel, Rudolf De Boer, Antoni Bayes Genis, HansPeter Brunner LaRocca, Mark Richards, Carolyn Lam, Richard Throughton, Alain Cohen Solal, Marianna Fontana, Julian Gilmore, among others), has examined the pathophysiology of ischemic heart disease, heart failure and the role of neuro-hormonal derangement in the evolution of heart failure, as well as mechanisms of cardiovascular diseases, innovation in diagnostics, and therapeutics of cardiovascular diseases. His research output (Scopus 1984 – 2022. December 26th, H index 59; Total citations 16547; Cited documents 645; ISI Web of Science H index 55; Total citations 10,896; Cited documents 976) testifies the outcome of his clinical research methodology and the attitude towards a multidisciplinary approach. Several research projects are based on international collaborative networks and have been able to attract funds that have guaranteed their prosecution and accomplishment.

His current clinical interest covers the spectrum of medical management of cardiovascular diseaeses with a focus on heart failure and cardiomyopathies, namely on cardiac amyloidosis, and his research interests focus mostly on biomarkers, etiology, and phenotypes of cardiomyopathies, cardio-respiratory interactions, neuroendocrine control of the cardiovascular system, pathophysiology and clinical aspects of heart failure, including diagnostic, therapeutic and general management issues. Particular focus has been dedicated to the association between cancer and cardiovascular diseases, from different perspectives: 1) mechanistic issues in heart damage from anthracyclines and trastuzumab; 2) early diagnosis of heart damage in cancer patients undergoing chemo- and/or radiotherapy (role of B-type natriuretic peptides and high sensitivity toponins versus advanced echocardiographic and magnetic resonance imaging); 3) innovative diagnostic and therapeutic approaches to the identification of cardiac involvement in peculiar neoplastic diseases (in particular, cardiac amyloidosis in patients with early/smoldering/overt multiple myeloma or MGUS, monoclonal gammopathy of unknown significance, with research commitment on differential diagnosis and treatment vs. transthyretin amyloidosis).

Further, he is heading Projects on juvenile sudden death prevention, applications of nanotechnology to diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular diseases.

He is author of several papers in peer-reviewed journals, Editor of 5 books, Reviewer for several International Journals and Member of the Editorial Board of International Journals (European Journal of Cardiovascular Prevention, Deputy Editor; International Journal of Cardiology, Associate Editor, Journal of the American College of Cardiology-Heart Failure, Editorial Consultant, Journal of the American College of Cardiology-CardioOncology, Editorial Consultant, , Journal of the American College of Cardiology, past Member Editorial Board). He has been awarded as Great Officer of the Italian Republic his President Sergio Mattarella in 2022, an as Commander of the Italian Republic from his President Claudio Napolitano in 2014 and has received the Award of the Italian Health Ministry in 2016. He has recently received the Matteotti Prize from the Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi for his historical book “Vite Sospese”, PUP Editor, 2020, Pisa, Italy).

As for the academic engagement he is involved in innovation in medical education, activities of the Institutional Ethics Committee of Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, Scuola Normale Superiore, I.M.T., is Coordinator of the Ph.D. Course in Health Science, Technology and Management, and has co-Directed the Ph.D. Course in Translational Medicine at the Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna. He is the Founder and first Director of the SIMULABO, didactic laboratory using macro- and microsimulation as medical teaching tools. He is deeply involved in tutorship of young Students and has tutored more than 60 theses of Medicine, Bioengineering, Physics at the University of Pisa, Florence and at the Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, Pisa, Italy. 

He is a Fellow of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC), Fellow of the Heart Failure Association of the ESC, Member of both the Italian Societies of Cardiology (Società Italiana di Cardiologia, SIC, Associazione Nazionale Medici Cardiologi Ospedalieri, ANMCO), International Society of Amyloidosis (ISA), President of the Tuscan Chapter of the SIC, Secretary of the Board of the Italian Society of Amyloidosis (Società Italiana di Amiloidosi, SIA).

Beyond his professional involvement he acts as a health advocate within his institutional role and as a personal commitment. He is deeply interested in literature, music, figurative arts, history, philosophy, politics.

His family is a constant source of inspiration. With his wife Ursula Ferrara, artist, photographer and film-maker, has a daughter, Annick Laura Yael Emdin, 31, writer, and two grand-daughters, Ariel and Miryam, 18-month old.