The University of Calabria and the Annunziata hospital in Cosenza are preparing to write a new page in the history of local medicine, with the arrival of two luminaries of thoracic surgery: Professor Franca Melfi and Professor Ralph Schmid. Both already in service at Unical for a few days, from today (5 November) they are also available to the Cosenza Hospital. The two internationally renowned professionals bring with them vast experience and cutting-edge skills, thus contributing to raising the standards of care for patients and training future generations of Unical doctors and surgeons.
The arrival of Franca Melfi, preceded by her lectio magistralis at the inauguration ceremony of the Unical academic year, had been announced in recent months, arousing interest and approval throughout Calabria. A pioneer in the field of robotic surgery, Melfi performed the first lung tumor removal procedure in the world with a robot in 2001. Since then she has dedicated her professional life to the application of robotic surgery in the thoracic field, focusing her activity on clinical research and training with particular attention to the application of new technologies, reaching world-famous levels, so much so as to be the first woman president of the European Society of Cardiothoracic Surgery.
In the next few days, Professor Melfi, once the hospital procedures have been defined, will begin to carry out the surgical operations at Annunziata. “It is a return to my roots – said Franca Melfi, who is originally from Cosenza – but above all it is the opportunity to contribute to Healthcare and the University of Calabria through the development of a center of competence in robotic surgery, combining the long experience that I have carried out in Pisa in this sector with the cutting-edge know-how on artificial intelligence that Unical has, which make it an ideal environment to carry out my research. Calabria is carrying out an important healthcare project, with the new degree course in Medicine and Surgery TD (digital technologies), which will train an innovative doctor capable of mastering the extraordinary opportunities offered by new technologies and artificial intelligence”.
The professor took up service alongside Melfi Ralph Schmid, originally from Zurich (Switzerland) who boasts a first-rate career in prestigious institutions such as the University of Bern and Sichuan University in China. He previously served as president of the Swiss Surgical Society, where he had a significant impact on the advancement of surgical techniques and the training of new specialists. The Swiss professor, who arrived in Cosenza, was enchanted by the historic center where he decided to live. Its presence at Unical was made possible by the university’s ability to attract private investors, in this case AbMedica, a prestigious private company in the healthcare sector, a point of reference in the European market for minimally invasive medical technologies, robotic surgery (among including Da Vinci) and digital health.
The two parties have stipulated an agreement, regulated by law 230 of 2005, which provides that universities can carry out research programs with private entities, with the establishment of extraordinary professor positions. And, through a public call, the university identified Schmid as the right figure for the development of a research program entitled “Application of digital technologies for ‘one step’ lung cancer diagnosis/therapy: reduction of waiting times and optimization of screening programs”with the aim of improving clinical outcomes by reducing waiting times for patients.
Also the professor’s position Ciro Indolfiwhich arrived at Unical a few days ago, was activated at zero cost with the same formula. Indolfi, an internationally renowned cardiologist and president of the Italian Federation of Cardiology, has been called to lead an ambitious research project, with the financial support of three private companies that cover the costs of his contract. This model of public-private collaboration not only allows us to attract brilliant minds to the area but also lightens the financial burden on the public sector for research.