4 UNIVERSITY DEGREES IN 3 MONTHS TO DEFEAT THE TUMORS OF THE GASTROINTESTINAL TRACT: SAMUELE CANNAS, HONOUR STUDENT OF THE UNIVERSITY OF PISA AND THE SANT'ANNA SCHOOL, THE FIRST AND ONLY ITALIAN STUDENT TO HAVE 6 UNIVERSITY DEGREES AT THE EARLY AGE OF 25
Six university degrees with full marks and honors at the age of 25. This is the ambition of Samuele Cannas, an honor student of both the University of Pisa and the Sant'Anna School, who obtained his Master’s Degree in Medicine and Surgery on Wednesday 14th July with the exceptional grade of 110/110 summa cum laude and Honorable Mention. He discussed a thesis on “Robotic liver surgery for liver resections: from basic principles to advanced robotic design and development” under the guidance of Professor Ugo Boggi and Professor Arianna Menciassi. Samuele has achieved such degree with an unprecedented average grade of 30/30 summa cum laude (A+) and recommendation of publication of his work. Most amazingly, from now to October, Samuele is going to obtain 4 additional degrees in Biotechnology, Biomedical Engineering and Molecular Biotechnologies at the University of Pisa, as well as the prestigious university Master’s Degree in Medical Sciences at the Sant'Anna School. Last but not least, Samuele Cannas already has a Master’s degree in Piano, obtained in 2017 at the Music Conservatory “G.P. da Palestrina” of Cagliari with the grade of 10/10 summa cum laude, under the supervision of Professor Gabriella Mereu.
Such a diverse and interdisciplinary mission was born not for the sake of records - Samuele will be the first Italian student to have 6 university degrees at the age of 25 - but to achieve a specific professional goal: mastering the new and emerging use of robotics in abdominal surgery, focusing on the tumors of the gastrointestinal system, with a particular reference to pancreatic and hepatic malignancies.
“I could never have found a more stimulating and more enriching environment than that of the Pisan university system, where I had the privilege to carry on my battle against the surgical pathologies of the gastrointestinal tract, which represent a huge social and healthcare problem nowadays. - said Samuele Cannas - I would like to express my deepest gratitude to the University of Pisa and the Sant'Anna School, whose support has never been lacking, especially during the darkest moments of the pandemic crisis. In addition, I would like to dedicate a special thanks to Professor Ugo Boggi and Professor Arianna Menciassi, for their constant support and infinite humanity, as well as to my esteemed friend, Doctor Carlo Maria Rosati, a world-renowned surgeon who first succeeded in obtaining two degrees in three months at the University of Pisa”.
Samuele Cannas has already received very prestigious offers from Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States to further pursue his studies and that he is carefully evaluating. However, he does not feel part of the “brain drain” phenomenon. He is extremely grateful to Italy for the avantgarde education he has received and has no intention of terminating his relationship with his motherland.
“Our country needs passionate students with a strong will to pursue their dreams like Samuele and, before him, Giulio Deangeli. - commented the Rector of the University of Pisa, Professor Paolo Mancarella - Achieving four degrees in so little time at such a young age is not a simple mission, especially in a university so selective and prestigious as ours. Out-of-the-ordinary dedication and self-denial are required. But it is in such extraordinary stories that our scholars can find the inspiration and the strength to fulfill their projects and build the future they deserve”.
“The community of the Sant’Anna School - said the Rector of the Sant’Anna School, Professor Sabina Nuti - is proud of the unparalleled results achieved by Samuele Cannas. Samuele's commitment, tenacity and enthusiasm are a testimony that excellent results can be achieved and that the propensity and the proactive search for interdisciplinarity can arise very early in the environments that facilitate it. Samuele's success can be an encouragement for many other young people to continue their studies, putting their knowledge at the service of their community”.
Already a member of the Aspen Institute and rewarded by numerous national and international prizes, such as the title of Ensign of the Republic conferred to Samuele by the Italian President Sergio Mattarella as one of the 25 best Italian students, Samuele Cannas cultivated his dream of becoming a surgeon from an early age. This is why, in 2015, alongside his best friend Giulio Deangeli, he arrived in Pisa and engaged himself in a multidisciplinary path designed in a meticulous way.
As Samuele himself explained, the degree in Medicine provided him with the bases and the clinical sensitivities imperative to adequately interpret the pathological phenomenon, while the degree in Engineering will guarantee him the mathematical skills necessary to translate robotics into the surgical field. Finally, the two degrees in Biotechnology will allow him to immerse himself in the molecular world of gastrointestinal pathologies. Furthermore, Samuele owes music the ability to listen to the other and to listen to himself, as well as his devotion to the achievement of maximum detail and technical refinement, essential in the surgical world. At a glance, an indivisible synthesis, emblem of the multidisciplinarity that the University of Pisa and the Sant'Anna School have been long nurturing.
On the cover: Samuele Cannas in the solemn Council Chamber of the City of Cagliari, where he discussed his Master’s Degree in Medicine.
