Michele Emdin

Michele Emdin, M.D., Ph.D, is Full Professor of Cardiology (06/D1, “Malattie dell’Apparato Cardiovascolare”) at the Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies (“Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna”) since December 2019, and Associate Professor since 2015, as well as and of Pathophysiology and Diagnostics at the Department of Physics, University of Pisa, Italy, Director of Cardio-thoracic Department and Chief of Cardiology at Foundation G. Monasterio, a large reference research hospital, focused on heart diseases in Tuscany. He was graduated from Pisa and Milan University with MD and Cardiovascular Pathophysiology PhD degrees in 1987 and 1992, respectively. He received Cardiovascular Medicine and Nuclear Medicine Specialty degrees in 1987 and in 1997 at Pisa University, respectively, and a Master’s degree in Health service management in 2009 at the Sant’Anna School. He worked as an Intern and Resident in Cardiolology at the Institute of Clinical Physiology, Italian National Research Council studying the pathophysiology of ischemic heart disease, and the neuroendocrine control of cardiovascular system in collaboration with the MIT in Boston and other international research groups (1983-2007), and afterwards at FTGM, where he has directed up to now a strong group of young Cardiologists/Researchers in the field of cardiovascular diseases.

Emdin’s research spreads over the 3 blocks of translational biomedical research, examining: a) the pathophysiology of heart failure and the role of neurohormonal derangement in the evolution of heart failure, as well as mechanisms of cardiovascular diseases (namely coronary artery disease and heart failure), using experimental and clinical research methodology; b) innovation in cardiovascular diagnostics (use of cardiac and neuroendocrine biomarkers, with the Foundation and Direction of an International Collaborative Group, BIOS Consortium, collecting data from several cohorts up to a total of 13,000 patients, impact of multimodal imaging in diagnosis and risk stratification, namely of signal processing, ultrasounds, magnetic resonance, nuclear cardiology, transfer of novel bioengineering methodology to clinical practice); c) therapeutics (innovation in drug & device treatment of cardiovascular diseases), and d) study of the health system characteristics and management at regional, national, and international level impacting on efficacy and sustainability of clinical care, and on ethical issues pertaining to patients’ acre, especially in the end-of-life . His research output (Scopus 1984 - 2019 H index 46; Total citations 8640; Cited documents 402; Scopus: Scopus 1984 - 2020 H index 48 (42 without self-citations); Total citations 10199, 8021 without self-citations. Cited documents 465 (May 2020), 409 full papers; ISI WEB 1984 - 2020 H index 44 (42 without self-citations); Total citations 7342, 6611 without self-citations. Cited documents 702 (May 2020), 358 full papers) testifies his mastership of 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 which have guaranteed their prosecution and accomplishment.

His current clinical interest covers the spectrum of medical management of cardiovascular diseases, with a focus on heart failure, and his research interests focus mostly on biomarkers, etiology and phenotypes of cardiomyopathies, cardio-respiratory interactions, neuroendocrine control of cardiovascular system, pathophysiology and clinical aspects of heart failure, including diagnostic, therapeutic and general management issues. Further, he is currently leading Projects on juvenile sudden death prevention, applications of nanotechnology to diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular diseases (GRANTS: 1991-1995 Progetto Finalizzato CNR - Fat.Ma. Fattori di malattia (Partner); 2000-2004 HHH (3H) Study (Home or Hospital in Heart failure) - EC funded, 36 months (Partner); 2007 Progetto PASC Cartella digitale extraospedaliera per il paziente con scompenso cardiaco. Regione Toscana. 24 months (Partner); 2008  Train the brain: clinical study on the effectiveness of an intervention on initial dementia, Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio Pisa, 48 mos (P.I., Partner); 2009-2011 H@H PROJECT, funded by Ambient Assisted Living Programme, Consorzio Pisa Ricerche and industry. 36 months (Partner); 2011-2013 HCN– Ministry of Economic Development, 48 months (Partner), 2011-2015 HCN-Health care Collaborative Network, Italian Ministry of Economic Development, Clinical Digital Networking for Clinical Management of Citizen Data, FTGM 3M Euro, WPs Responsible September 2011 to May 20152016 - now Victoria study, National leader. landmark phase 3 heart failure study of Vericiguat, a novel guanylate cyclase stimulator. 2016 - 2018 Race, Research on the Appropriateness in Cardiological evaluation, FTSM subcontractor, 100k Euro, Tuscany Region: 2016 – 2017 PLAQUEviaNANO Visualization and theranostic of atherosclerotic PLAQUEs VIA compound NANOparticles (120 KEuro); 2017 – now JUvenile Sudden cardiac deaTh in the Pisa territory: JUST know and treat (426k Euro), Pisa Foundation; 2018 – now InteropeHrate (Cross-border interoperability platform of digital clinical data) 571k Euro Workpackage 7 Responsible, Horizon 2020, EUC; 2019 – now Care-net - Programma di Rete Ministry of Health (Bando ricerca finalizzata 2016) Performance evaluation and value assessment for cardiovascular and oncological care paths in 5 Italian regions. WP3 P.I. 600k Euro)

He is Fellow of the European Society of Cardiology, author of 416 papers in peer-reviewed journals, editor of 4 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, past Editorial Board Member). He is Fellow of the European Society of Cardiology, Commander of the Italian Republic (2014), and has received the Award of the Italian Health Ministry (2016). He is in charge as Referee, of the European Research Council, ERC (2020), Agenzia nazionale di valutazione del sistema universitario e della ricerca, ANVUR (2018-present), French National Research Agency (ANR), and in 2011 of AERES (L'Agence d'Evaluation de la Recherche et de l'Enseignement Supérieur).

With regard to academic engagement he is involved in innovation in medical education, activities of the Institutional Ethics Committee of both Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna e Scuola Normale Superiore, has co-Directed the PhD Course in Translational Medicine at the Scuola Superiore.  He is tutoring 14 Medical Students at the Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, and was supervisor of 34 Theses (Graduation in Medicine, Engineering, Physics, Pisa, Florence Universities), 9 Specialty Theses (Cardiology, Pisa, Florence Universities), 7 Diploma Theses (Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna), 11 Ph.D. Theses in Translational Medicine (Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna). He has funded and is Director of SIMULABO at the Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, an innovative didactic Lab.

He is a Fellow of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC), a Gold Member 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), Vice-President of the Tuscan Chapter of the SIC, member of the Board of the Italian Society of Amyloidosis (Società Italiana di Amiloidosi, SIA).

Beyond professional involvement he acts as 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 source of inspiration. With his wife Ursula Ferrara, artist and film-maker, has a daughter, Annick Laura Yael Emdin, 28, writer.