Best gastroenterologists in Italy: TOP 12 doctors

Professor Massimo Falconi is a gastrointestinal oncologist with over 30 years of experience specializing in pancreatic diseases. He practices at Ospedale San Raffaele in Milan and has led 3,600 surgeries, including distal, total, middle pancreatectomies , pancreatic resections, and enucleations. He is the Director of the Pancreatic Surgery and the Pancreas Translational and Clinical Unit at IRCCS Ospedale San Raffaele with international experience in Japan, Spain, Germany, and Sweden. Prof. Falconi has written over 330 articles and taken part in 350+ Italian and 220+ international conferences, and is a member of several organizations.

Dr. Ayman is a Medical Doctor and Surgeon specializing in General and Bariatric Surgery, with extensive training and experience in minimally invasive surgery and obesity management.

Doctor earned his Master's Degree in Medicine and Surgery from the University of Brescia in 2005. He then completed his specialization in General Surgery at the same university in 2016, with a thesis titled "Fast track in minimally invasive colon surgery. He has complete autonomy in the clinical management of complex patients and extensive experience in performing a variety of surgical procedures, including major surgeries. His expertise includes gastric and colorectal surgery, bariatric surgery, abdominal wall surgery, videolaparoscopic (VLC) and laparotomic (VLA) procedures, and proctology. He is particularly skilled in performing medium and major surgeries in emergency settings.

Currently, he practices at Maria Cecilia Hospital in Bologna, where he evaluates the degree of obesity and associated conditions. Based on these assessments, he determines the most suitable surgical intervention, such as sleeve gastrectomy, gastric bypass, and mini laparoscopic bypass.

He has advanced training in colorectal and abdominal wall surgery from top institutions in Italy and Belgium.

He is an active member of the Italian Society of Obesity Surgery and Metabolic Disorders (S.I.C.OB.) and the International Federation for the Surgery of Obesity and Metabolic Disorders (IFSO), contributing to the advancement of bariatric surgery on an international level.

Dr. Ayman is distinguished by his dedication to patient care and his advanced skills in minimally invasive and bariatric surgery.

Prof. Deraco has dedicated his career to helping patients with complex cancers, particularly those affecting the peritoneum, a membrane in the abdomen. He began his medical career in 1989 at the Surgery and Experimental Oncology Departments of the Fondazione IRCCS, National Cancer Institute in Milan, Italy. Over the years, he has played a key role in advancing treatments for peritoneal surface malignancies (PSM). For more than a decade, he was the lead physician for the Peritoneal Surface Malignancies Program. Since 2017, he has served as the director of the Peritoneal Surface Malignancies Unit, where he continues to focus on providing cutting-edge care for his patients.

Prof. Deraco’s expertise is in specialized cancer treatments like Cytoreductive Surgery (CRS), Hyperthermic Intra-Peritoneal Chemotherapy (HIPEC), and Pressurized Intra-Peritoneal Aerosolized Chemotherapy (PIPAC). These techniques aim to remove cancer and deliver heated chemotherapy directly to the abdomen, giving patients with PSM new hope. He has successfully treated over 1,200 patients using these advanced methods.

In addition to his clinical work, Prof. Deraco is a professor at Milan University, where he teaches future surgeons about peritoneal surface malignancies. His teaching extends internationally, as he has mentored over 30 postdoctoral fellows from prestigious institutions worldwide.

Prof. Deraco’s educational background is extensive. He earned his medical degree from the University of Messina in 1987 with top honors, followed by a specialization in general surgery five years later. His training continued in Paris, where he specialized in oncology at the prestigious Paris Dauphine University. He further honed his skills through fellowships in world-renowned institutions such as the Gustave Roussy Institute in France, the Royal Marsden Hospital in the UK, and the Washington Cancer Institute in the USA.

Throughout his career, Prof. Deraco has remained actively involved in research and professional organizations. He has published over 250 scientific articles and 25 book chapters, contributing to the advancement of cancer treatment globally. He serves on the board of multiple scientific societies dedicated to cancer research, including the Peritoneal Surface Oncology International Group (PSOGI) and the Italian Society for Loco-Regional Cancer Therapy (SITILO).

Prof. Filippini began his career in 1980 and has been teaching at the University of Chieti since the 1990s in the fields of General Surgery, Microsurgery, Reconstructive Surgery, Vascular Surgery, Orthopedics, and Gynecology. His primary focus is oncological surgery, particularly specializing in "The surgical treatment of locally advanced tumors and multi-organ resections." He has enriched his expertise by visiting prominent reference centers in the United States, including the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in Manhattan, New York City. There, he delved into minimally invasive, laparoscopic, and microsurgical techniques under the guidance of esteemed mentors such as John Daly, Michele Gagner, and Murray Brennan. Additionally, in 2005, he further expanded his skills at the City of Hope Oncology Center in Los Angeles, focusing on robotic surgery in oncology.

In 1980, Prof. Filippini graduated in Medicine and Surgery from the G. D'Annunzio University of Chieti in Italy with honors, presenting an experimental thesis on lympho-venous anastomosis using microsurgical techniques. He completed his specialization in general surgery at the University of Pisa with distinction after five years. In 1990, he obtained another specialization in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery from the University of Padua in Italy, where he maintained a stellar academic record.

Prof. Filippini has presented at numerous national and international conferences and authored over 100 scientific publications. Additionally, he has co-authored two monographs. 

Prof. Alessandro Repici is the Director of the Gastroenterology and Digestive endoscopy Unit in Humanitas Research Hospital. Graduated in Medicine and Surgery in 1990 and the following year he won a scholarship at the Department of Gastroenterology Molinette hospital in Turin, where he began his practice in digestive endoscopy. In 1992, he worked with Prof. Claude Liguory as a fellow at the American Hospital in Paris.

In 1994 he became a specialist in Gastroenterology and Digestive Endoscopy at the University of Messina and worked in the Department of Gastroenterology, Ospedale Maggiore Molinette of Turin.

In the following years, he has been working at the Service of Digestive Endoscopy of Altona Hospital in Hamburg, directed by prof. Hagenmuller, and in the Department of Gastroenterology Molinette Hospital in Turin, directed by prof. Rizzetto. In 1999, he was a Research Fellow at the Center for Oncological and Operative Endoscopy of Wellsley Hospital in Toronto.

He teaches Gastroenterology and Digestive Endoscopy at the School of Specialization in Oncology since 2000, at the University of Turin since 2004 and Endoscopy Diagnostic Techniques and Operations at the School of Specialization in General Surgery I and II of the University of Turin.

The clinical activity and research of Prof. Repici mainly focuses on the development of new endoscopic techniques in the field of diagnosis and therapy, with particular attention to new methods of endoscopic removal of cancerous lesions and early in the palliation of advanced gastrointestinal malignancies.

Prof. Repici is coordinator, principal investigator and co-investigator in more than 50 studies, including phase II and III for FDA and EMA approval of new molecules and new instruments for diagnostic and operational endoscopy. 

Prof. Repici collaborates on research projects in the field of endoscopy with the University of Rotterdam, in Haifa, in New York and with several Italian centers. He is a member of various national and international scientific society of Gastroenterology and Digestive Endoscopy.

Publications: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=repici+alessandro

Prof. Carlo Castroro is the General Gastric and Esophagus Surgery Unit Director in Humanitas Research Hospital. He has graduated in the University of Padua and specialised in general medicine and thoracic surgery.

Medical areas of interest:

• gastric esophagus surgery
• day surgery
• general surgery

Previous experience:

Head of Simple Departmental Oncological Surgery Unit at the “Istituto Oncologico Veneto”, IOV - IRCCS, Padua.

Research areas of interest: 

• gastro-intestinal oncological surgery
• diseases of the esophagus with particular focus on oncologicy
• training, new technologies and distance learning
• day surgery and surgical services reorganization

Teaching experience: He is a professor in the Graduate School of General Surgery of the University of Padua and has also participated as a lecturer in numerous postgraduate training courses in the field of esophageal surgery, day surgery and minimally invasive surgery.

Publications: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=castoro+carlo

Prof. Alessio Michele Goffredo Aghemo is the Hepatology Unit Director in Humanitas research Hospital.

Medical areas of interest: 

• liver diseases
• viral hepatitis
• metabolic hepatitis
• liver cirrhosis

Previous experience: 

From 2007 to 2017 he was the 1st level Medical Director at the U.O of Gastroenterology of the IRCCS Foundation Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan.

Research areas of interest: 

Clinical and research activity focused on natural history and treatment of viral hepatitis.

He is the author of 155 peer-reviewed publications (Impact Factor total 1151.3, H-Index 25 according to Scopus, H-Index 20 last 5 years Scopus, H-Index 30 according to Google Scholar) (updated September 2017).

From 2013 to 2016 he was a scientific member of the governing board of the European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL).

Since 2016 he is a member of the scientific committee of the European Association of Gastroenterology (UEG).

He is a member of the AISF (Italian Association for the Study of the Liver) commission for antiviral drugs directed against HCV (2012-present). Since 2016 he has been the coordinator of the same. 

He was AIFA/EMEA expert for liver disease since 2008.

Member of the Executive Committee of the HCV Regional Network, determined by the Lombardy Region on 28 September 2015.

He participated as an expert in the drafting of the European Guidelines 2013-2014-2015-2016-2017 (EASL) and Italian (AISF) on the Treatment of Chronic Hepatitis C.

Teaching experience:

He is associated professor of Gastroenterology at Humanitas University since September 2017.

Dr Braun's primary responsibilities include direct leadership and execution of complex surgeries, including gastric bypass, sleeve gastrectomy, and other advanced metabolic and bariatric procedures. He has developed solid experience in managing the different clinical challenges present in obese patients, providing them with personalized and optimized care to ensure positive long-term outcomes.

His surgical practice is based on an in-depth methodology and a careful look at the latest technological innovations in the field of bariatric surgery. He has actively worked to implement advanced protocols and continually improve operational techniques, while maintaining the highest standards of patient safety and care.

With over 2000 operations performed as a surgeon specializing in oncology, he has developed extensive experience and expertise in laparoscopic and robotic surgery applied to the care of cancer patients.

As a primary operator, he has successfully conducted a wide range of laparoscopic and robotic surgeries for the treatment of oncological conditions, including gastrointestinal, urological, gynecological and other solid tumors. His surgical practice has focused on the application of advanced techniques, using cutting-edge laparoscopic instruments and robotic systems