Giorgio M. Saracco
Torino (Italy)
Giorgio Maria Saracco was born on December 8, 1957, in Torino, Italy. He graduated in Medicine and Surgery at the University of Torino in 1982 where obtained the board in Gastroenterology in 1986. Since 1983 he attended the Gastroenterology Unit at the Molinette Hospital, Torino, directed by Prof. Giorgio Verme.
In 1988 he was appointed Assistant of Gastroenterology of the abovementioned Gastroenterology Unit. Since the eighties he worked in the research group of Prof. Mario Rizzetto and was thereafter involved in many studies that have fully described the pathobiology, epidemiology and clinical features of HDV and hepatitis D; in 1987 he was co-investigator in the first Italian trial on the efficacy of alfa-interferon in chronic hepatitis D and in 1989 his name was the first reported in the study describing the results of lymphoblastoid interferon in chronic HBV-positive, HBeAg-positive carriers. In 1990 the first Italian therapeutic trial regarding the use of alfa-interferon in chronic nonAnonB (subsequently named HCV) hepatitis was conducted by him. He has coordinated many randomized controlled trials on therapy of chronic hepatitis C during the last 2 decades and the results have appeared in the most prestigious international journals.
Beside hepatology, his major interest has been digestive endoscopy; from 1997 to 2009 he was Chief Director of the Digestive Endoscopy Unit of the Dpt of Gastroenterology at the Molinette Hospital. He has collaborated with many international journals as referee (Hepatology, Journal of Hepatology, European Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Digestive and Liver Diseases, Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology) and from 1983 he has published more than 150 peer reviewed papers and reviews.
In December 2006 he was appointed Associate Professor of Gastroenterology at the University of Torino. Since October 2011 he is Full Professor of Gastroenterology at the University of Torino.
Since December 2009 up to 31st October 2015 he was Chief Director of the Gastroenterology Division of San Luigi Hospital, Orbassano, Italy.
Since 1st November 2015 he is Chief Director of the Gastroenterology Division of Molinette Hospital, Torino, Italy.