Overview
Association Days Europe has progressively established itself as a European platform for dialogue and exchange among scientific and medical societies, institutions and stakeholders active in the congress and knowledge-exchange ecosystem.
Within this framework, the Institutional & Strategic Advisory Council has been established as a body for reflection and guidance, bringing together individuals of high scientific, academic and institutional standing.
The Council is conceived as a space for qualified dialogue, with the aim of:
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offering an authoritative contributing informed perspectives on the European scientific and institutional context;
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contributing to the strategic reflection accompanying the evolution of Association Days Europe;
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fostering meaningful and high-level dialogue within the scientific and institutional community.
Membership of the Institutional & Strategic Advisory Council is by invitation and reflects the experience, standing and recognised role of its members within their respective fields.
Members of the Council are invited to share perspectives, insights and reflections, contributing their experience to enrich the cultural positioning and the quality of dialogue promoted by Association Days Europe. Where appropriate, members may be involved in specific moments of discussion or exchange in connection with the event.
Members
Prof. Lucio Achille Gaspari
Founding Scientific Advisor
Lucio Achille Gaspari is a Full Professor of Surgery with a long-standing academic and clinical career within the Italian university and healthcare system. He holds a degree in Medicine and Surgery and is specialised in General Surgery as well as in Cardiac and Major Vascular Surgery. His academic and clinical activity has been carried out at leading Italian universities, including Sapienza University of Rome, the “Gabriele d’Annunzio” University of Chieti and the University of Rome Tor Vergata, where he held senior academic appointments and directed university hospital surgical units.
Throughout his career, he has combined clinical practice with academic leadership, serving as Director of university surgical departments, Schools of Specialisation and doctoral programmes, with sustained involvement in higher education, postgraduate training and scientific research. He has played an active role within the scientific community through participation and leadership in numerous national and international scientific societies, contributing to professional dialogue and institutional exchange at European level. In recognition of his academic and institutional contribution, he has received distinguished national and international honours.
Prof. Umberto Cillo, MD, FEBS
Umberto Cillo is a Full Professor of General Surgery and an internationally recognised expert in hepatobiliary surgery and liver transplantation. He serves as Director of the Hepatobiliary Surgery and Liver Transplantation Unit at the University Hospital of Padua, within the Department of Surgical, Oncologic and Gastroenterologic Sciences “P.G. Cevese”.
His clinical and academic career spans several decades and is closely associated with the development of one of Italy’s leading liver transplant centres, which he has directed since 2004. His professional activity encompasses advanced hepatobiliary and pancreatic surgery as well as liver transplantation in both adult and paediatric patients, combining high-level clinical practice with academic leadership.
Alongside his clinical work, Professor Cillo has contributed extensively to scientific research in transplantation medicine, hepatobiliary surgery and surgical oncology, with a substantial body of peer-reviewed publications. He has been actively involved in national and international scientific initiatives, contributing to the evolution of clinical practice, organisational models and organ allocation policies.
His standing within the international scientific community is reflected in his appointment as President-elect of the European Society for Organ Transplantation (ESOT) for the 2025–2027 term.
Prof. Roberto Verna, MD
Roberto Verna is a Professor of Clinical Pathology with a long-standing academic, scientific and institutional career in laboratory medicine and diagnostics. His professional activity has developed at the intersection of academic research, clinical practice and scientific governance, with a strong international dimension.
He has held senior leadership positions within major national and international scientific organisations and currently serves as President of the World Association of Societies of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine (WASPaLM), President of the World Pathology Foundation, and President of the Academy for Health and Clinical Research. He is also Past President of the Italian Society of Clinical Pathology and Laboratory Medicine (SIPMeL).
Throughout his career, Professor Verna has been deeply involved in the governance of scientific communities and professional societies, contributing to the advancement of laboratory medicine, diagnostics and clinical research at international level. He has played a central role in the organisation and scientific coordination of numerous international congresses and high-level scientific meetings, with a consistent focus on the strategic role of scientific societies and congresses within healthcare systems.
In recognition of his contribution to international scientific cooperation and to the promotion of Italian excellence in healthcare and research, he has received several institutional awards, including the Leone d’Oro – Ambassador of Italy.
Dr. Francesco Giovinazzo,
MD, PhD, FEBS
Scientific Lead
Francesco Giovinazzo is a senior surgeon and academic with extensive international experience in hepatobiliary, pancreatic and transplant surgery. He currently serves as Director of the General Surgery Unit at San Camillo Hospital in Treviso, Italy.
He has developed his clinical and scientific career across leading European centres, including King’s College Hospital in London, Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, University Hospitals Southampton and University Hospitals Birmingham. In these settings, he has been actively involved in complex hepatobiliary and pancreatic surgery, surgical oncology, adult and paediatric liver transplantation, as well as multi-organ retrieval.
Dr. Giovinazzo is actively engaged in research, teaching and international scientific collaboration in the fields of surgical oncology, hepatobiliary-pancreatic surgery and artificial intelligence. He is the author of more than 120 peer-reviewed scientific publications, serves as Specialty Chief Editor for Frontiers in Surgery and Oncology, and is a founding member of the Artificial Intelligence Organization of the Next Generation of Surgeons (AIONS).