Dr. Paolo De Paolis is a general surgeon specializing in abdominal surgery, with a focus on minimally invasive and laparoscopic techniques. At the Fornaca Clinic, he primarily performs surgeries for inguinal, femoral (crural), and umbilical hernias, as well as abdominal wall defects such as laparoceles, using advanced minimally invasive laparoscopic methods.

Dr. De Paolis has built one of the most extensive and well-documented case histories in the field, both in terms of volume and clinical outcomes. Together with his team, he has established a dedicated “hernia team” at the Fornaca Clinic. This multidisciplinary group manages the patient’s entire journey—from diagnosis to full recovery of personal, professional, and athletic activities.

Laparoscopic hernia repair is typically performed in a day-hospital setting, with admission from approximately 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM. Patients usually return home the same evening and can resume normal daily activities as early as the following day.

Dr. De Paolis also serves as a key representative for the National Schools of Laparoscopy of both the Società Italiana di Chirurgia (SIC) and the Associazione dei Chirurghi Ospedalieri Italiani (ACOI).

Dr. Paolo De Paolis was born in Viareggio (LU) in 1957. He graduated in Medicine and specialized in Emergency Surgery and First Aid at the University of Turin.
From 1983 to 1986, he attended the Division of General Surgery “B” and the Institute of Emergency Surgery at the University of Turin, based at the Molinette Hospital. In 1986, he was appointed Assistant in General Surgery at the S. Andrea Hospital in Vercelli. In 1989, he returned to the Division of General Surgery “B” at the Molinette Hospital in Turin—then under the direction of Prof. G. Balbo—as Assistant in General Surgery.
In 1995, he became a First-Level Medical Director in Surgery Unit 7, directed by Prof. G.R. Fronda, at the Molinette Hospital. He was head of the Hepatobiliary Surgery Unit and reference surgeon for kidney transplant procedures.
In August 2006, he was appointed Chief Surgeon at Gradenigo Hospital in Turin.
In October 2016, he became Director of Surgery Unit 4 at the Molinette Hospital – City of Health and Science of Turin.
In October 2017, he was appointed Director of the General Emergency Surgery and Emergency Department at the Molinette Hospital and CTO – City of Health and Science of Turin.

His scientific and clinical interests focus on hepatobiliary surgery, advanced laparoscopic surgery, and colorectal surgery.

Scientific Activity:

• Author of 70 peer-reviewed publications.
• Presented original work at 3 national and international congresses.
• Participated as speaker and moderator in over 80 scientific events.

Teaching Activity:

• Instructor at the School of Professional Nurses in Vercelli, the School of Professional Nurses, and the Dietitian School of the Molinette Hospital.
• Professor at the University of Turin for the School of Specialization in Anaesthesia and Resuscitation (1997–2002).
• Tutor for the course Diseases of the Digestive System in the Degree Program in Medicine and Surgery.

International Training and Fellowships:

• Service de Chirurgie Digestive, Université Paris VII, under Prof. Fékété.
• Beaujon Hospital, under Prof. J. Belghiti.
• Advanced Course in Laparoscopic Colorectal Surgery, Hamburg.
• EITS (European Institute of Telesurgery), Strasbourg:
  • Advanced Course in Laparoscopic Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery.
  • Advanced Course in Laparoscopic Colorectal Surgery.
• Clinique Chirurgicale de la Porte de l’Orient, Lorient.

Professional Leadership Roles:

• Since 2006, Regional Coordinator for Piemonte, later National Council Member, and eventually National Vice President of ACOI (Italian Association of Hospital Surgeons).
• President of the Società Piemontese di Chirurgia since January 2014.
• Past President of the Italian Society of Surgery (Società Italiana di Chirurgia).

Dr. Andrea Bertuglia is a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation (Equine) and a Diplomate of the European College of Veterinary Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation (Equine). He practices as a general equine surgeon at the University Veterinary Hospital of Grugliasco. His clinical specialty focuses on the arthroscopic surgical treatment of joint disorders in both athletic and working horses. He specializes in the treatment of subchondral bone cysts, intra-articular fractures, and osteochondral lesions using innovative hemodialysis.

He conducts research in the field of equine tendon repair.

He currently supervises a research program on in vivo joint kinematics, using inertial sensors applied to equine joints during movement. He focuses on innovative teaching methods, with a particular interest in learning strategies using simulators.

Scientific Activity:

Author of  4 peer-reviewed publications (as of 2012–2015), including studies on:

• Contrast-enhanced ultrasonography for tendon lesions.
• Osteoclast recruitment in equine carpal osteoarthritis.
• Epidemiology of musculoskeletal injuries in Standardbred racehorses.
• Synovial fluid proteomics for osteoarthritis biomarkers.

Teaching Activity:

Associate Professor of the Department of Veterinary Sciences of Grugliasco (UniTO) holds the following teachings:

• Surgical pathology and surgical diagnostic methodologies.
• Surgical pathology and diagnostics and veterinary radiology.
• Radiology and advanced diagnostic techniques.
• Animal rehabilitation techniques.
• Rehabilitation techniques and veterinary patient approach.

Professional Leadership Roles:

• Head of the approved Full Residency in Equine Sports Medicine (ACVSMR) at the DSV in Turin.
• Leader of the departmental working group for the Clinical Skills Lab.
• Examination Committee of the European College of Veterinary Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation.

Chiara Giulia Fontanella, currently assistant Professor at the Department of Industrial Engineering at the University of Padua, earned her master’s degree in Bioengineering from the University of Padua in 2008 and her PhD in Industrial Engineering in 2012.
Her research focuses on the study of the mechanical functionality of tissues and biological structures, as well as the optimization of surgical procedures, biomedical devices, and sports equipment.

She works in the field of experimental and computational biomechanics, with a particular focus on the constitutive modeling of biological materials capable of describing geometric and material nonlinearities, microstructure-related anisotropy, and dissipative phenomena (viscosity, damage, irreversible deformations).

She develops virtual models from histomorphometric data and biomedical images (MRI, CT) using segmentation techniques, and uses the finite element method to simulate mechanical behavior under physiological conditions and in interaction with implantable devices. The integrated experimental-computational approach allows for the validation of models and the optimization of design solutions.

Scientific Activity:

• The Effect of Mechanical Stress on Hyaluronan Fragments’ Inflammatory Cascade: Clinical Implications
• Interaction phenomena between a cuff of an artificial urinary sphincter and a urethral phantom
• Segmentation of the thoracolumbar fascia in ultrasound imaging: a deep learning approach
• Mechanical Characterization of Human Fascia Lata: Uniaxial Tensile Tests from Fresh-Frozen Cadaver Samples and Constitutive Modelling;
• Computational methods for the investigation of ski boots ergonomics;
• Bladder tissue biomechanical behavior: Experimental tests and constitutive formulation.

Teaching Activity:

Associate Professor of the Department of Industrial Engineering at the University of Padua (UniPd) holds the following teaching:

• Computational mechanics for clinic and surgery

Dr. Maria Grazia Bergamin is an orthopedic specialist with a focus on hand surgery and microsurgery. She serves as the Head of the Hand Surgery Center at the Maria Vittoria Hospital in Turin, a role she has held since 2006. Her practice is dedicated to the treatment of traumatic and degenerative pathologies of the hand, with a particular interest in minimally invasive techniques for conditions such as Dupuytren’s disease. She coordinates a multidisciplinary pathway for patients, integrating surgical expertise with advanced rehabilitation protocols developed in collaboration with the Polytechnic of Turin.

Surgical procedures are often performed on an outpatient or day-hospital basis, with an emphasis on early mobilization protocols to ensure a rapid return to hand function.

Dr. Bergamin also serves as a consultant for the Martini Hospital in Turin and the Ivrea Hospital (TO).

Dr. Maria Grazia Bergamin was born in Alessandria. She graduated in Medicine and Surgery from the University of Turin in 1992, subsequently specializing in Orthopedics and Traumatology and obtaining a postgraduate qualification in Hand Surgery. From 1994 to 1997 she served as a First-Level Medical Officer at the Division of Plastic Surgery, Traumatology, and the Major Burns Center at C.T.O. Hospital in Turin, and from August 1997 to the present she has served as a First-Level Medical Officer in the Department of Plastic Surgery and Hand Surgery at the Maria Vittoria Hospital, ASL TO2, Turin. Since January 1998 she has also been a Consultant at the Martini Hospital, ASL TO1, Turin, and since September 2009 a Consultant at the Ivrea Hospital, ASL4. In 2006 she was appointed Head of the Hand Surgery Center, ASL TO2, Turin, a role she continues to hold.

Her clinical and scientific interests focus on hand surgery, peripheral nerve microsurgery, and the development of new minimally invasive surgical techniques.

Scientific Activity:

• Co-author of over 60 peer-reviewed publications.
• Research Projects:
  • Principal Investigator for the Piedmont Region’s Finalized Health Research project (2009) on the “Clinical evaluation of the efficacy of a new minimally invasive technique for the treatment of Dupuytren’s disease,” conducted in collaboration with the Center for Experimental Medicine at the Città della Salute in Turin.
  • Principal Investigator for the research project on the “Use of polypropylene barbed sutures for post-traumatic repair of flexor tendons of the hand combined with a new early active mobilization rehabilitation protocol,” approved by the ASL TO2 Ethics Committee in collaboration with the Polytechnic University of Turin.

Teaching Activity:

• Instructor for the Microsurgery Course at the University of Genoa (1995–1999).
• Instructor for the Seminar on Microsurgery and Experimental Surgery at the Université de Nice – Sophia Antipolis, Faculty of Medicine (2002–2003).
• Instructor at numerous hospital refresher courses and national congresses in the field of hand surgery and microsurgery.

International Training and Fellowships:

• Internship at the Department of Plastic Surgery and Major Burns Center, Toulouse-Rangueil Hospital, Toulouse, France (November 1992).
• Internship at the Department of Plastic Surgery, Microsurgery, and Hand Surgery, Centre Hospitalier Régional de Bordeaux, France (June-July 1994).
• Internship at the Division of Hyperbaric Medicine, Department of Anesthesia and Intensive Care, Karolinska Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden (May 1995).

Dr. Filippo Maria Surace is an orthopedic surgeon specializing in knee and hip surgery, with extensive experience in prosthetic joint replacement, arthroscopic procedures, and regenerative medicine. He practices at Humanitas Gradenigo in Turin, Clinica Fornaca, and Humanitas Gavazzeni, where he is part of the prosthetic orthopedics unit. His clinical focus includes total and unicompartmental knee arthroplasty (including robotic‑assisted surgery), revision prosthetics, complex knee ligament reconstructions, osteotomies, and the treatment of periarticular fractures.

Dr. Surace collaborates with the Polytechnic University of Turin on biomechanics research and serves as a thesis advisor for biomedical engineering students. Since 2022, he has been the Regional Training Coordinator for Piedmont and Aosta Valley for the Italian Relief Corps (CISOM) of the Order of Malta.

He is also actively involved in regenerative medicine techniques such as PRP infiltrations and the use of stem cells and scaffolds for degenerative joint pathologies.

Scientific activity:

• External consultant for Cube Lab (academic research accelerator) in the health sector.
• Collaborates with the Polytechnic University of Turin on scientific projects, publications, and multidisciplinary research in biomechanics and orthopedics.
• Thesis co‑advisor for the Faculty of Biomedical Engineering of Turin.
• Co‑author of multiple scientific publications and presentations at national and international congresses.

International Training and Fellowships:

• Knee Fellowship, Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital Trust (UCL), London, United Kingdom (1995).
• Introduced knee arthroscopy techniques in Cape Verde, collaborating with Dr. Tito Ramos Rodriguez (2014).