|
Vittorio Ventafridda was Born in Ragogna, a northern italian village near Udine, on the 29th of October 1927. He graduated at Pavia’s Medical University in 1952 and spent four years in the U.S.A. where he did his internship and then at the Research and Educational Hospital of the University of Illinois in Chicago took up a residency training as an anaesthesiologist. In the early 70’s in Seattle, he was one of the founders of the International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP). Back in Milan at the Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori, he was first in charge of the anaesthesiology dept. and then appointed Director of the Palliative Care Unit. In 1977 professor Ventafridda together with Virgilio Floriani founded the Floriani Foundation, which aim is to assist and help terminally ill patients, taking the position of Scientific Director of the same Foundation.
In the 80’s, with the help of Floriani Foundation he launched a programme for the continuing care at home for the terminally ill patients which expanded to 14 other Institutions and became a point of reference for WHO’s Cancer Pain Relief Program. One of the things he is most proud of is being one of the principal authors of WHO’s analgesic ladder on cancer pain management, which has been translated into more than 28 languages and it is applied worldwide.
Most of Prof. Ventafridda’s activities were then focussed on the promotion of palliative care throughout Europe. In order to do that, he founded and directed the Italian and European Association for Palliative Care as well as the Italian School of Medicine and Palliative Care.
Prof. Ventafridda is the author of more than 250 publications mostly on pain control, quality of life measurements and palliative care. He is also an active member of 3 International Scientific Societies, 10 Editorial Boards and co- editor of 4 important books.
CURRENT POSITIONS
- Fellow of Royal College of Phisician
- Consultant Scientific Directorate and Member of Etic Committee at European Institute of Oncology
- Honorary President of the European Association for Palliative Care
- Scientific Director of the Floriani Foundation of Milan
- President of the Italian School of Medicine and Palliative Care
|
