2008. Honor of “Commendatore al merito della Repubblica Italiana” for scientific and professional achievement. 

2011. Honor of Stella al Merito Sportivo, delivered by the Italian National Olympic Committee for the scientific and professional service to Olympic Italian athletes

Absolute number of citations according to Scopus: 21,277


Hirsch index (h): absolute index: 70


Last Update: January 2024 on scopus.com

 

scopus feb2023

1980 Visiting scientist under the supervision of Prof. Sergio Dalla Volta at Cardiology Department of University of Padua.

1988 (September-November) and

1989 (October-December):

Visiting Scientist under the supervision of Prof. Barry J. Maron: at the National Institute of Health, Cardiology Branch, Bethesda, Maryland. Main researches participated: 1) echocardiographic assessment of left ventricular hypertrophy in athletes, 2) visualization of coronary arteries by transthoracic echocardiography, 3) evaluation of left ventricular diastolic filling by Doppler echocardiography in athletes with left ventricular hypertrophy.

1992 (September-October):

Visiting Scientist at the University Hospital of the Georgetown University in Washington DC., with participation to clinical and academic activities of the Cardiology and Internal Medicine Division.

1997 (June-September).

Visiting Cardiologist under the supervision of Prof. Natesa Pandian at the New England Medical Center of the TUFTS University in Boston. Participation in the study projects: 1) computerized analysis of left ventricular shape in athletes and 2) feasibility of three-dimensional echocardiographic measurement of left ventricular mass in normal subjects and patients with different pathologic cardiac conditions.

1991-93: Responsible of the study project "Left ventricular hypertrophy in athletes: echocardiographic and clinical assessment" of the Italian National Council for Research (CNR)

1992 Participation at the DISCO Project, of the Italian National Council for Researches, Aim: assess the habitual physical activity and sport practice in a large community of Italian sedentary individuals.

1990 to 2005 Responsible for the echocardiography lab and Cardiology division of the Institute of Sport Medicine and Science in Rome.

2005 to 2008 Medical Director of the Institute of Sport Medicine and Science in Rome.

2008 – present Scientific Director the Institute of Sport Medicine and Science in Rome.

2008 Member of the Scientific Advisor Committee of the Italian Federation of Sport Medicine.

2009 Member of the Pre-Participation Evaluation (PPE) Panel, an expert study group organized by the International Olympic Committee for implementing the periodical health evaluation (PPE) program in elite athletes.

2009 Nominated member of the IOC Medical and Scientific Commission.

2009 Expert consultant of the International Amateur Athletic Federation (IAAF) for implementing the pre-participation evaluation in elite IAAF athletes.

2010 Expert consultant of the CF Real Madrid for the evaluation of the case De La Read

2011 Expert consultant of the FINA (international federation of swimming) for investigating the causes and circumstances of death of the elite swimmer Fran Crippen.

2011 Advisory board member for scientific activities of Aspetar, the first specialized Orthopedic and Sport Medicine Hospital in the Gulf Region.

2011 Fellow Member of the European Society of Cardiology

2012 President-elect, European Association of Cardiovascular Prevention and Rehabilitation

2013 Deputy – President of the Italian Society of Sport Cardiology.

2014-16 President, European Association of Cardiovascular Prevention and Rehabilitation, a branch of the European Society of Cardiology.

2015-17 President, Italian Society of Sport Cardiology.

2016-18 Member of the CPC and Nominating Committee of the European Society of Cardiology. 

2017-20 Member of the SACC Committee of the European Society of Cardiology.

2020 to present Member of the Audit Committee of the European Society of Cardiology.

2020 Expert cardiologist consultant of the CF Paris Saint German.

2022 Acting, Medical Director, Institute of Sports Medicine. Sport e Salute.
2022 to present Expert consultant sport cardiologist of the Monzino Cardiology Hospital, Milan.

  • Evaluation of the cardiac remodeling and left ventricular hypertrophy induced by exercise conditioning and deconditioning.

  • Criteria of differential diagnosis of “athlete’s heart” from structural cardiac disease, with special regard to hypertrophic cardiomyopathies.

  • Implementation of preparticipation screening for cardiovascular disease at risk of sudden death in athletic populations.

  • Definition of appropriate criteria for interpretation of the 12-lead ECG in trained individuals.

  • Clinical assessment and recommendations for athletes with cardiovascular diseases.

  • Strategies to improve the level of physical activity and sport participation in sedentary individuals.

Designed and Mantained by Alessio Ragno