Doctor Luca Zanella

Luca Zanella is a young cardiac surgeon who has been a PhD candidate at the University of Bologna since 2023 and a fellow at the Peter Munk Cardiac Centre, Toronto General Hospital, University of Toronto, since 2025. He earned his master’s degree in medicine and completed his cardiac surgery residency at the University of Padova, one of the world's oldest medical schools. During the final year of his residency, he developed a strong interest in aortic pathology and aortic valve repair while working in Brussels under the mentorship of Professor El Khoury and De Kerchove. He is currently in the last year of his PhD, translationally analyzing aortic tissue to identify new correlations between aortic inflammation and clinical outcomes in patients undergoing aortic surgery in Toronto and Bologna. Dr. Zanella fluently speaks English, French and Italian. In his spare time, he loves hiking and travelling, knowing different cultures and broadening his horizons.