Doctor Luca Zanella

My name is Luca Zanella. I am a young cardiac surgeon and PhD candidate at the University of Bologna since 2023, and a fellow of the Peter Munk Cardiac Centre at Toronto General Hospital since 2025. Before joining these institutions, I earned my master’s degree in medicine in 2017 and completed my residency in cardiac surgery in 2023, both at the University of Padova. During the final year of my residency in cardiac surgery, I developed a keen interest in aortic pathology and aortic valve repair, working in Brussels under the mentorship of Professor Gebrine El Khoury and Professor Laurent De Kerchove. My current PhD research project is built upon this valuable experience. Presently, I am analyzing aortic tissue to uncover new correlations between aortic inflammation and the clinical outcomes in patients treated with aortic surgery.