Sara Nannarone- Veterinary Medical – Top Researcher Award

Posted on by usudeeparya

Dr. Sara Nannarone  distinguished academic and researcher in the field  Veterinary Medical.  From July to October 2000, she was awarded a scholarship through the “Leonardo Da Vinci Program” at the Troytown Equine Hospital in County Kildare, Ireland. Following that, from November 2001 to November 2003, she received a scholarship for her Ph.D. program in Equine Sciences at the Department of Pathology, Diagnostic and Clinical Veterinary Medicine, Surgery and Radiodiagnostics Section, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of Perugia.

 

🌐 Professional Profiles

Educations📚📚📚

In March 1999, she earned her degree in Veterinary Medicine with a thesis entitled “Orthopedic affections in the developmental stages of the horse: a preliminary study on their incidence in relation to nutritional and genetic factors” from the University of Perugia, Italy. Her thesis advisor was Prof. Franco Moriconi, with Dr. Marco Pepe as co-advisor. She achieved a final grade of 110/110. In November 1999, she obtained the qualification to practice as a Veterinary Doctor. On January 25, 2005, she completed her Ph.D. in Equine Sciences with a thesis titled “A new protocol for balanced inhalation-intravenous anesthesia in horses,” supervised by Prof. Franco Moriconi and co-supervised by Dr. Claudia Spadavecchia (Berna). In February 2015, she obtained eligibility for the European College of Veterinary Anaesthesia and Analgesia (ECVAA). Since March 31, 2017, she has been nationally certified as an Associate Professor in the field of 07/H5. Since May 2019, she has been nationally certified as a Full Professor in the same field

SCHOLARSHIPS

She began her educational journey in September 1987 at the Luca Signorelli Classical High School in Cortona (Arezzo), Italy, where she completed her studies in 1992. Following that, from November 1992 to March 1999, she attended the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Perugia, Italy.

In November 2001, she was awarded a scholarship for a Ph.D. program in Equine Sciences, 16th cycle, at the Department of Pathology, Diagnostic and Clinical Veterinary Medicine, Surgery and Radiodiagnostics Section, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of Perugia.

In January 2002, she commenced her journey towards accreditation with the European College of Veterinary Anaesthesia and Analgesia (ECVAA), through a “non-conforming Residency Programme” under the supervision of Prof. Urs Schatzmann and Prof. Yves Moens, at the Department of Veterinary Anesthesiology, University of Bern, Switzerland.

Subsequently, she held Post-Doctoral Research Fellowships at the same department from November 2003 to December 2008, working on projects focusing on balanced inhalation-intravenous anesthesia techniques in horses and perioperative analgesia in arthroscopic surgery for horses, along with multimodal analgesia in arthroscopic surgery and pharmacokinetic evaluations of molecules administered intra-articularly. Since December 31, 2008, she has been a Researcher at the Department of Pathology, Diagnostic and Clinical Veterinary Medicine, Surgery and Radiodiagnostics Section, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of Perugia. From 2012 to the present, she holds the position of Confirmed Researcher at the same department.

WORK EXPERIENCES

From September to October 1999, she undertook practical training at the veterinary clinic “L’ARCA” located in Camucia, Cortona (AR), under the supervision of Dr. C.A. Carloni, Dr. G. Turini, Dr. S. Mancini, and Dr. V. Greatti. From January 2000 to November 2001, she served as a voluntary attendee at the Department of Pathology, Diagnostic and Clinical Veterinary Medicine, Surgery and Radiodiagnostics Section, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of Perugia.

In July to October 2000, she was awarded the Leonardo Da Vinci Program scholarship and worked at the Troytown Equine Hospital in County Kildare, Ireland. From November 2001 to November 2003, she pursued her Ph.D. in Equine Sciences at the Department of Pathology, Diagnostic and Clinical Veterinary Medicine, Surgery and Radiodiagnostics Section, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of Perugia. In January to April 2002, she was a Resident with the ECVAA at the Department of Veterinary Anesthesiology of the University of Bern, Switzerland, under the supervision of Prof. Urs Schatzmann and Prof. Yves Moens. In July to October 2004, she continued her residency at the Department of Veterinary Anesthesiology at Cornell University, Ithaca (NY), under the supervision of Prof. Robin D. Gleed. She also held various other residencies and scientific consultancy roles related to veterinary anesthesia, including at Pfizer Italia. Since 2006, she has been associated with OVUD – Department of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Perugia.

From November 2001 to November 2004, she worked on her doctoral thesis in collaboration with the Department of Veterinary Anesthesiology at the University of Bern, Switzerland. The research project aimed to identify and evaluate new anesthesiological protocols for maintaining general anesthesia in horses. Three different protocols were compared, focusing on cardio-respiratory parameters, the quality of maintained anesthesia, and the quality of awakening. Two different combinations of injectable anesthetics administered via continuous infusion to horses inhaling subanesthetic concentrations of isoflurane were evaluated, along with a third protocol involving maintenance with only inhalation agent.

Between January 2005 and October 2007, she worked on a research project concerning perioperative analgesia in equine arthroscopic surgery. This study, divided into intraoperative and postoperative parts, aimed to evaluate the action of two local anesthetics (2% lidocaine, 2% mepivacaine) injected into the joint before arthroscopic surgeries, both as potential stabilizers of the anesthetic plane and as agents capable of producing a “sparing effect” (reduction of the effective dose) on isoflurane. Additionally, the postoperative analgesic effect of injecting two different analgesic molecules (morphine and xylazine) into the joint was evaluated, along with pharmacokinetic analysis and consequent plasma levels of the drugs injected intra-articularly.

Throughout her career, she has been involved in numerous research projects focusing on various aspects of veterinary medicine, including anesthesia, analgesia, and surgical procedures in horses. These projects have contributed significantly to the advancement of knowledge in the field of equine veterinary medicine.

CLINICAL-CARE ACTIVITY

Since January 2000, she has been engaged in clinical activities at the UVUD (University Veterinary Teaching Hospital), Veterinary Surgery department, collaborating with the faculty members in clinic management, primarily serving as an anesthetist. From November 2006 to November 2008, she provided clinical-assistance services during the patient admission phase at the UVUD. From December 2008 to the present, she has continued her clinical-assistance activities at the UVUD, also supporting the practical and theoretical teaching activities of the faculty in the field of Veterinary Surgery. Since January 1, 2006, she has served as the Head of the “Equine Anesthesia Service, Livestock, and Non-Conventional Animals” and as a member of the staff for services such as “Emergency, Intensive Care, and Equine Neonatology,” “Anesthesia and Analgesia of Small Animals,” and “Pain Therapy of Small Animals” at the UVUD of the Department of Veterinary Medicine of Perugia.

TEACHING ACTIVITY

From September 20th to 22nd, 2002, she served as an assistant to Dr. Polly Mary Taylor at the SIVE theoretical-practical course on “Equine Anesthesia” held in Suno (NO). On October 10th and 11th, 2002, she contributed to the “Pain Day” seminar at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine in Bern (Switzerland), organized by the Department of Veterinary Anesthesiology, delivering a presentation on “Epidural anesthesia in horses.” Throughout the academic years 2002-2003 and 2003-2004, she provided supplementary teaching activities in collaboration with various professors at the University of Perugia, covering topics such as Veterinary Surgery and Clinical Veterinary Practice.

She also delivered lectures and seminars on various occasions, addressing subjects like anesthesia techniques in horses and pain management in both large and small animals. Additionally, she actively participated in veterinary conferences and seminars, sharing her expertise on topics such as euthanasia in sport horses, pain treatment in colic cases, and the use of laparoscopy in horses. Her contributions to teaching and professional development in veterinary anesthesia and surgery have been extensive and varied.

 

Commitment to research doctorates

From 2011 to 2015, she served as a teaching tutor for doctoral candidate Jacopo Corsalini and co-supervisor for doctoral candidate Matteo Vuerich in the XXVIII cycle of the Equine Sciences doctoral program. Between November 1, 2007, and November 18, 2015, she acted as co-supervisor for the doctoral thesis of Dr. Chiara Bazzica, focusing on the use of xylazine as an intra-articular analgesic in horses post-arthroscopic surgery, within the XXII Cycle of the Equine Sciences doctoral program. She continued her involvement as a tutor for Dr. Jacopo Corsalini and co-supervisor for Dr. Matteo Vuerich in the XXVIII cycle.

She also participated in the doctoral faculty of the Equine Sciences program in the XXVII and XXVIII cycles. On October 29, 2015, she became a full member of the Examination Committee for the final exam of the Doctoral School in Veterinary Sciences at the University of Padova, and on April 5, 2016, a full member of the Examination Committee for the final exam of the Doctoral Program in Veterinary Sciences at the University of Pisa. In the academic year 2017-2018, she served as co-tutor for doctoral candidate Flaminia Ortolani in the field of research in Veterinary Health and Experimental Sciences.

She also assessed the doctoral thesis of Carlotta Lambertini from the University of Bologna, 30th Cycle. In 2018, she evaluated the doctoral thesis of Benedetta Carla Nastasi from the University of Messina, 31st Cycle. Since June 19, 2019, she has been a member of the Faculty Board of the Doctoral Program in Ethics of Communication, Scientific Research, and Technological Innovation. In the academic year 2019, she assessed the thesis of doctoral candidate Vanessa Rabbogliatti from the University of Milan, supervised by Professor Mauro Di Giancamillo. From 2020 to 2023, she served as co-tutor for Dr. Alice Bertoletti in the framework of the doctoral program in Veterinary Health and Experimental Sciences, 36th Cycle. From 2022 to 2025, she was involved as co-tutor for Federica Giulivi. In 2024, she acted as an evaluator.

 

MEMBERSHIP ASSOCIATIONS – POSITIONS

Since 2001, she has been a member of the Italian Society of Equine Veterinarians (SIVE), and since January 2005, she has been responsible for the Central Macroregion (Tuscany-Umbria-Marche-Sardinia). Additionally, she joined the Association of Veterinary Anesthetists (AVA) in 2002 and became a member of the List of the American College of Veterinary Anesthetists (ACVA-L) the same year. She has been a member of the Italian Society of Veterinary Surgery (SICV) since 2002, the Italian Society of Veterinary Sciences (SISVet) since 2006, and the Italian Society of Equine Orthopedics and Surgery (SIOCE) since 2007.

Since 2008, she has served as a member and secretary of the CSCS (Center for the Study of Sports Horses), and from 2009, she has been a member and secretary of the CeSDA (Center for the Study of Animal Pain). She became a member of the Italian Society of Anesthesia, Analgesia, Resuscitation, and Intensive Therapy – Veterinary Study Group (SIAARTIVet) in 2014. From 2014 to 2019, she was a member of the Erasmus Commission of the Department of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Perugia, and from 2017 to 2019, a member of the EAEVE Commission of the same department.

Since 2017, she has also been a member of the Clinical Procedures Commission at OVUD (Veterinary University Teaching Hospital) within the Department of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Perugia. From 2018 to the present, she has served as a member of the teaching staff for the Advanced Training Course in “Pain Therapy and Palliative Care in Companion Animals.” Since June 2019, she has been a member of the Faculty Board of the Doctoral Program in Ethics of Communication, Scientific Research, and Technological Innovation. In 2020, she joined the Research Commission of the Department of Veterinary Medicine. She became a member of the SIVE Board of Directors in February 2023 and has been serving as the Erasmus and Internationalization Coordinator for the Department of Veterinary Medicine since April 2023.