Personale docente

Paola Affanni was born in Parma on May,6th,1962. She is graduated in Biological Sciences from Parma University in 1985-86 academic year, with a mark of 110 cum laude. She has a PHD in Public Health. From 1990 to 2002 she was employed in technical functions at the Hygiene's Institute of Medicine and Surgery Faculty in Parma University. From March 2002 she is a Confirmed Researcher (D.R. n°704- 28.02.2002) at Public Health Department, Hygiene Section of University of Parma for MED/42 disciplinary scientific sector (General and Applied Hygiene) and she has continued her own activity at Public Health Department, Hygiene Section. Paola Affanni still covers this role at the Department of Medicine and Surgery. During these years she had partecipated and continues to be carried out virologic research on respiratory diseases with particular regard to seasonal and pandemic influenza; sero-epidemiological studies on human and environmental samples to evaluate poliovirus circulation and immunity status against poliomyelitis; sero-epidemiological studies on population to evaluate immunity status from childhood vaccinations. She has attended training courses at the National Centers for virological surveillance of influenza and poliomyelitis, at the Istituto Superiore di Sanità; she could improve their methodological skills and acquire new knowledge about the most recent techniques of molecular biology. Since 2013 she is head  of the Regional Reference Laboratory for the Virological Surveillance of Influenza Regional Reference Laboratory and other Influenza viruses (H5, H7) and MERS-Cov within the National InfluNet network, coordinated by the Istituto Superiore di Sanità. Since February 2020 she is responsible of the regional reference laboratory for the virological surveillance of SARS-CoV-2, within the national network of laboratories identified byr the Circular note of the Ministry of Health n.5443 of 22.02.2020. She is a member of the Italian Society of Hygiene, Preventive Medicine and Public Health (SItI),  in which she was a member of the Directorate of the Emilia Romagna Regional Section for the biennium 2018-2020. She teaches at the degree courses of Physiotherapy , Midwifery and Biomedical Laboratory Techniques. From the academic year 2019-2020 she is Responsible for Quality Assurance of the Degree Course in Obstetrics and  Deputy President of the Council of the Degree Course in Obstetrics.