UNIVERSITY EDUCATION
March 1987: Degree in Biological Sciences from the University of Parma, with a grade of 110/110 cum laude. The thesis (titled: "The problem of fixed compass tendencies in bird orientation. Experiments with the river martin (Riparia riparia)") required two years of research. Postgraduate Studies:
1987: Collaboration on research into the bacteriostatic and bactericidal properties of food flavorings at the Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Microbiology of the Institute of Pharmaceutical Technology of the University of Parma.
1988-1990: Collaboration on research into the biology and orientation abilities of some wild and domestic bird species (Riparia riparia, Columba l. livia Gmelin, Columba livia forma domestica) at the Institute of Zoology of the University of Parma. The research included a three-year survey of the health conditions of pigeons in the city of Bolzano, in collaboration with the Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie. Collaboration with the University of Parma and the Ministry of the Environment on a census and monitoring program of avifauna species for the integrated management of wetlands of international interest—classified under the Ramsar Convention—identified in Sardinia, the Veneto lagoon, and the Po Delta.
1990-1992: PhD in Animal Biology (Ethology) at the Department of General Biology and Physiology, University of Parma. Thesis title: "Orientation and homing ability of the river martin (Riparia riparia)".
1994: Graduate student at the Institute of Domestic Animal Anatomy, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Parma.
1995: Winner of a postdoctoral fellowship in Veterinary Anatomy to conduct research on bone response to implants covered with various types of biomaterials.
1999: Technician (level 5) at the Institute of Normal Anatomy of Domestic Animals, University of Parma.
2000: Winner of a public competition for a Researcher position in the Department of Veterinary Medicine (S.S.D.) V30A – ANATOMY OF DOMESTIC ANIMALS at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Parma. By Rector's Decree No. 952 of March 29,
2001, she was subsequently reclassified in the Department of Veterinary Medicine (S.S.D.) VET/01 ANATOMY OF DOMESTIC ANIMALS.
2001-2003: Full-time, untenured researcher at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Parma, working at the Institute of Domestic Animal Anatomy and subsequently at the Section of Anatomy of Animals of Veterinary Medical Interest, Department of Animal Health.
2003-2024: Tenured University Researcher, in the VET/01 scientific field, at the Department of Veterinary Medical Sciences, University of Parma.
2024 - Currently Associate Professor, for the SSD MVET-01/A Veterinary Anatomy" (formerly S.S.D. VET/01), with affiliation to the same Department.
ASSOCIATE MEMBER OF: Italian Association of Veterinary Morphologists (since 1997)
RESEARCH TOPICS
- Studies on changes in bone structural organization in response to implants in different animal models (rabbit and sheep) and on the biocompatibility of different biomaterials used for implant preparation or coating.
- Localization (using retrograde neuronal tracers) and immunohistochemical characterization of motor and sensory neurons innervating the smooth and striated muscles associated with the urogenital organs of animals of veterinary interest, particularly pigs.
- Macro- and microscopic morphostructural characterization of porcine urethral muscle.
- Characterization of muscle fiber types, Myofibrillar proteins and enzymatic proteolysis in relation to meat quality in different hybrid pigs.
- Macroscopic and microscopic analysis of the effects of age on fat thickness and adipocyte morphology in the subcutaneous tissue of the Parma black pig.
- Analysis of morphostructural changes in various digestive tract regions of ruminants and broiler chickens in response to different types of diet.
- Detection of the presence and localization of hormones, chemokines, and their receptors in the porcine ovary.
- Histomorphometric analyses for the development and validation of models of pulmonary fibrosis in mice and bronchopneumodysplasia in rabbits.
- Histological analyses of the effects of the use of multitarget compounds in the treatment of cystic fibrosis.
The techniques applied include morphometric analysis, morphostructural histology and histomorphometry, ultrastructural analysis (SEM and TEM), histochemistry, and immunofluorescence.
