Patrizia joined PI-Philly in 2013. She has served as president elected since January 2020.

Patrizia is a passionate cancer biology scientist, and she loves, even more, mentoring the next generation of scientists. Patrizia obtained her PhD in Medical Biotechnologies and Translational Medicine from the University of Milan (Italy). She moved to the United States for her post-doctoral training and is now a senior research investigator in the Center for Cellular Immunotherapies at UPenn; Patrizia is studying how the epigenetic landscape of lymphomas may affect the response to immunotherapies. Patrizia received the “Paola Campese Award for Research on Leukemia”. Out of the lab, she loves running, hiking with her dog, and organizing cultural and social events relevant to her Italian heritage

​

​

​

Alessandra is a founding member of PI-Philly and manages the cultural events for the organization, in particular those revolving around literature and cinema.

​

She is a native of Rome, where she received a Laurea in Italian Literature from La Sapienza (2004) and a Doctorate in Italianistica from the University of Macerata (2008). She moved to the US in 2009, and she earned a Ph.D. in Italian Studies from the University of Pennsylvania (2015). 

She currently works at Rowan University (NJ), where she serves as the Coordinator of the Italian program and teaches courses in Italian literature, film, language and popular culture. Her research is primarily focused on Modern and Contemporary Italian literature. Additional research interests include Italian Cinema and the Posthuman. She has published books and articles on Giacomo Leopardi, other 20th century Italian authors, and Italian Cinema as well. Alessandra truly enjoys being part of PI-Philly, and contributing to the vibrant Italian community of Philadelphia.

​

Luca joined PI-Philly the board of directors in January 2019. He was appointed as Secretary and Schedule Planned in 2020.

Luca received his Master’s Degree in industrial engineering from the University of Naples Federico II in 2009. He also received an executive MBA from the Fox School of Business of Philadelphia in 2018. He currently works for Leonardo Helicopter Division.

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

Daniela joined Pi-Philly in 2020

​

Daniela obtained her Ph.D. in Molecular and Cellular biology from the University of RomaTre (Italy). She moved to the United States for her post-doctoral training at Thomas Jefferson University (Philadelphia) in 2019, and she recently moved with her lab to the University of Pittsburgh.

Daniela is passionate about studying the basic mechanisms of DNA damage repair. Daniela is eager to bridge professional and cultural differences between Italy and USA to create new networking opportunities, and she is enthusiastic about promoting the diffusion of the Italian culture. Daniela is actively involved in communications and helps to manage the social platforms of PI-Philly.

​

​

​

​

Elena joined PI-Philly as a member in 2017 and she has been part of the board since January 2019. She manages the social media accounts for the Organization and supports planning and coordination of events.

Elena obtained her Pharm.D. and Sp.D degrees from the University of Naples, Italy and her Ph.D. from the University of Erlangen, Germany.

Elena is a Research Assistant Professor and Co-Director of TRaCES core facility in the Department of Pharmacology & Physiology at Drexel University College of Medicine. Her research focus is to elucidate the molecular mechanisms that contribute to HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders (HAND), particularly in the context of drug abuse.

​

​

​

​

Dario joined PI-Philly in 2021

Dario Chimenti (he/him) was born and raised in Rome, Italy. After a Bachelor's Degree in Political Science, he earned a Media and Journalism Master’s Degree. Eventually, he worked as a Digital and Social Media Consultant, helping big companies and small entrepreneurs in their digital transformation.

In the U.S., he lived in Philadelphia and then moved to Pittsburgh, where he lives. Currently, he is studying and teaching Italian at the University of Pittsburgh.

In PI-Philly, he serves as a Social Media Manager and Content Creator, working in the Communication Team to enhance the Association's digital presence and offline events.

​

​

​

​

Francesca joined the PI-Philly board in 2022.

She is currently a PostDoc at the University of Pennsylvania. Her research interests include the investigation of tumor microenvironment and the discovery of neoantigens driving anti-tumor immunity. She is a passionate worker, an energetic and empathic person and a lover of Italian cuisine and road trips.

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

Luca joined PI-Philly in 2022.

Luca is a senior oncology fellow at the University of Turin. He moved to Philadelphia in April 2022 to complete his medical training and to pursue a career as a Physician-Scientist. He’s currently working at the University of Pennsylvania trying to identify predictors of response to Cellular therapies to improve patients' outcomes. Outside work, he loves playing soccer and cuddling his cat Melissa.

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

Elisa joined PI-Philly in 2023.

​

Elisa was born and grew up in Chiavari, Italy, a charming small city on the Ligurian Riviera. She attended the University of Genoa, Italy, where she received a B.S. in Biology, an M.S. in Human Biomedical Sciences, and a Ph.D. in Pathology of Aging. She held postdoctoral positions at University of Genoa, Tufts University (Boston, MA), and Columbia University (New York, NY). Currently, she is Associate Scientist at Temple University, researching a new treatment strategy to reduce neurovascular pathology and neuroinflammation in patients with Alzheimer's disease, and recently she has been awarded by the Karen Toffler Charitable Trust. She loves travelling to explore new cultures (and food), as well as pilates and hiking/ walking to keep a "mens sana in corpore sano" (healthy mind in a healthy body), as Romans used to say.

​

​

Dinahlee joined  PI-Philly in 2023.

My name is Dinahlee Saturnino Guarino and I am a passionate Neuroscientist! I graduated from the University of Urbino in Biotechnology and I earned a Master's degree in Neuroscience from the University of Trieste. For my master thesis I had the privilege to work as Research associate at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm where I investigated potential new radioligands for the early diagnosis of Parkinson's diseases. Today I work as Research Specialist at the University of Pennsylvania to develop new radioligands for neurodegenerative disorders and opioid use disorders. My professional long term goal is to contribute to enhance the understanding of the factors that cause psychiatric and neurological disorders

​

​

​

​