Endocrinology I
Director: Prof. Ferruccio Santini
Endocrinology
Endocrinology Units 1 and 2 of Pisa University Hospital (AOUP)
A national and international point of reference for the diagnosis, treatment and follow-up of thyroid and endocrine diseases. Endocrinologists, surgeons, oncologists, nuclear medicine physicians, radiologists and pathologists work together to offer every patient a complete, personalised pathway, in line with international guidelines.
Our units
Wards, day hospitals and outpatient clinics dedicated to the different endocrine conditions.
Endocrinology II
Director: Prof. Rossella Elisei
Specialist outpatient clinics
Oncology Section
Diagnosis and treatment of thyroid cancer.
Laboratories
Bookings and contacts
To book, you need a referral (prescription) from your GP ("impegnativa") for an endocrinology visit.
CUP bookings, Pisa University Hospital (AOUP)
050 995995Monday–Thursday, 8:30–17:00
First visits, follow-up visits at the general outpatient clinic, first visits for osteoporosis, bone densitometry.
Specialist outpatient clinics
050 995077Monday–Thursday, 8:00–11:00
Congenital hypothyroidism, obesity, adolescent gynaecology, neuroendocrinology, pituitary gland, adrenal gland, oncology.
Secretariat
050 995001 050 544723Monday–Friday, 9:00–12:00
Fax 050 997001, always active. The fax 050 578772 is no longer active.
Cancellations by fax
050 995019Always active
If you cannot attend, please cancel your appointment: the slot can then be given to another patient.
If you have an exemption, bring it to the visit. It is essential for correctly issuing any new prescriptions (prescriptions, tests or check-ups). Thank you for your cooperation.
On the day of your appointment
Visits and check-ups of Endocrinology Units 1 and 2 take place at Cisanello Hospital.
Registration
- Where
- Building 8, booking desks
- When
- Monday–Friday, 7:30–10:30
- Tuesday afternoon
- For follow-up visits on Tuesday afternoon, please go to the desks in Building 8 at 12:00.
What to bring and how to prepare
- Referral (prescription) from your GP ("impegnativa")
- Exemption certificate, if you have one
- Clinical documents useful for the visit (tests, reports, previous ultrasound scans)
- Come fasting if you need to have blood samples taken
- Do not take your thyroid medication on the morning of the visit
The app for patients
Numbers, tests, outpatient clinics and maps on your phone, even without internet. Free of charge.
Looking at this on a computer? Scan the code with your phone: it opens the page to get the app, with all the instructions.Watch the video: how to install it
Watch the video: how to install it
Reference centres
The Units are reference centres for:
Thyroid diseases and thyroid cancer
Diagnosis and treatment of nodules, goitre, hyperthyroidism, hypothyroidism and thyroiditis; a dedicated pathway for thyroid tumours, from diagnosis to follow-up.
Thyroid eye disease (Graves' orbitopathy)
Assessment and treatment of eye involvement in thyroid disease, particularly Graves' disease, by a joint endocrinology and ophthalmology team.
Screening and follow-up of congenital hypothyroidism
Assessment of newborns who test positive on newborn screening, with long-term monitoring to ensure regular growth and development.
Diagnosis and treatment of obesity and eating disorders
Multidisciplinary pathways for the assessment and treatment of obesity and eating disorders.
Calcium-phosphate metabolism
Diagnosis and treatment of parathyroid diseases and of abnormalities in calcium, phosphorus and vitamin D, including osteoporosis.
Hypothalamic-pituitary diseases
Diagnosis and treatment of pituitary and hypothalamic conditions, such as pituitary adenomas, hyperprolactinaemia, acromegaly and hormone deficiencies.
Among the best hospitals in the world for endocrinology
Pisa University Hospital (AOUP) is in Newsweek's World's Best Specialized Hospitals 2026 ranking.
3rdplace in Italy
49thplace in the world
A tradition of excellence
Pisa has a long history in the treatment of thyroid and metabolic diseases. In 2023, 30% of endocrinology patients and 47% of endocrine surgery patients came from outside the region.
The Pisa school of endocrinology
Founded in the second half of the twentieth century with masters such as Lidio Baschieri and Aldo Pinchera. Their students carry on innovative research and cutting-edge diagnostic and surgical techniques, and come together in the Pisa Endocrinology Alumni Association (AAEP).
Clinical care and research together
The endocrine surgery clinical centre treats thyroid and metabolic diseases with a multidisciplinary approach, integrated into the European Reference Networks (ERN) for rare and complex diseases.
Facilities and innovation
There is a clinical centre for obesity and lipodystrophies, with a metabolic chamber to measure metabolism and nutrient oxidation precisely.
The ranking is based on an international survey of professionals (May–July 2025), accreditation data and patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs).
News
Research, July 2026
PFAS: the Pisa research group documents a double interference with the thyroid and with the action of thyroid hormones in the brain
A research group from the University of Pisa and Pisa University Hospital (AOUP), in collaboration with the University of Pavia, has studied how PFAS can interfere both with thyroid function and with the action of thyroid hormones in the brain.
Read more
The study, published in the journal Environmental Pollution, was coordinated by Massimo Tonacchera, Associate Professor of Endocrinology at the University of Pisa, in the Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine and working in Endocrinology Unit 1 of the AOUP.
The experimental work was carried out by the University of Pisa researchers and biologists Eleonora Ferrarini and Giuseppina De Marco, with the contribution of AOUP professionals Patrizia Agretti, biologist, Lucia Montanelli and Brunella Bagattini, endocrinologists, and Luisa Pignata, endocrinologist and research fellow at the University of Pisa. From the University of Pavia, Mario Rotondi, Full Professor of Endocrinology, and Francesca Coperchini, clinical pathologist, took part.
Using in vitro cell models, the group showed that PFAS can act on two different targets. On the one hand, they interfere with the uptake of iodide by thyroid cells, a process essential for the synthesis of thyroid hormones. On the other, they hinder the transport of triiodothyronine (T3) mediated by the MCT8 transporter, which is involved in the entry of thyroid hormone into neurons and glial cells.
The research was carried out within the PRIN 2022 project “The impact of endocrine disruptors on thyroid cell metabolism, inflammation, cancer, and brain thyroid hormone action mediated by MCT8”, a multidisciplinary study that combined endocrinological, molecular-biological and toxicological expertise.
PFAS are industrial substances that are highly persistent in the environment. They can spread through surface water and groundwater, contaminating soil, food and drinking water. For this reason, their possible effects on health are receiving growing attention from the international scientific community.
The results indicate that PFAS interference is not limited to the thyroid, but may also affect the mechanisms that regulate the availability of thyroid hormones in brain cells. This is particularly relevant in pregnancy and in childhood and adolescence, when thyroid hormones are essential for proper neurodevelopment.
As these results were obtained in in vitro cell models, further studies will be needed to establish their clinical relevance fully. The work does, however, provide new experimental foundations for investigating the relationship between PFAS exposure, changes in thyroid function and possible consequences for neurological development.
A double endocrine-disrupting effect of PFAS on intra- and extra-thyroid targets: inhibition of iodide uptake and interference with MCT8-mediated T3 transport in vitro Ferrarini E, De Marco G, Coperchini F, Agretti P, Greco A, Franchi E, Magri F, Pignata L, Vitelli V, Saba A, Rotondi M, Tonacchera M. Environ Pollut. 2026 Jul 2:128672. doi: 10.1016/j.envpol.2026.128672. PMID: 42392299
Videos
Prof. Rossella Elisei as a guest on UnoMattina
Rai 1 · “Thyroid: the warning signs”
Watch the video
Hospital admission
Everything you need to know before, during and after your hospital admission.
Getting to Cisanello
The Units are at Cisanello Hospital, Via Paradisa 2, Pisa.
A free shuttle bus runs between the 900-space park-and-ride car park, near the Bocchette bridge, and the hospital.
If you are coming from outside Pisa
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