Prof. Rossella Elisei

Associate Professor of Endocrinology, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa.

Director of Endocrinology Unit II at Pisa University Hospital (AOUP) since November 2022 and Director of the Residency Programme in Endocrinology and Metabolic Diseases at the University of Pisa since November 2023.

Born in Livorno on 25 January 1959. ORCID: 0000-0002-5333-9257

Education

July 1977Scientific high school diploma (60/60), Liceo Scientifico F. Enriques, Livorno

3 April 1985Degree in Medicine and Surgery with honours, University of Pisa

9 July 1988Specialisation in Endocrinology with honours, University of Pisa

Foreign languages: excellent knowledge of English and French.

Career

1982–1985Student trainee, Institute of Endocrinology, Clinical Methodology and Occupational Medicine, University of Pisa

1985–1988Resident physician at the same Institute, under the guidance of Prof. Aldo Pinchera

1991–2001Technical officer, Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, University of Pisa

2001–2008University Researcher, Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, University of Pisa

Since December 2008Associate Professor of Endocrinology, University of Pisa

Since November 2017Member of the Board of the PhD programme in “Clinical and Translational Sciences”

Since November 2022Director of Endocrinology Unit II, Pisa University Hospital (AOUP)

Since November 2023Director of the Residency Programme in Endocrinology and Metabolic Diseases, University of Pisa

Training and research abroad

1989–1990Postdoctoral Research Fellow, I.R.I.B.H.N., Université Libre de Bruxelles (Prof. Jacques Dumont and Prof. Gilbert Vassart)

1995Postdoctoral Assistant, Division of Endocrinology, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center/UCLA School of Medicine, Los Angeles (Prof. James Fagin)

1995–1997Postdoctoral Assistant, Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine (Prof. James Fagin)

1998Course “Current techniques in radiation mutagenesis”, Leiden University, the Netherlands

Teaching activity

Teaches Endocrinology in the master's degree course in Medicine and Surgery (Systematic Pathology) and in the degree course in Podiatry, and has taught in the Residency Programme in Endocrinology and Metabolic Diseases since 2003. Lecturer in the University of Pisa second-level Master's programmes “Clinical trials of drugs in internal medicine, haematology and oncology” (since 2018) and “Minimally invasive and robotic thyroid surgery” (since 2024).

Since 2006 she has supervised 37 degree theses in Medicine and Surgery, 17 specialisation theses in Endocrinology, 1 in Surgery and 8 PhD theses, as well as theses in Biology and Biochemistry. She has mentored many international students and PhD students, including from the Erasmus programme. Member of PhD thesis evaluation committees at the University of Gothenburg (2018) and the University of Copenhagen (2024).

Awards and recognitions

2006, 2012, 2015, 2016International award for excellence in clinical research published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism

2011Max Pierre Konig Poster Award of the European Thyroid Association

2011International “Light of Life Foundation” award as best researcher of the year on thyroid carcinoma, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York

2018Aldo Pinchera Award of the European Thyroid Association for research activity

2020Appointed Commander (Commendatore) by the President of the Republic for scientific merit in thyroid carcinoma research

2021“George Murray Lecture” of the British Thyroid Association

Clinical trials

From 1997 to 2005, co-investigator in clinical trials of drugs for thyroid carcinoma (AMG706, axitinib). From 2005, Principal Investigator in numerous phase II/III studies on advanced thyroid carcinoma, including ZETA and VERIFY (vandetanib), EXAM and EXAMINER (cabozantinib), DECISION (sorafenib), SELECT (lenvatinib), ASTRA (selumetinib), the studies with vemurafenib and combretastatin, and the LIBRETTO-201 and LIBRETTO-531 programmes (selpercatinib).

Funded research projects

Competitive funding from the Ministry of University and Research (1999–2012 and 2018–2021), the Tuscan Tumour Institute (2006–2015), the Italian Medicines Agency (2018–2021) and the Italian Association for Cancer Research (since 2000, renewed every 5 years). Previously, funding from the Ministry and the European Economic Community for the collaboration with the I.R.I.B.H.N. in Brussels (1989–1991).

Scientific societies

2023–2025President of the Italian Thyroid Association

2012–2016Member of the Executive Committee of the European Thyroid Association

2009–2014Member of the Board of the International Thyroid Oncology Group (ITOG); since 2020, member of the ITOG task force on medullary thyroid carcinoma

1998–2008Secretary (1998–2003) and then President (2003–2008) of the Cancer Research Network of the European Thyroid Association

Member of the Italian Society of Endocrinology, the Italian Thyroid Association and the European Thyroid Association (since 1991), the American Thyroid Association and the European Society of Endocrinology (since 2014), and the Italian Association for Neuroendocrine Tumours (since 2018).

Editorial boards and congresses

Member of the Editorial Board of Thyroid, International Journal of Endocrine Oncology, Journal of Endocrinological Investigation and European Journal of Endocrinology; formerly of Endocrine-Related Cancer, Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism and Endocrine Reviews. Reviewer for the main international endocrinology journals.

Member of the scientific committees of the 17th International Thyroid Congress (Rio de Janeiro, 2025), the European Congress of Endocrinology (Prague, 2026) and the World Congress on Thyroid Cancer (Paris, 2027). Invited speaker at over 50 international congresses in the last twenty years, including the annual meetings of the European Thyroid Association, American Thyroid Association, Endocrine Society (ENDO), European Congress of Endocrinology, ESMO and International Thyroid Congress.

Main research topics

• Humoral and tissue markers of differentiated, undifferentiated and medullary thyroid carcinomas
• Autoimmunity and thyroid carcinoma; molecular biology of autoimmune thyroid diseases
• Epidemiology, risk factors and management of thyroid carcinoma
• Oncogenes and growth factors in thyroid carcinomas; RET mutations in medullary carcinoma
• Circulating DNA in thyroid carcinoma
• Molecularly targeted therapies in advanced thyroid carcinoma and management of the side effects of tyrosine kinase inhibitors

Publications

Author or co-author of 385 articles in international peer-reviewed journals (H-index 82, Scopus), 56 papers in conference proceedings, 20 book chapters and over 500 abstracts.

Curriculum updated on 17 July 2026.