Matilde Leonardi is an Italian
neurologist
Neurology (from , "string, nerve" and the suffix -logia, "study of") is the branch of medicine dealing with the diagnosis and treatment of all categories of conditions and disease involving the nervous system, which comprises the brain, the ...
and
paediatrician
Pediatrics (American English) also spelled paediatrics (British English), is the branch of medicine that involves the medical care of infants, children, adolescents, and young adults. In the United Kingdom, pediatrics covers many of their yout ...
. At present she is Director of the Neurology, Public Health, and Disability Unit and of the Coma Research Centre at the
Carlo Besta Neurological Institute in
Milan
Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...
.She is a FEAN, (Fellow of the
European Academy of Neurology
The European Academy of Neurology (EAN) is a non-profit organisation that unites and supports neurologists across Europe. Currently, 47 European national neurological societies as well as 4000 individuals are registered members of EAN. Thus, EAN r ...
) and a WHO expert and consultant on neurology, disability, ageing and policy development who is co-chair of the WHO NeuroCOVID Forum group on essential neurological services for
COVID-19
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic.
The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...
recoverers. Leonardi has also been a World Federation of Neurorehabilitation (WFNR) Presidium adjunct member since June 2024 after her mandate as Presidium member for 4 years.She was elected for a second mandate as Chair Communication Committee of the European Academy of Neurology in July 2024.
Early training
Matilde Leonardi was born in
Pesaro
Pesaro (; ) is a (municipality) in the Italy, Italian region of Marche, capital of the province of Pesaro and Urbino, on the Adriatic Sea. According to the 2011 census, its population was 95,011, making it the second most populous city in the ...
in the Italian region of
Marche
Marche ( ; ), in English sometimes referred to as the Marches ( ) from the Italian name of the region (Le Marche), is one of the Regions of Italy, twenty regions of Italy. The region is located in the Central Italy, central area of the country, ...
. She qualified as a
doctor of medicine
A Doctor of Medicine (abbreviated MD, from the Latin language, Latin ) is a medical degree, the meaning of which varies between different jurisdictions. In the United States, and some other countries, the ''MD'' denotes a professional degree of ph ...
, specialising in neurology and in pediatrics, with further studies on
neonatology
Neonatology is a subspecialty of pediatrics that consists of the medical care of newborn infants, especially the ill or premature newborn. It is a hospital-based specialty and is usually practised in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs). Th ...
, pediatric neurology and
bioethics
Bioethics is both a field of study and professional practice, interested in ethical issues related to health (primarily focused on the human, but also increasingly includes animal ethics), including those emerging from advances in biology, me ...
.
Career
Leonardi teaches at the ''
Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore
Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, colloquially the Catholic University of Milan () or simply the Cattolica, is an Italian private research university founded in 1921. Its main campus is located in Milan, Italy, with satellite campuses in B ...
'' in Milan, where she became an associate professor of neurology in 2014 and a full professor of rehabilitation in 2015. She teaches neuropsychiatric aspects of disability for a special master's degree. Since 2007 she has been on the Board of Directors of the Bioethics Centre at that University.
[
Leonardi works as a researcher and team leader at the Carlo Besta Neurological Institute (INNCB). At that Institute, she develops and carries out research projects related to neurology, chronic diseases and employment, disability, ageing, public health, neurorehabilitation and the burdens of neurological disorders. Her team has one of the largest epidemiological databases on these types of illnesses worldwide. She is co-chair of the ]World Health Organization
The World Health Organization (WHO) is a list of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations which coordinates responses to international public health issues and emergencies. It is headquartered in Gen ...
(WHO)-FIC (Family of International Classifications) Functioning and Disability Reference Group (FDRG) and Director of the Italian WHO Collaborating Centre Research Branch. She also coordinates several European projects, including COURAGE (Collaborative research on Ageing) and Mhadie (Measuring Health and Disability in Europe).Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities is an international human rights instrument, international human rights multilateral treaty, treaty of the United Nations intended to protect the rights and dignity of persons with Disabil ...
(UNCRPD) monitoring and disability policy development, having worked with several national governments. She has been an expert for the European Commission
The European Commission (EC) is the primary Executive (government), executive arm of the European Union (EU). It operates as a cabinet government, with a number of European Commissioner, members of the Commission (directorial system, informall ...
on public health, ageing, disability and neurosciences. She was one of the founders of the European Brain Council
The European Brain Council (EBC) is a coordinating international health organization founded in 2002. It comprises major organisations in the field of brain research and brain disorders in Europe, and thus its structure involves a network of pa ...
in 2002 and is responsible for that council's liaison with the WHO. From 2010 to 2013 she was president of the Italian Scientific Committee on disability, monitoring its UNCRPD implementation. She has been vice-president of the Italian Federation Neurological Associations. In November 2011, she was appointed by the Vatican
Vatican may refer to:
Geography
* Vatican City, an independent city-state surrounded by Rome, Italy
* Vatican Hill, in Rome, namesake of Vatican City
* Ager Vaticanus, an alluvial plain in Rome
* Vatican, an unincorporated community in the ...
as a corresponding member of the Pontifical Academy for Life
The Pontifical Academy for Life or Pontificia Accademia per la Vita is a Pontifical Academy of the Catholic Church dedicated to promoting the Church's consistent life ethic. It also does related research on bioethics and Catholic moral theology. ...
or ''Pontificia Accademia Pro Vita''. In September 2020, she was nominated as Fellow of the European Academy of Neurology.[ She has been nominated member of National Bioethics Committee in 2022.
]
Honours and awards
*In December 2019 Leonardi was appointed "Italian Excellence for Research", upon nomination of the Ministry of Health, as one of the 100 "Italian Excellences, 2019".
References
External links
Matilde Leonardi gives a TEDx talk (in Italian)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Leonardi, Matilde
Year of birth missing (living people)
Living people
Italian neurologists
Italian pediatricians
People from Pesaro
Academic staff of the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore