He graduated as medical doctor at the University Federico II di Napoli in 1985. He was first board-certified in general surgery and then obtained the board in cardiothoracic surgery. He was subsequently appointed as staff surgeon at the Hopital La Pitie Salpetriere where obtained subspecializations in heart transplantation, pediatric and minimally invasive surgery. He has been working for several years in the field of cardiac surgery developing surgical expertise and research interests in both clinical and biological aspects of heart disease.