Ignazio Marino

Ignazio Marino, born on March tenth, nineteen fifty-five, is a distinguished Italian transplant surgeon and politician who served as the Mayor of Rome from two thousand thirteen to two thousand fifteen. His medical career began with rigorous training under the renowned Thomas Starzl, a pioneer in liver transplantation. During his time at the University of Pittsburgh in the early nineties, Marino was part of a groundbreaking team that conducted two baboon-to-human liver transplants, showcasing his commitment to advancing medical science.

In nineteen ninety-seven, Marino founded the ISMETT organ transplant center in Palermo, Sicily, where he served as CEO and Director until two thousand two. Notably, in two thousand one, he performed Italy's first organ transplant for a patient with HIV, who remarkably lived for eighteen years with a fully functioning transplanted organ. His contributions to medicine extend beyond surgery; he has held professorships at prestigious institutions, including the University of Pittsburgh and Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia.

Marino's political career is marked by his affiliation with the center-left Democratic Party, where he was a member of the Italian Senate from two thousand six until his election as Mayor of Rome in June two thousand thirteen. His tenure as mayor was not without controversy; shortly after taking office, he uncovered an organized crime network involved in public contract rigging, leading to the significant Rome corruption scandal of two thousand fourteen. Despite facing political opposition and a false scandal in two thousand fifteen, Marino resigned to prove his innocence, only to be ousted later that month.

In a turn of events, Marino was acquitted of all charges in two thousand sixteen, with the Italian Supreme Court confirming his innocence in two thousand nineteen. His legacy as a civil rights activist is also noteworthy; in October two thousand fourteen, he registered the marriages of sixteen same-sex couples, challenging the legal status of same-sex unions in Italy, which were eventually legalized in two thousand sixteen. Currently, Marino is a Professor of Surgery at Thomas Jefferson University and serves as Executive Vice President for both the university and Jefferson Health.