Scientific Team

ROMINA CERVIGNI

Chief Scientific Officer

Romina Inés Cervigni, obtained a PhD from Open University in the United Kingdom focusing her attention on the field of oncology and a second level Masters in Nutrition and Dietetics. She has collaborated as a postdoctoral researcher with the National Research Committee (CNR) in Naples and the Vita-Salute San Raffaele University in Milan.

SARA LAUDANI

MD, Human Nutrition and Functional Medicine MS

Sara Laudani, Medical Doctor, becomes Infectious Diseases specialist and Radiologist at the University of Pavia (Italy) and works in several Hospitals of Lombardy. In 2005, she began to deal with nutrition and nutritional approach to chronic diseases. In 2012 she moved to Shanghai (China) where she became passionate about Traditional Chinese Medicine, became an acupuncturist, and worked as a specialist in Internal Medicine at several International Clinics, where she applied the clinical approach of integrated functional medicine to chronic diseases, in particular metabolic syndrome, autoimmune disease, cardiovascular disease, and cancer patients. It is at this point in her pathway that she meets the work of Professor Longo that she applies as integrated clinical approach with encouraging therapeutic results. In 2018, she earned the master’s degree in human nutrition and Functional Medicine at the University of Western States in Portland, Oregon, with a particular focus on the approach to autoimmune diseases and consolidates the nutritional and integrated approach to chronic diseases. In the same year she opened and directed the Integrated Functional Medicine branch at the Shanghai International Body&Soul Medical Clinics. Since 2022 she lives and works in San Diego, California, and Milan.

PAOLA PAONE

Ph.D, Nutritionist

She obtained a Master’s Degree in Human Nutrition Sciences and subsequently deepened her studies to understand the relationship between diet and health. She earned a Ph.D. at the Université catholique de Louvain in Belgium, funded by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA). During her academic career, she focused on the study of prebiotics and next-generation beneficial bacteria, analyzing their contribution in counteracting metabolic diseases and obesity through gut microbiota modulation and protection of the intestinal barrier. She collaborated with different health experts, publishing the results of her research in prestigious international scientific journals. Currently, she is part of the Scientific Team at the Valter Longo Foundation, where she actively engages in the prevention and treatment of diseases through interventions related to diet, lifestyle, and the promotion of healthy longevity.

GHINA AL HAJ

Ph.D, Nutrition Researcher

Ghina AL Haj holds a PhD in Nutritional Sciences from University of Milan in Italy focusing her attention on the effect of dietary bioactive compounds and their health implications in metabolic diseases, such as obesity. Her professional career also includes a second level master’s in Food Sciences and Human Nutrition and a bachelor’s degree in Medical Laboratory Sciences. Ghina has a considerable research experience and is focusing on how nutrients are used by the body, and the relationship between diet, health, and disease. Her mission is to contribute to a better understanding of the interaction between diet, food, energy and nutrients, and human biology in order to achieve optimal physical and mental performance under various physiological conditions.
Dr. Ghina speaks three Languages Arabic, English and Italian and is currently part of the nutrition team at Fondazione Valter Longo, where she is involved in research on the longevity diet and the fasting mimicking diet

CHIARA NARDONE

Nutritional Biologist

Nutritional biologist with a degree in Food Science and Human Nutrition and a master’s degree in Clinical Nutrition from Campus Bio-Medico University of Rome. She completed her internship at the Valter Longo Foundation in Milan, where she deepened her knowledge in the field of nutrition, specializing in dietary practices aimed at improving health and quality of life. She later moved her career to Siena, where she led an innovative project dedicated to the care and well-being of the elderly. She is currently responsible for the Foundation’s offices in Rome and Florence, where she conducts nutritional consultations, oversees research projects, and mentors students in the field of nutrition.

VIVIANA DELLO IOIO

Nutritional Biologist

Nutritional biologist, she carried out her studies at the University of Naples Federico II in Food Technology and subsequently obtained the title of Master’s Degree in Food and Human Nutrition at the State University of Milan. He carried out a curricular internship at the Valter Longo Foundation actively participating in nutritional support and dedicating himself to research activity. Passionate about finding the right balance between nutrition and health, she began collaborating as a Nutritional Biologist at the Valter Longo Foundation.

ANTONELLA PELLEGRINO

Nutritional Biologist, Specialist in Food Science

Nutritionist biologist with a degree in Biological Sciences obtained at the University of Messina. Following a great passion for human nutrition, she deepens her knowledge in this area by obtaining a Master in Clinical Nutrition and, to further refine her studies, a Specialization in Food Science at the University of Rome Tor Vergata with honors and a thesis aimed at the study of centenarians, with particular reference to the Calabrian centenarians. She teaches Food Hygiene in Training Courses for the Administration of Food and Beverages.

SILVIA FAIN

PhD Student, Nutritional Biologist

She earned a Bachelor’s degree in Nutritional Biology and went on to specialize with a Master’s degree in Nutrition and Functional Foods at the University of Camerino.
Throughout her academic journey, she participated multiple times in the Erasmus+ program in both EU and non-EU countries, including Canada, Spain, Greece, Portugal, Argentina, and the United States. She later completed a second-level Master’s degree in Nutraceuticals and Applied Dietetics and is currently pursuing a PhD on the Molecular and Clinical Aspects of Longevity at the University of Calabria.
Driven by a strong passion for clinical nutrition and longevity, she is currently collaborating with the Valter Longo Foundation on research projects and nutritional assistance initiatives, with the goal of making nutrition accessible to all.

 

MAURA BOZZALI

Nutritional Biologist

Nutrition biologist, she specialized in medical genetics at the University of Milan and earned a master’s degree in vegetarian nutrition at the Polytechnic University of Marche. She also completed holistic training in macrobiotic cooking and nutrition, enabling her to adopt a synergistic and integrated approach to nutrition that promotes conscious, healthy, and sustainable eating.

Silvia Giannattasio

PhD, Nutritional Biologist Specializing in Food Science

Nutritionist biologist, graduated from the “La Sapienza” University of Rome and PhD in Genetics and Cell Biology at “La Tuscia” University of Viterbo, she subsequently carried out a period as a research fellow focusing her studies on cell metabolism and on cellular patterns of response to antidiabetic drugs in vitro. She holds a master’s degree in Human Nutrition and she is currently post graduate student in Food Science at the “Tor Vergata” University of Rome.
She wrote several scientific papers in sector magazines and online journals in the field of nutrition, she works with the Valter Longo Foundation for nutritional visits, training projects and research.

Laura Salemi

Nutritional

Nutritionist Biologist, she obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Biotechnology with a focus on Biomedical-Molecular sciences at the University of Verona, followed by a Master’s degree in Food Sciences and Human Nutrition at the Campus Bio-Medico University of Rome. During her internship at the Valter Longo Foundation, she participated in research projects and nutritional activities, deepening her knowledge of the effects of the Longevity Diet and the Fasting Mimicking Diet, which were central themes of her thesis. Enthusiastic about the key role of nutrition in preventing and promoting longevity, she actively collaborates with the Valter Longo Foundation providing nutritional strategies based on scientific evidence.

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