Surgeon Antonio Pesce Secures Sapienza University Post
The move marks a professional turnaround following a contested selection process at the University of Ferrara, according to reporting by La Nuova Ferrara.
The transition resolves an administrative limbo for the medical doctor. He was previously declared unsuitable for an academic career during a second recruitment procedure held by the Estense university.
As certified by local health authority documentation, Dr. Pesce will take up his new academic duties in the Italian capital starting September 1, moving away from his previous post at the Delta Hospital in Lagosanto.
Clinical Duties at Hospital
Alongside his research role at Sapienza, Dr. Pesce will practice medicine under a convention at the Umberto I University Polyclinic in Rome.
According to local reporting, the facility is the largest hospital in Europe by surface area and one of the largest in Italy regarding capacity.
Terms of the National Collective Labor Agreement
Under the terms of the national collective labor agreement, Dr. Pesce will maintain his position as a general surgery medical director within the staff of the Ferrara local health authority for the duration of his tenure at Sapienza.
However, that retention comes without the right to receive salary payments or seniority advances from the Ferrara health unit while he holds the Rome post.
Contested Hiring and Administrative Scrutiny
The appointment unfolds against a backdrop of ongoing legal and administrative scrutiny regarding the original academic competition for a general surgery researcher position at the University of Ferrara.
In the initial phase of the hiring process, Dr. Pesce placed second. That initial procedure was subsequently annulled by the Regional Administrative Tribunal (TAR) after the winner was deemed lacking a mandatory participation requirement and it emerged that the winner had important collaboration links with a member of the examining committee.
Rather than advancing the ranking list to the next candidate, the University of Ferrara reopened the selection. During the subsequent second procedure, a newly constituted examining committee—assembled after the initial commissioners resigned sequentially—declared Dr. Pesce unsuitable.
Public Scrutiny, Complaints, and Active Legal Challenges
That decision generated a wave of administrative appeals, freedom-of-information requests, and parliamentary inquiries.
The controversy drew national attention following a broadcast segment on the television program Mi Manda RaiTre featuring statements from Professor Savino Occhionorelli, a member of the second examining committee.
In response to the developments, formal complaints were filed with the public prosecutor’s office. The University of Ferrara subsequently initiated disciplinary suspension measures against Professor Occhionorelli, while consistently defending the legality of its administrative procedures.
Legal challenges remain active on multiple fronts. The administrative dispute concerning the final outcome of the original competition continues before the Regional Administrative Tribunal, while the public prosecutor’s office maintains its independent review of the submitted legal complaints.
Worth a look