Dr. Traina works at ISMETT since its opening and has contributed to the development of many of its training and research activities. He has conducted several research projects on cirrhotic transplant recipients with biliary tract complications, and developed innovative therapies for the treatment of neoplastic lesions of the colon, of obese and diabetic patients, and of patients with complications of acute pancreatitis. He has participated in many Italian multicenter trials and is author of over 130 articles published in journals with peer-review and of 16 book chapters.
Dr. Traina has given numerous presentations at national and international conferences and is member of several scientific societies including SIED (Italian Society of Digestive Endoscopy) and AIGO (Italian Association of Hospital Gastroenterologists). From July 1999 he is chief of the Digestive Endoscopy Service at ISMETT. Worked at the Digestive Endoscopy Service, Department of Internal Medicine, V. Cervello Hospital of Palermo from July 1989 to December 2003. Chief of the Digestive Endoscopy Service of V. Cervello Hospital of Palermo from February 1999 to December 2003. Chief of the Gastroenterology and Digestive Endoscopy Service at ISMETT since January 2004.
His activity mainly focuses on endoscopy and clinical approach to complications of liver chronic diseases (portal hypertension and intestinal bleedings). He developed therapeutic endoscopy technologies such as interventional echoendoscopy and ERCP (endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography) and supported their application in the clinical practice. Dr. Traina has acquired organizational and project design skills for new technologies used for the collection and transmission of computerized data and digital images. In recent years, he has focused on the treatment of biliary complications in liver transplant recipients, drafting therapeutic protocols with particular reference to multi-specialty complex procedures on biliary ducts and pancreas, also on pediatric patients. In 2013 Dr. Traina performed the first ever EndoBarrier implant in Italy and, in January 2017, the first ever endoscopic gastroenterostomy in Europe.
Dr. Traina graduated magna cum laude in Medicine and Surgery at the University of Palermo in July 1981. He specialized in Diseases of the Digestive System at the University of Palermo in December 1985 with a final score of 50/50 cum laude. He completed his internship in Endoscopy at the Medicine Unit of Cervello Hospital with Prof. Luigi Pagliaro in 1982. In 1992, he worked at the Endoscopy Service at Policlinico Sant’Orsola in Bologna with Prof. Giancarlo Caletti, training in intestinal echoendoscopy. In 2013, Dr. Traina was appointed clinical assistant professor of medicine and later clinical associate professor of medicine at the University of Pittsburgh.
