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Alessandro Chiabrera

Alessandro Chiabrera, Professor in the Department of Biophysical and Electronic Engineering and Vice President of the University of Genoa, died November 8, 1999. He was 59 years old. Professor Chiabrera studied electronic engineering at the University of Genoa, receiving his Laurea and doctorate degrees there in 1965 and 1972, respectively. As part of his doctoral studies in solid state physics, Dr. Chiabrera was awarded both the Volta-IEEE and Fulbright-Hays Fellowships, in 1967-1968, and was an Associate in the Electrical Engineering Department of Stanford University. He was Visiting Professor in 1971 at Stanford’s Hansen Physics Laboratories, under a NATO Junior Fellowship. Dr. Chiabrera was an Associate Professor in the Electrical Engineering Institute at the University of Genoa, from 1968 - 1975, and a Full Professor from 1976- 1983. During this time, he was also the Coordinator of the Biophysical and Electronic Engineering Division at the Institute. Under his leadership, the Division became, in 1984, an independent department (Department of Biophysical and Electronic Engineering or DIBE) in the University. Professor Chiabrera was DIBE’s first Chairman, holding that position from 1984-1989, and a Full Professor in DIBE since its inception.

Although trained in solid state physics, Dr. Chiabrera developed an early and intense interest in the interaction of electromagnetic fields with biological systems. This led to a NATO Senior Fellowship in 1977 as a Visiting Professor in the Biophysics and Physiology Department at Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania USA and in the Department of Orthopaedics at Columbia Medical School, in New York City USA. At Columbia, Dr. Chiabrera worked with Andrew Bassett and Arthur Pilla on the first inductively coupled pulsed electromagnetic field stimulator for the treatment of non-union bone fractures. Subsequently, he was a Visiting Professor under a Fulbright-Hays Fellowship in the Oral Biology Department of the University of Connecticut Health Sciences Center, where he worked alongside Gideon Rodan. His continued interest in bioelectromagnetics led him to return to the United States each summer. Beginning in 1985, Professor Chiabrera was a Visiting Professor in the Bioelectrochemistry Laboratory in the Department of Orthopedics at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, working with Robert Siffert, Jonathan Kaufman and Arthur Pilla.

His work there spanned an enormous range, including both theoretical and experimental studies. His studies involved seminal engineering research on the first ultrasound device for fresh fracture healing, investigating the use of vibrational analysis to diagnose bone fractures, and continuing his explorations into bioelectromagnetics. Dr. Chiabrera was devoted to the University of Genoa and to the university system in Italy. In 1990, he accepted a nomination to the Board of Trustees of the University of Genoa, and worked tirelessly to make the University as outstanding as possible. In 1997, he was elected to be Vice President of the University of Genoa. In this role, and as a member of many government committees, he became active in improving the overall Italian university system through legislative agendas. His opinion was highly considered not only at the University of Genoa but also throughout Italy.

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