Pietro Palma graduated with honors in Medicine and Surgery from the University of Bologna. After completing his specialization in Otolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery with full marks at the University of Siena, he devoted himself exclusively to the various aspects of nasal surgery: functional, corrective and reconstructive. He has been working with centers of excellence in rhinology and facial plastic surgery, in Europe and the United States. From the inception of his practice, rhinoplasty has been the exclusive field of his surgical activity that encompasses functional study, anatomical research, and teaching, in Italy and abroad.
Being educated at the school of great masters is an immense fortune – but a fortune that one must seek and deserve through effort, years of dedication and sacrifice. The powerful desire to imitate one’s unforgettable masters arises spontaneously and leads to the desire to share knowledge and experiences. The constant presence in my practice of passionate and motivated young colleagues coming from all around the world reinforces this love to teach. I take great pride in seeing my students learn, grow, and safely face their journey to far-flung parts of the world.
In 2001, Prof. Pietro Palma and Prof. Paolo Castelnuovo conceived and directed the two-year course MilanoMasterclass.it. Over the years, the brand Milano Masterclass has become synonym with excellence in rhinoplasty post-graduate training and endoscopic surgery of the paranasal sinuses and skull base.
The numbers testify to the great success of the initiative. Since its debut, almost 4000 surgeons from 92 different countries have participated. The innovative teaching formula of Milano Masterclass has been taken as a model in Italy and worldwide. About 700 surgeons from 67 different countries took part in the ninth edition.
The pilot project “eXlsa – Extreme Live Surgery Arena” is an engaging teaching initiative with no equal on the national and international scene. The educational format, conceived and realized in collaboration with Prof. Castelnuovo, aims to teach advanced nasal surgery.
The live transmission of surgical operations on complex cases allows the instantaneous interaction between operating surgeons and participants. Up to now, two editions took place with great success in 2014 and 2016.
Pietro Palma developed and conducted for twenty years (1991-2011) the prestigious “Andreas Vesalius Courses” at the Institute of Anatomy of the Brussels University.
The novelty of the “Andreas Vesalius Courses” lies in the peculiar didactic format that would have become a standard of surgical teaching in the following decades. The course program focused on a series of operations that were the object of individual dissection exercises. The step-by-step video-guided dissections, the making of specific and accurate dissection manuals, and the support of personal tutors were all part of an educational tool-kit designed for each learner to explore complex anatomical regions and acquire specific manual skills.
The “Andreas Vesalius Courses” have consistently represented a milestone for the practical-anatomical training of Italian surgeons, as well as an excellent training in nose, paranasal and head-neck surgery.
Past-President, European Academy of Facial Plastic Surgery (EAFPS)
eafps.org
Past-President, International Federation of Facial Plastic Surgery Societies (IFFPSS)
iffpss.org
Board Member, Italian Academy of Rhinology (IAR)
accademiarinologia.it
Co-Founder & Past-President, Italian ORL Society of Facial Plastic Surgery
aicef-chirurgiaplasticafacciale.it
Fellow, American College of Surgeons
facs.org
