L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2021 www.italoamericano.org 12 L'Italo-Americano each other. In addition, the pandemic has accelerated m a n y o f m y w o r k d e c i - sions, in fact here I am at Harvard University now. H o w d o y o u d e a l w i t h t h o s e w h o a r e skeptical about the vac- cine? With people I know little or do not know I just laugh because, in the end, I think I can have more impact not by convincing them, but those who ask me for infor- m a t i o n o r , i n a n y c a s e , those who are open to dia- l o g u e . F o r m y p e a c e o f mind, I learned to let it go. Rather, I concentrate on dissipating people's doubts simply and in an informati- ve way – on Twitter, for instance – so that, even if I haven't managed to con- vinced the most stubborn, at least I divulged useful information. There is a lot at stake when it comes to e x p e r i m e n t a l v a c c i n e s , including people's ability to t r u s t t h e e x p e r t s , t o d e m o n s t r a t e c r i t i c a l thinking, to show aware- n e s s a n d a t t e n t i o n t o others, and to measure the impact of their behavior. These are aspects that can now be understood from a small talk, and it is hard when it is the people you love that disappoint you. Why did you decide to become an immuno- logist? B e c a u s e o f R o b e r t o B u r i o n i ! I w a n t e d t o d o Neuroscience, then in the first year of my master's degree in Molecular and C e l l u l a r M e d i c a l Biotechnologies, after the three-year degree I did in Bologna, he was my viro- logy teacher at San Raffaele in Milan. His sincere pas- sion for the subject was the thing that made me passio- nate, especially his exam- ples, he is a pro! In class he was magnetic, he was really a character who captured your attention, during his lessons it was impossible not to follow. B e f o r e a r r i v i n g t o B o s t o n y o u l i v e d i n Washington DC. What e x p e r i e n c e d i d y o u have there? A f t e r g r a d u a t i n g i n September 2013 and my thesis with Burioni, I went t o D C - - t o N . I . H . , t h e N a t i o n a l I n s t i t u t e o f Health -- to do studies on experimental vaccines for HIV. I was in the labora- t o r y o f a n I t a l i a n , D r . Genoveffa Franchini and I collaborated with Anthony Fauci's group with whom we published two articles. H o w d o y o u f i n d y o u r s e l f i n t h e U S , what relationship do y o u h a v e w i t h t h i s country? DC had kind of weighed me down at the end of my experience, it is a govern- ment city with many peo- ple who work in the public a n d n o n - p r o f i t s e c t o r s , large institutions and enti- ties that have a very speci- fic direction. Boston has more biotechnology fervor, it's a more dynamic envi- r o n m e n t , a n d t h e r e a r e more students, more young people. DC is a little more serious. I had already visi- t e d B o s t o n i n 2 0 0 7 t o study English and I had promised myself I would return. And now here I am! W h a t d o y o u l i k e about this country? T h e m e n t a l i t y . B e i n g able to send emails at any time and always getting answers back from anyone. I also like naivety, in Italy it considered a bad thing. H e r e , h o w e v e r , t h e f a c t that many people think: "Yes, this is very difficult to achieve but I could be the exception," I think it is a strength of this country. Beppe Severgnini said that tenacity is more important than talent and for me this is the country where goals are reached with tenacity. Will you ever move back to Italy? I see myself returning to Italy more frequently but I think I will remain abroad for the rest of my life. What do you miss of our country? I miss the culture of Italy that can also be found in small things, from having a coffee in piazza, to ancient buildings. Sharing the same culture leads to understan- d i n g e a c h o t h e r m o r e quickly, if you share the s a m e m e n t a l i t y y o u c a n immediately connect with someone. I am very socia- ble and I can make friends e v e r y w h e r e b u t I f i n d a special connection with my compatriots. What's your goal for the future? I didn't think I would return to the US, this was an unexpected opportunity. I have always been a plan- n e r , b u t n o w t h a t I a m h a p p y w i t h w h a t I h a v e achieved I have realized t h a t I c a n l e t g o o f m y expectations for myself and focus more on the present. M a y b e , o n e d a y I m a y return to Italy, even if not permanently, and import some of the good of Anglo- Saxon and American cultu- re, such as intergeneratio- nal fluidity in the workpla- c e a n d o p p o r t u n i t i e s . I w o u l d l i k e t o m a k e a n i m p a c t b y b r i n g i n g t h e positive aspects of a suc- cessful culture, in order to rejuvenate our country. LIFE PEOPLE PLACES HERITAGE Giacomo Gorini in Oxford (Photo courtesy: Giacomo Gorini) "The emotion I felt when the vaccine was approved was not comparable to others and mine was not just a personal joy. I was happy for the group and obviously for the senior scientists who have been studying coronaviruses for decades" Continued from page 10

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