Alberto Cuocolo - Imaging Section Editorial Board Member

A valuable editorial board member of HealthManagement’s Imaging sector, Alberto Cuocolo is full professor of Diagnostic Imaging at the Department of Advanced Biomedical Sciences of the University of Naples Federico II, director of the Specialization School in Nuclear Medicine, and director of the Nuclear Medicine and Sport Medicine Unit of the University Hospital Federico II of Naples.

In order to get to know him a little more, we asked Prof. Cuocolo seven questions:

1. What are your key areas of interest and research?

Nuclear medicine, cardiac imaging, nuclear cardiology, molecular imaging.

2. What are the major challenges in your field?

Regulatory Impediments have limited the number of new radiotracers introduced into clinical practice over the past 10 years. There is still a need for standardisation and harmonisation of nuclear medicine and molecular imaging procedures.

3. What is your top management tip?

To have a team that I trust and to make the best use of my staff.

4. What would you single out as a career highlight?

What you have done for your students/co-workers and patients.

5. If you had not chosen this career path you would have become a…?

An architect (or a football player).

6. What are your personal interests outside of work?

Family, friends, traveling, and sport.

7. Your favourite quote?

Always do your best. What you plant now, you will harvest later (Augustine "Og" Mandino).

Alberto Cuocolo was Fogarty visiting fellow at the National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, (1987-90) and is associate researcher of the Institute of Biostructure and Bioimaging of the National Council of Research (1995 to present).

He is author of more than 290 scientific publications on peer reviewed international journals indexed by Pub Med (with an impact factor of more than 1250). He has more than 6470 cited references in the international scientific literature with a H-index of 39 (Google Scholar). He is also author of more than 50 book chapters. He participated at many national and international meetings as invited speaker and chairman and was appointed as a member of the scientific and/or organizing committee of several national and international meetings.

A member of scientific societies, such as the Society of Nuclear Medicine, European Association of Nuclear Medicine (EANM), American Society of Nuclear Cardiology, European Society of Radiology, Italian Association of Nuclear Medicine (AIMN), Italian Society of Radiology, and Italian Society of Cardiology, Prof. Cuocolo served as president of the UEMS Section of Nuclear Medicine and president of the EANM.

Among his honours there are the Jean Debiesse Award, Marie Curie Award, EANM Marie Curie Lecture, EANM Annual Congress Highlights Lecture, AIMN Annual Congress Highlights Lecture, Croatian Society of Nuclear Medicine Award

Cuocolo is associate editor of the Journal of Nuclear Cardiology, consulting editor of Clinical and Translational Imaging, section editor of Current Cardiovascular Imaging Reports, and member of the editorial board of several scientific international journals, such as the Journal of Nuclear Medicine, European Journal of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, Quarterly Journal of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging.

He served committees to develop guidelines for radionuclide imaging procedures in cardiology and in clinical radiology. He is expert of the Italian Ministry of Health for the evaluation of the Continual Medical Education activity, reviewer of the Italian Ministry of the University and Research for the scientific projects of national interest, and expert of the National Committee for the evaluation of research activities. He also served as reviewer of international projects for the Wellcome Trust, London, UK, French National Institute of Health and Medical Research (Inserm), Catalan Agency for Health Technology Assessment and Research, and European Science Foundation.