President

Maria Paola holds a Degree in Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacological Sciences and a Master in Business Administration (MBA).

Since 1995, she has been working at Chiesi Farmaceutici SpA, having covered various roles, mainly in international marketing and strategic planning. Since 2010, Maria Paola has been responsible, first as coordinator and from 2021 as President, for the Paolo Chiesi Foundation. In July 2023, Maria Paola was appointed Vice Chair of Chiesi Farmaceutici S.p.A.

Coordinator

After obtaining a degree in Sociology and a master’s degree in Social Enterprise Management, in 2007, he began his career in the field of international cooperation, working for several years in West Africa and subsequently in Central America.

He has collaborated with several international NGOs in the field and at the headquarters in the management of humanitarian programs in the health, nutrition, and protection sectors. Since 2021, he has been the Coordinator of the Paolo Chiesi Foundation.

Program Development Officer

After obtaining a Master’s degree in International Cooperation, in 2018, she began her professional career in Zambia, working with various NGOs operating in the sectors of education, human rights, and livelihoods.

Since September 2022, as Program Development Officer of the Paolo Chiesi Foundation, she has been supervising the NEST Model in Benin, Burkina Faso, and Togo, and the GASP Model in Guyana and Nepal, supporting the Coordinator in strengthening collaboration with existing partners and building new strategic partnerships.

Program Quality Officer

After several work experiences in international cooperation, in Zambia and Sudan, and collaborations with Italian NGOs and foundations, starting from September 2024, she joins the Foundation with the role of Program Quality Officer.

She currently directly supervises the NEST Model in Togo and Ivory Coast, and the GASP Model in Peru, also ensuring transversal supervision of the processes related to data collection, management, and analysis, as well as quality improvement.

Communication and Event Officer

After obtaining a master’s degree in Languages and Cultures for International Communication and Cooperation, he built his professional career in communication in various fields, including higher education, martech, and healthcare. He joined the Paolo Chiesi Foundation in May 2024 as Communication & Event Officer.

In this role, he supervises all internal and external communication activities, supporting the rest of the team in promoting the Foundation’s initiatives and projects. At the same time, he coordinates the organization of events and fundraising campaigns.

Federico holds a degree in Veterinary Medicine and a PhD in Endocrinology. Since 2005, he has been working at Chiesi Farmaceutici S.p.A., where he has held various roles in the Neonatology and Special Care departments. During his career at Chiesi, he worked for ten years in research and development as head of the neonatology preclinical pharmacology team and as project leader.

Federico’s main research areas have been aerosol administration and other less invasive techniques for surfactant administration. During his time in R&D, he supported the Paolo Chiesi Foundation by being part of the scientific committee in charge of evaluating projects in neonatology.

In 2020, Federico joined the Global Medical Affairs department as Head of the Care area, coordinating a team of medical managers working in different therapeutic areas: neonatology, transplantation, and intensive care. Since 2024, in addition to his role in the Care area, he has joined the Paolo Chiesi Foundation as a Technical Advisor.

Ousmane Ndiaye, a pediatrician specialized in neonatology and epidemiology, has made significant contributions to the field of child health. As a researcher-teacher in pediatrics at the Cheikh Anta Diop University in Dakar, Senegal, he has undertaken numerous teaching missions in the sub-region, including Niger, Guinea, Benin, Madagascar, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda. His expertise has been sought by UNICEF, AWARE, and LUX- Développement as a child health consultant.

Leading a dedicated team, he coordinates various research activities focused on improving child health outcomes. He serves as head of the Department of Pediatrics at the Albert Royer Children’s Hospital in Fann and the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Dakar. He is also director of the African Center of Excellence for Maternal and Child Health (CEA-SAMEF), a project of the Association of African Universities that focuses on research and training, and Vice-President of the Association des Pédiatres de Langue Française.

Mario received training in Respiratory Medicine and Critical Care Medicine at the University of Milan School of Medicine and in Respiratory Research at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. During his time at the University of Miami, he served as an associate professor of medicine from 1994 to 2006. Subsequently, from 2006 to 2010, he served as a full professor of medicine at the West Virginia University School of Medicine.

In 2011, Mario joined Chiesi Farmaceutici, where he held various roles in clinical development. From 2011 to 2018, he was the clinical lead for the Foster and Trimbow programs, focused on asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Mario moved to the Global Pharmacovigilance department in 2019, taking on the role of Head of Risk Management Unit. He currently holds the position of Senior Lead Physician for Respiratory and serves as Deputy Qualified Person for Pharmacovigilance.

Mario’s research has focused on the fundamental mechanisms of airway inflammation and the impact of environmental exposure to air pollutants on respiratory diseases. Since 2014, Mario has been collaborating with the Paolo Chiesi Foundation.