A veterinarian board-certified in both ophthalmology and surgery, Dr.Stefano Pizzirani treats the eye problems of the Foster Hospital for Small Animal’s client animals. His particular interests are in ocular immunology and the pathophysiology of glaucoma, as well as surgical treatments for cataracts and other corneal diseases. He also teaches ophthalmology to Cummings School’s third-year students and mentors fourth-year students, interns, and residents, in their clinical rotations.
The son of a veterinarian father, Dr. Pizzirani found a natural interest in veterinary medicine—as did two of his brothers, who also became veterinarians. While pursuing his DVM degree at Pisa University, he began to develop a particular interest in ophthalmology. I loved the pictures of the ocular fundus,
he says. It seemed so beautiful, clear, and easy to understand. I had a blast.
Two years after earning a PhDfrom Sicily’s Messina University, Dr. Pizzarani moved to the United States to join the faculty of North Carolina State University. The transition to Tufts was an easy one, he says, and appreciates the cultural opportunities in nearby Boston and the proximity to the mountains and the ocean as much as the chance to undertake collaborative research with his wife, a veterinary ophthalmologist at Tufts VETS in Walpole,MA.
Dr. Pizzirani was one of the founders of Societ Culturale Italiana Veterinari per Animali da Compagnia, the Veterinary Association in Italy, and served as its president from 1987 to 1989. He and his wife, Federica Maggio, live in nearby Whitinsville, MA, with their young son, two cats, and a Cairn Terrier, Muchou.