Stefano Pizzirani | PhD, DVM, DECVS, DACVO

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• Associate Professor

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.

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Education

• PhD, Messina University , 1999
• DVM, Pisa University, 1979

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Board Certifications

• European College of Veterinary Surgeons (ECVS)
• American College of Veterinary Ophthalmology (ACVO)

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Research Activities

• Ophthalmology

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Selected Publications

1. Pirie CG, Pizzirani S. Anterior and posterior segment photography. An alternative approach using a dSLR camera adaptor. Veterinary Ophthalmology (accepted for publication).
2. Gervais KJ, Pirie CG, Ledbetter EC, Pizzirani S. Acute primary canine herpesvirus-1 dendritic ulcerative keratitis in an adult dog. Veterinary Ophthalmology (accepted for publication).
3. Pirie CG, Maranda LS, Pizzirani S. Effect of topical 0.03% flurbiprofen and 0.005% latanoprost, alone and in combination, on normal canine eyes. Veterinary Ophthalmology (2011) 14; 2:71-79.
4. Welihozkiy A, Bedenice D, Price LL, Pizzirani S, Pirie CG. Measurement of corneal sensitivity in 20 ophthalmologically normal alpacas. Veterinary Ophthalmology (2011) 14; 5:333-336.
5. Pumphrey SA, Pizzirani S, Pirie CG. 360-degree conjunctival grafting for management of diffuse keratomalacia in a dog. Veterinary Ophthalmology (2011) 14; 3:209-213.
6. Welihozkiy A, Pirie CG, Pizzirani S. Scleral and suprachoroidal foreign body in a dog – a case report. Veterinary Ophthalmology, (2011) 14; 5:345-351.
7. Mayer J, Pizzirani S, DeSena R. Bilateral exophthalmos in an adult iguana (Iguana iguana) due to an orbital abscess. Journal of Herpetological Medicine and Surgery. 2010, 20, 1 (accepted).
8. Pizzirani S, Maggio F. [Feline iridal melanocytic neoplasia. Part 1. Clinical considerations] – Veterinaria 2009; 23, (5):9-20.
9. Pizzirani S, Maggio F. [Feline iridal melanocytic neoplasia. Part 2. Pathology, treatment and prognosis] – Veterinaria 2009; 23, (5):23-33.
10. Maggio F, Pizzirani S. [Lacrimal diseases of ocular surfaces. Part 1. Pathophysiology] – Veterinaria 2009; 23, (5):35-51.
11. Maggio F, Pizzirani S. [Lacrimal diseases of ocular surfaces. Part 2. Clinical signs, diagnosis and therapy] – Veterinaria 2009; 23, (5):55-70.