Roberto Stella (22 July 1952 – 11 March 2020) was an Italian physician who worked as a general practitioner in

Busto Arsizio Busto Arsizio (; lmo, label= Bustocco, Büsti Grandi) is an Italian city and ''comune'' in the south-easternmost part of the Province of Varese, in the region of Lombardy, in Northern Italy, north of Milan. The economy of Busto Arsizio is main ...

. He held numerous positions in national medical associations, including serving as president of the Italian Scientific Society for Continuing Medical Education of General Practitioners and the .

Early life and education

Roberto Stella was born in

on 22 July 1952. Stella earned a doctor of medicine and surgery from

University of Milan The University of Milan ( it, Università degli Studi di Milano; la, Universitas Studiorum Mediolanensis), known colloquially as UniMi or Statale, is a public research university in Milan, Italy. It is one of the largest universities in Europe ...

in 1978. He served in the

Alpini The Alpini are the Italian Army's specialist mountain infantry. Part of the army's infantry corps, the speciality distinguished itself in combat during World War I and World War II. Currently the active Alpini units are organized in two operatio ...

and was a volunteer Alpino medic during the

1980 Irpinia earthquake The 1980 Irpinia earthquake ( it, Terremoto dell'Irpinia) took place in Italy on 23 November 1980, with a moment magnitude of 6.9 and a maximum Mercalli intensity of X (''Extreme''). It left at least 2,483 people dead, at least 7,700 injured, an ...

. Stella specialized in general hematology in

Pavia Pavia (, , , ; la, Ticinum; Medieval Latin: ) is a town and comune of south-western Lombardy in northern Italy, south of Milan on the lower Ticino river near its confluence with the Po. It has a population of c. 73,086. The city was the capit ...

in 1984.

Career

Stella ran a medical clinic in Busto Arsizio. In 2017, Stella was elected to a fourth three-year term as president of the Medical Guild of Varese. Stella is recognized as having trained "a generation of family practitioners in

Lombardy Lombardy ( it, Lombardia, Lombard language, Lombard: ''Lombardia'' or ''Lumbardia' '') is an administrative regions of Italy, region of Italy that covers ; it is located in the northern-central part of the country and has a population of about 10 ...

." Stella was active in national medical associations. He held elected positions in the for almost 30 years, most recently as the national training manager. He served as president of the Italian Scientific Society for Continuing Medical Education of General Practitioners. He was president of the (SNaMID). Stella's last peer-reviewed publication was published posthumously on March 16, 2020. It detailed an

e-learning Educational technology (commonly abbreviated as edutech, or edtech) is the combined use of computer hardware, software, and Education sciences, educational theory and practice to facilitate learning. When referred to with its abbreviation, edt ...

course he prepared about

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...

open to all Italian physicians. Over 35,000 participants signed up for the course.

Personal life

Stella resided in Busto Arsizio. He was married to Daniela. He had two sons, one of whom is a medical student set to graduate in 2020.

Death

In 2020, Stella and another physician at his medical practice tested positive for

. News of their diagnosis sparked panic in the community, prompting mayor to issue a statement. Stella died in

Como Como (, ; lmo, Còmm, label=Comasco dialect, Comasco , or ; lat, Novum Comum; rm, Com; french: Côme) is a city and ''comune'' in Lombardy, Italy. It is the administrative capital of the Province of Como. Its proximity to Lake Como and ...

on 11 March 2020, after being hospitalized for

respiratory failure Respiratory failure results from inadequate gas exchange by the respiratory system, meaning that the arterial oxygen, carbon dioxide, or both cannot be kept at normal levels. A drop in the oxygen carried in the blood is known as hypoxemia; a rise ...

due to COVID-19. He had been treating patients with the virus contracting it himself. Stella is the first known Italian physician to die from the virus. Health Minister

Roberto Speranza Roberto Speranza (born 4 January 1979) is an Italian politician of the Chamber of Deputies who served as national secretary of Article One. From 5 September 2019 until 22 October 2022, he has been serving as Minister of Health in the governmen ...

remarked that the Italian health system lost a "point of reference." Stella's eulogy was broadcast on national television during the nightly pandemic updates from the

Protezione Civile The (Civil Protection), officially (Civil Protection Department), is the national body in Italy that deals with the prediction, prevention and management of emergency events. It was established in 1992 by , which was updated in 2012, and it is ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stella, Roberto 1953 births 2020 deaths Place of birth missing 20th-century Italian physicians 21st-century Italian physicians Italian general practitioners Deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic in Lombardy Deaths from respiratory failure University of Milan alumni Alpini People from Busto Arsizio