The International Association of Top Professionals (IAOTP) has named Giulio Tarro, M.D., Ph.D., its Top Virologist of the Year. The news came from Naples, Italy, on October 10, 2018. Dr. Tarro is Chief of the Division of Virology and President of the Ethics Committee at D. Cotugno Hospital for Infectious Diseases. The association cited his leadership and his commitment to the field.
Membership in IAOTP is itself an honor, but only a few members in each field receive this title. Honorees are picked for their professional and academic record, leadership, years in the field, affiliations and service to their communities. All of them are invited to the group’s annual award gala at the end of the year.
Five decades in medicine and research
Dr. Tarro has more than 50 years of experience in medicine and education. Besides practicing medicine, he has worked as a clinical professor and scientist. He also served as a Lieutenant Colonel in the Italian Navy.
His earlier posts span Italy and the United States. They include:
- Research Associate in Virology and Cancer Research at the Children’s Hospital Research Foundation.
- Assistant Professor of Research Pediatrics at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine.
- Research Chief at Italy’s National Research Council.
- Professor of Oncologic Virology at the University of Naples.
- Professor of Microbiology and Immunology at the university’s School of Specialization in Medical Nephrology.
- Project Director at the National Cancer Institute and Senior Scientist at the Frederick Cancer Research Center.
- Adjunct Professor in Biology at the Center for Biotechnology, College of Science and Technology, Temple University.
His research covers murine virology, antiviral chemotherapy and the way inhibitors affect viral replication. He has also studied the role of herpesviruses in cancer, tumor immunology and the pathology of AIDS. He earned his medical degree summa cum laude at the University of Naples. There he also qualified as a specialist in nervous and mental diseases. Then, in 1971, he completed his professorship in virology in Rome.
IAOTP President Stephanie Cirami said the panel found the choice easy. She called his record beyond impressive and noted his many affiliations. She also said the group hoped to see him at the gala.
Awards, patents and leadership roles
For 2018 he also received the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award. Earlier honors include the International Prize Le Muse Florence and the AAAS Member Royal House Aranan Gold Medal in 2012. In 2011 he won the International Peace Award and the Global Education Sanremo Award. Fratres St. Giovanni La Punta gave him a national award for solidarity in 2010. A year earlier, the Sbarro Health Research Organization honored him for lifetime achievement. Back in 1987, the Italian Academy of Arts and Sciences awarded him first prize in biomedical research.
He has appeared in many directories, often several years running. These include Marquis Who’s Who, Who’s Who in Italy and Who’s Who in the World. He has also been listed in Who’s Who in Medicine and Healthcare and Who’s Who in Science and Engineering. Other titles are Who’s Who in European Research and Development and The Barons 500: Leaders for the New Century. Then there are the International Who’s Who of Intellectuals, Grand Ambassadors of Achievement International and Five Thousand Personalities of the World. IAOTP is now considering him for a 2019 feature in TIP Magazine and for its Lifetime Achievement Award.
Dr. Tarro holds more than 17 patents. He has written or co-written over 500 journal articles and book chapters. He is also in demand as a lecturer and speaker. He is Life President of the Teresa and Luigi de Beaumont Bonelli Foundation for Cancer Research. He also heads the Campania Technology and Ecology Center. He has served as scientific coordinator of a study on extracorporeal hyperthermia in HCV patients. At Unihart Biotech Pharma, he is vice chairman and general secretary of the scientific advisory board. He also sits on the ethics committee of Basilicata Oncologic Hospital. In addition, he chairs the committee on biotechnologies and VirusSphere at the World Academy of Biomedical Technologies.
He credits his success to experience, education, his mentors and staying passionate. Outside work he enjoys family time and travel.
IAOTP is an international boutique networking group that selects top professionals from many industries. Its honorees can collaborate, share ideas and speak at events. Not just anyone can join, though. Candidates need an invitation from the president or a nomination from an honorary member after a brief interview.
