Maria Cristina Messa is the former Minister of University and Research, Italy.

Maria Christina is a professor of Diagnostic Imaging and former Director of the Department of Health Sciences, and later Rector of the University of Milano-Bicocca. She has served in key national and EU-level roles, including as Italy’s representative for the European Union’s framework programme for research and innovation, Horizon 2020, and vice-chair of the National Research Council of Italy (CNR).

Maria Christina is a specialist in nuclear medicine and has held research and academic positions at leading institutions in Europe and the U.S., with her work focusing especially on PET imaging for neurological diseases and cancer. She has authored over 130 peer-reviewed publications and remains a prominent voice in advancing medical imaging and research policy.

On October 8 at Rigshospitalet, Maria Christina will chair at the roundtable discussion 1: Strengthening applied clinical and translational research through transnational collaboration.