Mattia Arrigo appointed Head of Internal Medicine and Full Professor

The Board of Directors of Ente Ospedaliero Cantonale (EOC) has appointed PD Dr. Med. Mattia Arrigo, a specialist in Internal Medicine and Cardiology, as Head of the Internal Medicine Department at the Regional Hospital of Lugano (ORL). At the beginning of March, the Council of Università della Svizzera italiana (USI) appointed Dr. Med. Arrigo as Full Professor of General Internal Medicine at the Faculty of Biomedical Sciences. This dual role further strengthens the link between the university and the local clinical reality, promoting an ever-closer integration between research, training and medical practice.

Currently Deputy Chief Physician at the Internal Medicine Clinic of the Stadtspital Zürich Triemli, Prof. Arrigo will take up his new post at the Regional Hospital of Lugano on 1 November 2025, succeeding Prof. Marco Pons, who will conclude his activity after more than thirty years of service.

Originally from Lugano, Prof. Arrigo graduated in Medicine from the University of Zurich, where he obtained his doctorate and completed his specialist training in General Internal Medicine and Cardiology. He gained research and clinical experience in France at the Hôpital Européen Georges-Pompidou, the Hôpital Lariboisière and the Institut national de la santé et de la recherche médicale (INSERM). Upon returning to Switzerland, he took on roles of increasing responsibility at the Universitätsspital in Zurich, first as Senior Registrar responsible for the Intermediate Cardiac Care Unit, then as Head of Department of the Internal Medicine Clinic at the Stadtspital Zürich Triemli, where he was promoted to Deputy Chief Physician in 2023.

From 2020 to the present he has also held the position of lecturer at USI Faculty of Biomedical Sciences, contributing to the training of new professionals in the medical field and to academic research. He is the author of over one hundred scientific publications in peer-reviewed journals and boasts an H-index Scopus of 27. During his career, he has developed solid experience in acute cardiology and heart failure, participating in numerous national and international research projects. He is president of the European Society of Cardiology - Association for Acute Cardiovascular Care's European Acute Heart Failure Study Group for the two-year period 2024-2026.

With this appointment, USI and EOC confirm their commitment to strengthening the relationship between education, research, and clinical practice, recognising individuals with high scientific and professional standing in the Ticino and Swiss healthcare sectors.