The passing of Giovanni Scambia

After a brief illness, Professor Giovanni Scambia, Full Professor of Gynaecology and Obstetrics at Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore and Scientific Director of Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS as well as director of the UOC of Gynaecologic Oncology at Gemelli, died Thursday, Feb. 20, at the age of 65.

The funeral chamber will be set up from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 21, at the Central Church of Università Cattolica in Rome campus.

The funeral will be held Saturday, Feb. 22 at 11 a.m. in Rome at the Central Church of Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore and will be presided over by His Excellency Archbishop Claudio Giuliodori.

Great physician, great researcher, great teacher. A visionary yet concrete doctor, loved by all his cancer patients to whom he always offered the best of available therapies and great humanity. He trained generations of gynaecologists who achieved important positions in the discipline and created one of the centres of absolute excellence in gynaecology, bringing it to fourth place in the world in the 2025 World’s Best Specialized Hospital ranking. Innovator in research, author of more than 1,100 publications, tireless and brilliant surgeon.

Born in Catanzaro on Dec. 24, 1959, Professor Scambia linked his entire life to the Faculty of Medicine and Surgery at Università Cattolica and the Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli. He graduated in 1983 with a degree in Medicine and Surgery from Università Cattolica with highest honours, and in 1987 he specialized in Gynaecology and Obstetrics at the same University.

“When I began my journey to become a gynaecologic oncologist, I never thought I would be able to tell a woman of childbearing age with cancer that she could have a baby after recovery, or that artificial intelligence could help provide predictive models of treatment responses. Yet, that is the case today!” With these words Professor Giovanni Scambia, a few months ago summed up his life as a physician in the docufilm “The Roots of Tomorrow,” an account of the 60-year-long history of Gynaecology and Obstetrics at Università Cattolica in Rome as well as the evolution of his discipline dedicated in particular to his mentor Professor Salvatore Mancuso.

Prestigious awards were obtained by Giovanni Scambia in his career as an academic and physician.

On June 2, 2017, he was appointed Knight of the Italian Republic.

Since 2019 he was President ESGE (European Society for Gynaecological Endoscopy) and Vice President First Section of the National Health Council and member of the National Health Council, the scientific-technical advisory body of the Minister of Health. In the same year he is appointed to the new National Health Council.

In 2021 he was elected President of the University Gynaecologists, in 2022 member of the Women’s Cancer Commission of FIGO.

He has been a member of the Steering Committee CROME Centre (Regenerative Medicine Research Centre) and former President of SIGO (Italian Society of Gynaecology and Obstetrics), member of the scientific committee of the research centre Health human care and social intercultural assessments (HERA) of Università Cattolica.

Also, during the same period, he founded the “Catholic Laparoscopy Advances Surgery School,” which organized more than 20 refresher courses in laparoscopic surgery, colposcopy and hysteroscopy.

He was, in addition, a permanent member of numerous international and national scientific societies such as: the Italian Society of Gynaecologic Oncology, International Gynaecological Cancer Society, E.O.R.T.C. Gynaecologic Cancer Coop. Group, European Society of Gynaecologic Oncology, Italian Association of Medical Oncology (AIOM), Association of Italian University Gynaecologists (AGUI), Society of Gynaecologic Endoscopy (SEGI), Multicentre Italian Trials Ovarian Cancer (MITO), Italian Society of Oncologic Rehabilitation (SIRIO).

Università Cattolica and Policlinico Gemelli stand by the Family in the sad awareness of having lost a physician of extraordinary value, a talented teacher, an enlightened scientist and a sincere friend of great humanity with whom one could compare oneself every day. A true visionary with a concrete trait.