Andrea Azzola

Andrea Azzola is a Lecturer in the Faculty of Biomedical Sciences at the Università della Svizzera italiana (USI) in Lugano, Switzerland. His research focuses on pulmonary diseases, including pulmonary hypertension, interstitial lung disease, COPD, and asthma, with a strong emphasis on clinical outcomes, diagnostic methodologies, and registry-based epidemiological studies. He has contributed to the development of screening tools for pulmonary conditions and virtual reality training systems for bronchoscopy.

Key areas of investigation include the Swiss Pulmonary Hypertension Registry, which evaluates long-term disease characteristics and outcomes, as well as studies on corticosteroid therapies, biologic treatments (e.g., benralizumab), and novel diagnostic approaches like bronchoalveolar lavage for SARS-CoV-2 detection. His work also addresses procedural safety in bronchoscopy and innovative educational technologies.

Dr. Azzola’s research spans respiratory infections (e.g., SARS-CoV-2), COPD rehabilitation protocols, and the role of imaging in lung cancer screening. He collaborates on multi-center studies, such as the SAS CARE trial investigating sleep-disordered breathing post-stroke, and has explored pharmacokinetic interactions in pulmonary arterial hypertension treatments.

Notably, his contributions include refining outcome measures like the 30-second sit-to-stand test and advancing understanding of chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension detection post-pulmonary embolism. He remains active in translational research, bridging clinical practice and technological innovation in respiratory medicine.