Dr. Silvia Franceschi is a world-renowned epidemiologist who served as Scientific Director of the Centro di Riferimento Oncologico (CRO) IRCCS in Aviano, Italy until her retirement in September 2025. A graduate of the University of Milan's School of Medicine and Surgery, she further specialized in Gynecology and Public Health Statistics before earning a Master's degree in Epidemiology from Oxford University. Her distinguished career began at CRO in 1984 when she established and directed the Epidemiology department, playing a pivotal role in the institute's development into a nationally and internationally recognized center of excellence in oncology. From 2000 to 2018, she served as Head of the Infections and Cancer section at the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) of the World Health Organization in Lyon, before returning to CRO in 2018 to assume the position of Scientific Director appointed by the Italian Ministry of Health.
Dr. Franceschi's groundbreaking research has fundamentally transformed our understanding of the human papillomavirus (HPV) and its causal relationship with cervical, anal, and oropharyngeal cancers. Her epidemiological studies provided critical evidence establishing HPV as a necessary cause of cervical cancer, work that laid the scientific foundation for global HPV vaccination programs. With over 1,300 scientific publications and approximately 53,000 citations, her research has directly influenced public health policies worldwide, particularly in developing nations across Asia and Africa where she actively promoted HPV screening and vaccination initiatives. Recognized as a leading authority in her field, Research.com ranked her 20th among Italian scientists and within the top 100 women scientists globally in their 2023 assessment of scholarly impact based on publication and citation metrics.
Beyond her individual research contributions, Dr. Franceschi has been instrumental in building international research capacity and fostering scientific collaboration across continents during her distinguished career. Her leadership at the World Health Organization's cancer research agency helped coordinate global efforts to understand viral causes of cancer and develop evidence-based prevention strategies. At CRO, she mentored generations of researchers and clinicians, establishing the institution as a hub for innovative cancer research and personalized oncology care. Even following her retirement, her legacy continues to shape the field of cancer epidemiology and prevention, with her work serving as the foundation for ongoing HPV vaccination programs that protect millions of women worldwide from cervical cancer, representing one of the most successful applications of cancer research to population health in modern medical history.
