Piero Portincasa is full professor of internal medicine, chief of Division of Internal Medicine and vice-director of Department of Precision and Regenerative Medicine and Ionian Area at University of Bari “Aldo Moro” and Regional Hospital Policlinico, Bari, Italy. President of the residency program in Internal Medicine, director of the Regional Referral Center for Familial Mediterranean Fever (FMF). Editor-in-Chief of Internal and Emergency Medicine – Springer Nature. After training at Guy’s Hospital, University of London, UK, he became PhD at the University of Utrecht, Netherlands. Past-President of European Society of Clinical Investigation (ESCI) and national councillor, secretary of the Italian Society Internal Medicine, with Laurea H. Causa from “C. Davila” University, Bucharest, “I. Hatieganu” University, Cluj-Napoca, and University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Science and Technology, Targu-Mures, Romania. He has American Gastroenterological Fellowship (AGAF) (2020), and General Secretary of Community of Mediterranean Universities. He has been working in basic, translational, and clinical pathophysiological research of gastrointestinal and hepatobiliary tract for more than 30 years and is devoted to the comprehensive treatment of metabolic syndrome, hepatobiliary, gallstone disease, and liver steatosis. He is author of >500 full papers including original articles on specific aspects of lipid, water transport, electrophysiology, functional ultrasonography, inflammation in human health and disease. He an authority in the international field of internal medicine, gastroenterology, hepatology, rheumatology in close contact with undergraduate and postgraduate residents, PhD and post-doc trainees. He is teacher in internal medicine, geriatrics, semeiology, methodology of research and coordinator at the Bari English Medical Curriculum. Prof. Portincasa is totally dedicated to the advancement of Research, under-, post-graduate Education and Health care in the field of Gastroenterology and Internal Medicine with strong multidisciplinary approaches. This know how is being reversed in several international projects (i.e., Horizon, PRIMA etc.) dedicated to fulfil several aspects of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) also in the Mediterranean basin and worldwide.

Giovanni Sarnelli is Full Professor of Gastroenterology at the University of Naples "Federico II" and Head of the Unit of Digestive and Nutritional Pathophysiology at the University Hospital Federico II. His research focuses on neurogastroenterology, gut inflammation, and microbiome-based therapies, with key contributions in cannabinoid pharmacology and next-generation probiotics, including several international patents. He serves on national and international expert panels for gastrointestinal disease guidelines and is a member of the Rome Foundation, co-chairing the Rome V chapter on pharmacology. A founding member of the Italian Society for Precision Medicine and the Path-2 Task Force on Th2-mediated diseases, he combines clinical leadership with active roles in academic governance. Giovanni has authored over 150 scientific papers and lectures in multiple degree and specialty programs, promoting a multidisciplinary approach to gut health and disease.