I gained clinical experience both in Italy and in some of the poorest areas of Mozambique and Ethiopia at war. I moved into public health because the tragedies I saw in Africa, such as polio sequelae and severe malnutrition, were unbearable. My interest for health policy and management emerged from encounters with flawed strategies and plans, and their unintended consequences. I conceived, formulated and contributed to the implementation of several initiatives in public health and quality of healthcare at the international, national, and regional level. My main interest now is improvement of healthcare quality and safety.