Maurizio Averna was born in Palermo, Italy, in 1952. He received the Degree in Medicine in 1976 from the University of Palermo, Italy. He received the Specialty degree in Internal Medicine and Diabetes and Metabolic Diseases at the University of Palermo-Medical School in 1981 and 1985 respectively. He received the Specialty degree in Clinical Biochemistry at the University of Messina-Medical School in 1990. From 1977 to 1979 he was Research Fellow at the Atherosclerosis Research Center (Head:Prof. P. Avogaro), of Venice, Italy and from 1991 to 1993 he was Clinical and Research Fellow at the Lipid Research Division ( Head: Prof. Gustav Schonfeld), Washington University, St. Louis, MO, U.S.A. He served as Associate Professor of Medical Pathophysiology at the University of Catania, Italy from 1992 to 1996; in 1996 he moved to the University of Palermo, as Associate Professor of Internal Medicine. Presently he is Full Professor of Internal Medicine and he serves as Director of the Residency Program in Internal Medicine, Coordinator of The PhD Program in Pathophysiology of Metabolism and Dean of the University Degree Program in Medical Biotechnology and Molecular Medicine, at the University of Palermo, Italy. He is mainly interested in biochemistry, genetics and molecular biology of lipids and lipoproteins. He is Head of the Regional Center of Genetic Dyslipidemias at University of Palermo. He is Member of the Editorial Board of Nutrition, Metabolism and Cardiovascular Diseases Journal and Member of the Italian Atherosclerosis Society and of the European Atherosclerosis Society.