Ferdinando - or Ferdi, how he is internationally known - Grandori, founder of the Institute of Biomedical Engineering of the Italian National Research Council (CNR-ISIB), has had faculty appointments for decades at the Polytechnic of Milan until 2015 (basically courses on Bioengineering of Neurosensory Systems).
Ferdi Grandori is presently Senior Research Associate at the National Research Council Institute of Electronics, Computer and Telecommunication Engineering (CNR-IEIIT), based at the Dept. of Electronics, Information and Bioengineering (Milan Polytechnic).

Dr. Ferdinando Grandori
Senior Associate Fellow
National Research Council CNR-IEIIT
Institute of Electronics, Computer and Telecommunication Engineering
Department of Electronics, Information and Bioengineering
Polytechnic of Milan
e-mail: Ferdinando.Grandori [at] ieiit.cnr.it
Webpage: https://ieiit.cnr.it/people/Grandori-Ferdinando
Personal e-mail: fgrandori [at] gmail.com

During his over 40-year career, a substantial part of Ferdi's research interests have focused on the development of methods, techniques and protocols for hearing assessment, from screening to diagnosis and intervention protocols. Other noteworthy research findings were on advanced techniques for Electrical Evoked Potentials (surface maps, source identification, inverse solution methods), transcranial magnetic stimulation of the Motor Cortex (patents), Magneto- and Electroencephalography and on a variety of issues in Biomedical Engineering including innovative methods for digital filtering of bioelectric signals; psychophysics; stimulation of peripheral nerves; 3D human body reconstruction (faces, skull structures, ear molds); orthodontics; dosimetry (for mobile phones); distribution of electrical fields produced by implants; mechanoreceptors.

Audiology and Neurotology; Acta Oto-laryngologica; Acta Paediatrica; Advances in Engineering Software; American Journal of Audiology; American Journal of Orthodontics; American Journal of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics; Annals of Biomedical Engineering; Archives of Acoustics; Archives of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery; Argomenti di Neurologia; Audiology; Audiology Research; Audiology Today; Bioelectrochemistry and Bioenergetics; Biological Cybernetics; Brain Topography; British Journal of Audiology; Clinical Physical Physiological Measures; Ear and Hearing; Electroencephalography and clinical Neurophysiology; Hearing Research; IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Magazine; IEEE Transactions Biomedical Engineering; IEEE Transactions Instrumentation and Measurement; Image and Vision Computing; International Journal Biomedical Computing; International Journal of Audiology; International Pediatrics; Journal Medical Engineering and Technology; Journal Acoustical Society of America; Journal Audiological Medicine; Journal Biomedical Optics; Journal Clinical Computing; Journal Oral Rehabilitation; Pediatrics; Scandinavian Audiology; Technology and Health Care.

Since mid ‘90s, Ferdi Grandori has been the leader of several multiyear international studies and coordination projects that contributed to shape research - and practical applications - on a number of scientific and technological areas. His main contributions were focused on hearing and hearing loss (models, technologies and protocols for hearing screening, testing and management), and more recently on strategies and methods for adult hearing screening.
Many of Grandori's research activities in this field were funded by the European Commission (EC) in Brussels. Most of his research projects were characterized by the cooperation of many partners/beneficiaries across the European Area: Biomagnetism as a Diagnostic Tool (COMAC BME-Biomedical Engineering); with Grandori as Project Leader: Concerted Action on Otoacoustic Emissions (1994-96); PECO Projects (Pays de l’Europe Central et Orientale)-OAE 1 and PECO-OAE 2 (1994 and 1997, respectively), with partners from Central and Eastern EU Countries; EC Accompanying Measure NHS 2000 and NHS 2002; Coordination Action AHEAD (1996-99); Coordination Action AHEAD II (2000-04); Coordination Action AHEAD III (2008-2011).

Overall, the budget managed as Scientific Manager / Principal Investigator of EC funded projects was around 4 million Euros.
In other thematic areas he has also coordinated as Project Leader numerous scientific projects and initiatives with funding from various international agencies, organizations and industries, including (but not limited to): CDC - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Madsen Electronics (Denmark); Fischer-Zoth Diagnosesysteme GmbH (Germany), GN Resound SA (Denmark), Foundation Charles Holland; Otodynamics Ltd (UK), Soros Foundation (Open Societies, New York City, USA), for a total amount of approximately 1.5 million Euros.

On a national level, Grandori has directed several projects, including: “Azioni Biotech”, financed by Regione Veneto (2004-2014), for an amount of approximately 12,5 million Euros.
Furthermore Ferdi Grandori has directed many research projects funded by national institutions, such as the Italian Ministry of Research and University, targeted projects of the CNR (the Italian National Research Council) and scientific initiatives with funding from associations, non-profit foundations and the like, dedicated to the study of particular application problems, in sectors of its expertise, for approximately 1.2 million Euros.

Management of research projects

In his position as Director of the CNR Center for Biomedical Engineering (Centro di Ingegneria Biomedica, CIB-CNR) and subsequently of the Institute of Biomedical Engineering (Istituto di Ingegneria Biomedica, IsIB-CNR), dr. Grandori has carried out the functions of Project Manager of numerous projects directed by the researchers, assisting them in the coordination role.

Dr. Grandori has served as expert or reviewer for:

European Commission (EC) Research Directorate DGXII
(Framework Programme 2, 3, 5, 6 and 7)

European Commission (EC) Biomed Programme; Biomedicine and Heath; Quality of Life

EC IST (Information Science and Technology - Small Middle Enterprises, Area Biomedical Technologies)

EC SANCO (Directorate General for Health & Consumers, Strasbourg)

EC Horizon 2020 Social Change (SC1)

ESF (European Science Foundation)

APA Association (Agir Pour l’Audition, France)

ALTRAN Foundation for Innovation (Paris, France)

DGA (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Audiologie, Germany)

Dr. Grandori collaborated in the definition of universal newborn hearing screening protocols and / or had direct and personal contacts with senior officials of governmental health authorities: the Deputy Minister of Public Health Care of Russian Federation (former Minister of Public Health Care) Prof. A. Tsaregorodtsev); Lithuania (contacted the Viceminister Dr. V. Kriauza, Ministry of Health Care); Italy,
Minister of Health (Prof. U. Veronesi, on the bottom left), Croatia (Mrs. Željka Antunović, Deputy Minister for Social Affairs and Civil Rights); Polish Ministry of Health (through Prof. H. Skarzynski, the National Consultant in Audiology), and with Congressman James Thomas (Jim) Walsh, from the United States House of Representatives (see the top left picture). Mr. Walsh has promoted laws targeting universal hearing screening for newborns in the United States: the law he proposed and that was enacted was named after him in his honor (James T. Walsh Universal Newborn Hearing Screening Program). Dr. Grandori collaborated in the definition of protocols for the universal newborn screening program of Tuscany Region (contacts with Dr. E. Rossi, at the time head of Tuscany Health Department).

He has served the WHO (World Health Organization) within the Committee on Prevention of Blindness and Deafness, sitting as Chair in the Group of Experts who released the official Paper Newborn and Infant Hearing Screening – Current Issues and Guiding Principles for Action (Final Release: January 2012 (bottom left).

He has been panel member of the Stakeholders’ Meeting on Prevention of Deafness and Hearing Loss (aim: update and set WHO vision and scopes in the field; July 6-7, 2016, Geneva) and has been invited to sit in the WHO World Hearing Forum as Associated Member (2019).

Dr. Grandori has worked with other Foundations, Scientific Societies, Charities etc. to evaluate grants, research proposals and/or monitor progress of ongoing projects on a variety of topics of biomedical technologies.

Honorary Member: Deutsche Gesellshaft für Audiologie (2008-present)

National Member (representing Italy) at the EFAS - European Federation of Audiology Societies (1999-present)

Honorary Member: Intl’ Academy of Otorhynolaryngology-IAO (2012-present)

Member Scientific Council IERASG (1990-present)

Honorary Member: Croatian Society for Early Hearing Diagnosis and Intervention (2006)

Honorary Member: Lithuanian Society of Otolaryngology (1999)

Fischer-Zoth Diagnosesysteme GmbH (Munich, Germany) Award 2005, for his “Outstanding contributions to Newborn Hearing Screening”

Interacoustics SA (Assens, Denmark) Award 2005 for “his Achievements in Audiology”

European Youth Games - Special Olympics-Healthy Hearing, Rome, 2006, for “his support to hearing screening”

Honorary Diploma from Otorynolaryngologia Quarterly (Poland, 2009); for “his outstanding support to Polish hearing research”

Kind und Gezin (Child and Family, Belgium Government Agency; Special Award 2008); “In recognition to Dr. Grandori’s efforts to establish Newborn Hearing Screening Programs in Europe” (in the presence of the Royal Princess Mathilde of Belgium)

F. Grandori has published over 200 research papers in journals, books and conference proceedings and presented 400+ oral communications at international congresses and conferences.
He was Editor, or co-Editor, of scientific books and/or Proceedings of International Conferences and Guest Editor of about one dozen of Special Issues of international journals (mostly peer-reviewed).
Dr. Grandori in the years 1990-2000 has been serving as member of the Editorial Board of the British Journal of Audiology (Overseas Editor), Audiology, ISRN Otolaryngology, Journal of Hearing Science.
He has been invited to talk as Keynote Speaker and/or to give opening lectures at 80+ Congresses, Conferences and Society meetings in 25+ countries.

Reference date: 2021-04-10
Publication years: 1975-2020
Citation years: 46 (1975-2021)
Papers: 248
Citations: 2860
Citations/year: 62.17
Citations/paper: 11.53
Authors/paper: 3.46/3.5/4 (mean/median/mode)
Age-weighted citation rate: 134.83 (sqrt=11.61), 49.39/author
Hirsch h-index: 29 (a=3.40, m=0.63, 1721 cites=60.2% coverage)
Egghe g-index: 46 (g/h=1.59, 2116 cites=74.0% coverage)

Grandori has personally organized, or has contributed to organizing, also as a member of the scientific committee, 50+ scientific initiatives, including congresses, symposia and workshops of an international nature, in more than 17 different countries.
Of particular importance are the scientific initiatives known as the Como Conferences which date back with the Milan 1998 European Consensus Development Conference on Neonatal Hearing Screening, a meeting that inspired selected groups of experts in various disciplines (Audiologists, Neonatologists, ENTs, hearing care providers, researchers in technological developments) to meet periodically to witness the advances in research on hearing at large and promote improvement of hearing care, initially on infants, and later (since 2010) on adults and the elderly. The collaboration with Deborah Hayes (Denver, CO) and Sophia Kramer (Amsterdam, The Netherlands) were extremely valuable in defining the scientific program of numerous editions.

Typically, these conferences host around 450-600 experts representing 50+ countries from across the planet (just over half of delegates come from the USA) with approximately 300-350 communications covering a wide variety of topics, from fundamental research on mechanisms of hearing and its dysfunctions, to developments in hearing devices, instrumentation for diagnosis and patient management, state-of-the-art e-health applications, improvement in protocols and, last but not least, public health perspectives.

Patents

Ilmoniemi, R. and F. Grandori (1994), Device for applying a programmable excitation electric field to a target. European Patent Application No. EP 0709115A1.
Ilmoniemi, R. and F. Grandori (1997), Ohjelmoitava sähkö magneettisen kentän applikaattori etenkin keskus- ja ääreisher moston stimuloimiseksi sekä kudosterapiajahyperthermia sovellutuksiin, Suomalainen patentti No. 100458 (15.12. 1997)(Finnish Patent Office)

Miscellanea

Ferdi Grandori has volunteered to participate in several dozens of events, initiatives and awareness campaigns organized by the Lions Club International (in Italy, and Germany) to advocate on the
importance of quality hearing care through technology and the impact of hearing losses in infants and the elderly.
He is member of the Scientific Committee of the Fondazione Carlo Grandori based in Rome (Italy) and the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research

Years 1980-2000. Brescia University, Engineering Faculty (Automation and Control); Milan University, Medical Faculty (Bioengineering applications); Milan Polytechnic, Degree on Biomedical Engineering (Instrumentation and signal processing methods); Ferrara University Medical Faculty (Biophysics of the
Auditory System); Milan Polytechnic-San Raffaele University Hospital (Processing of Biomedical Signals & Bioimaging; Clinical Imaging)
Years 2000-2015. Milan Polytechnic (Bioengineering of Neurosensory Systems)

Thesis (Master Degree and Doctoral Thesis)

Master Degree. Supervisor (or co-supervisor) of 30+ master degree theses discussed at various Italian universities, both at Faculty of Engineering and of Medicine (Milan, Brescia, Ferrara).
PhD thesis. Worcester Polytechnic, Boston; MS and PhD, Helsinki University of Technology (Finland); Medical University, Kaunas (Lithuania); Medical Faculty, Univ. of Vilnius; Doctorat d’Etat: University of Paris XII, Faculty of Physics; two Doctorat d’Etat, University of Poitiers, Medical Faculty (France).
Five PhD theses in Bioengineering at the Milan Polytechnic and numerous doctoral theses at the Medical Faculties of the Universities of Milan, Brescia and Ferrara.

Since his daughter Lorenza has lived in the Canary Islands (Fuerteventura) for many years now, Ferdi is a very frequent visitor to this magic island that he knows in its most hidden corners to the point that he has written a guide, self-published on Amazon (Fuerteventura. 101 cose da non perdere - 101 things not
to miss).
He loves to take walks, in the plains and in the mountains (but without getting too tired!); he favours Liguria, and in particular the Gulf of Tigullio where he escapes as soon as he can to enjoy this marvellous land.
The passion for music, especially classical music, is another way in which Ferdi spends his (little) free time from commitments.