When her ex-husband died, Macchiarini helped Alexander cope. "Going public opens you up to all the hateful trolls and naysayers who take sick joy in mocking and taking stabs at you from behind the anonymity of their computers.". Here's what you need to know", "Karolinska may reopen inquiry into star surgeon Macchiarini, following documentary's revelations", "Comment on the TV documentary "Experimenten", "KI:s ledning granskas av oberoende utredning", "Fatal Experiments: The Downfall of a Supersurgeon", "Retraction: Experimental orthotopic transplantation of a tissue-engineered oesophagus in rats", "Karolinska requests retraction of 2014 Macchiarini paper", "Editorial Expression of Concern: Experimental orthotopic transplantation of a tissue-engineered oesophagus in rats", "Tracheobronchial transplantation: The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences' concerns", "Anders Hamsten steps down as Vice-Chancellor of Karolinska Institutet", "Karolinska Institutet and the Macchiarini case. [19], Later in 2010, Macchiarini was appointed as a visiting professor at the Karolinska Institute (KI) in Stockholm and as a part-time position as surgeon at the affiliated university hospital. He even got engaged to Benita. She said she'd never fantasized about a "Prince Charming." "I've long since learned to stand strong against all of that - for one, extremely important reason I'm now on a mission to help other women expose the men who've conned them, and to spread awareness about love cons and remove the stigma that continues to perpetuate that says you're stupid if you're a woman who falls for a con man. She reflected on their relationship and wondered how she could've missed all the red flags. "He and I started going to dinners and I was kind of pouring my heart out to him about all this stuff. Paolo Macchiarini is a former surgeon who has captured the public's attention from his humble experience in Italy. Im not a believer in love at first sight. . Paolo Macchiarini has been employed at Karolinska Institutet and Karolinska University Hospital (hereinafter KS). We met in February 2013 when I worked for NBC and he was the subject of a TV special about how he had developed the science of artificial trachea transplants. Paolo Macchiarini, who made headlines for pioneering surgery, charged with aggravated assault over procedure AFP in Stockholm Wed 27 Apr 2022 10.38 EDT Last modified on Wed 27 Apr 2022 10.41 EDT [51][52] These concerns were echoed by KI's chairman, Lars Leijonborg, and the chairman of the Swedish Medical Association, Heidi Stensmyren, calling for an independent investigation that would also look at how the issue was dealt with by the university and hospital management. [71] After a one-year medico-legal investigation, the attorney general's office announced in October 2017 that Macchiarini had been negligent in four of the five cases investigated due to the use of devices and procedures not supported by evidence, but that a crime could not be proven because the patients might have died under any other treatment given. [32] The trachea later collapsed, and was replaced; she died in 2014. Until then, there were no controversies in which he was a part of. "I made a very strategic decision to start playing a cat-and-mouse game, basically," she said. [19] He took a course on statistics in clinical research at University of Alabama at Birmingham in 1989. Its embarrassing, but I was taken in by Paolo. Emanuela Pecchia presently resides in Italy, with her husband. ET on ABC. [35], In August 2013 Sadiq Kanaan received a fully synthetic seeded tracheal implant from Macchiarini at Kuban State Medical University. It said he'd be in South America and that the "trip had been planned for quite some time," Alexander said. If you have been love conned, you're not alone. He was turning the dream of regenerative medicine into a reality. [19] He was an assistant professor at UniPi from 1990 to 1992. Emily Whipp, Laura Dimon, Colleen Halpin, Emma Piscia and Anthony Rivas. "She had suffered at least two strokes; she had lost much of her vision, so she was partially blind; she couldn't walk," Pinto said. Macchiarini shot to prominence back in 2008, when he created a new airway for Claudia Castillo, a young woman from Barcelona. By her looks, we can guess that she must be in her early or mid-50s. I had to expose him.". JioFiber launches new Entertainment Bonanza plans, does away with installation fees, Top 50 Waheguru ji Quotes & Status in English. In reality, Paolo had not worked with the Pope, and he was still married to his wife of 30 years. For her graduation, she did her Bachelors program from US State University. Till that time, Paolo was not famous. "He and I started going to dinners and I was kind of pouring my heart out. Macchiarini denied the accusations coming from his colleagues at the Karolinska Institute to Alexander, and she doubled down on supporting Macchiarini. Paolo counseled me on what to say to my daughter. While still trying to care for Cetir, Corbascio said his team found that Macchiarini had exaggerated the effectiveness of his surgeries and falsified data to make the surgeries seem more successful than they were. He Lied About Everything. [19] He was a consultant and project manager at University Hospital Careggi (AOUC) starting in 2010. Ole Petter Ottersen, president of the Karolinska Institute since 2017, told ABC News in a request for comment on Macchiarini, "It is obvious that KI's initial handling of this case was insufficient and inadequate on several points. She shared that many women have contacted her with similar stories since she opened up about her experience. The article's author, journalist Adam Ciralsky, had also uncovered fabrications in Macchiarini's professional life, and he documented a number of examples of Macchiarini misrepresenting his medical training and work history. Katie Collins/PA Images via Getty Images. [2][3] He has been convicted of research-related crimes in Italy and Sweden. This is why we do not know much about her personal life and family or children. Today, the renowned university announced that Macchiarini will be dismissed effective immediately after its disciplinary board found that he "engaged in conduct and research that is incompatible with a . Lindquist had begun his own investigation into the claims brought forth by Macchiarini's colleagues. As these events were unfolding, Maccharini allowed Lindquist to follow him for a documentary film. "Paolo was a really good listener," Alexander said. Benita traveled to Paolo's Barcelona home with two friends and a video camera. The Italian surgeon and his Italian wife Emanuela Pecchia have one son and one daughter. In 1986, Macchiarini started a family of his own, marrying an Italian woman, Emanuela Pecchia, with whom he had a daughter and a son. Taking a deep breath, I pulled my engagement ring out of my pocket and hurled it into the Hudson River. Benita has also worked on sharing her own story with the public, and it was the subject of the 2018 documentary He Lied About Everything. "Trust me, admitting that you got conned, especially as a smart, successful woman, is excruciatingly painful. Alexander, an award-winning documentary TV producer, met Macchiarini in 2013 while working on a story about the surgeon's pioneering work transplanting synthetic tracheas, or windpipes. [12] After being dismissed from KI, Macchiarini worked at the Kazan Federal University in Russia until that institution terminated his project in April 2017, effectively firing him. (Macchiarinis lawyer did not return requests for comment.). Paolo Macchiarini stato celebrato sui giornali in Italia, sul New York Times, e in tutto il mondo per aver inventato il trapianto di trachea. [14][32] The graft included a cricoid cartilage, part of the voice box, which Macchiarini had not tried before. [10] Macchiarini did not respond to a request for comment from ABC News. In 2011, Macchiarini immediately ascended into fame after he developed an artificial medical device that had the potential to save thousands of lives, according to The New York Times. Talking about her spouse Paolo, he became infamous for research fraud and manipulative behavior. The inquiry tells a story of deception, . Since April 2017, Yesim's family (or in US legalese, the Estate of Yasim Cetir) is suing the company Harvard Bioscience, which spin-off Biostage (in turn formerly known as Harvard Apparatus) produced the bioreactors and the second plastic trachea graft used by Macchiarini on Yesim. Eventually, she died. "The outcry was such that the Karolinska Institute had to do something," said Ritchie. In 2015, she served as a co-executive producer on Breaking the Silence, which featured DWTS pro Cheryl Burke, and Counting On alums Jessa Seewald and Jill Duggar Dillard. Macchiarini and his team have transplanting artificial tracheas since 2008. Paolo is a smart and handsome surgeon, renowned for his ability to perform surgeries that transform his patients' lives. [19] The university announced that it would not renew Macchiarini's research contract, which was due to expire in November, and the next month Karolinska terminated the contract. In addition to fibbing about some aspects of his personal life, Paolo also got into deep trouble professionally. Lindquist's three-part documentary series "The Experiments" began airing just over a week after the damning Vanity Fair article was published in early January 2016. [29]:8 The autopsy showed that Beyene had a chronic lung infection, a clot in his lung, and the synthetic trachea had come loose. In 2015, she served as a co-executive producer on Breaking the Silence , which featured DWTS pro Cheryl Burke, and Counting On alums Jessa Seewald and Jill Duggar Dillard. [19] Macchiarini was an investigator at the Institut d'Investigacions Biomdiques-Instituto de Investigaciones Biomdicas in Barcelona, Spain, from 2006 to 2009; he was affiliated with but not an employee of the University of Barcelona and was apparently an employee at the Hospital Clnic de Barcelona during this time. With Whoopi Goldberg filling the narrator's seat, the series kicks off with the story of Paolo Macchiarini, a former world-renowned thoracic surgeon now known for research fraud and his strange involvement with an unsuspecting producer by the name of Benita Alexander. He proposed to Alexander on Christmas in 2013 and she said yes. She still lives in Italy and takes care of her children there. His friends at the Vatican would help., I ended up meeting with Pope Francis and he likes me and the work I am doing, he said. Required fields are marked *. The Wild Love Con Case Of Benita Alexander & Dr. Paolo Macchiarini - MHP #225 Mile Higher Podcast 517K subscribers Subscribe 10K 464K views 3 months ago TRUE CRIME Benita Alexander:. ", LA County sheriff's recruits graduate months after Whittier crash, Highways into the San Bernardino Mountains are closed to drivers, LA County passes motion requiring retrofit of some buildings by 2033. Continue reading to find out what the award-winning producer is up to since her heartbreaking romance with the surgeon. He was performing the experiment of synthetic trachea transplants on eight patients. Emanuela Pecchia currently resides in Italy with her husband. Mathias Corbascio, another cardiothoracic surgeon who worked at the Karolinska Institute at the time, said the intensive care unit doctor responsible for her care began consulting with him on the literature written by Macchiarini on tracheal replacements. Among the high-powered clients who Macchiarini claimed were on this network were the Clintons, the Obamas and even Pope Francis. This article covers information about Emanuela Pecchia, her bio, age, husband, early life, education, and much more. The audio series covers the accusations of ethical misconduct and manipulation in Macchiarini's medical work alongside those of his personal deceit in his affair with Alexander, told through a series of interviews with the latter. We do not know her exact age. He was under arrest again. Her height is 5 feet 8 inches. It was at this point that Benita said she started to feel that something was not right. The Best Rum Brands in India with Price- 2022, President Kovind to inaugurate Vigyan Sarvatra Pujyate lecture-competition programme on February 22, All About Angela Kinsey's Daughter, Isabel Ruby Lieberstein, 50 Punjabi Nicknames for Husband & Boyfriends. Andrea Bocelli and John Legend would perform at the wedding. Offers may be subject to change without notice. This is a surgeon. Il chirurgo ha negato di aver commesso qualsiasi illecito penale. 'He wanted me to do nothing but find my dress but show up and look beautiful. Moreover, the Italian investigator found records showing that despite planning a wedding with Alexander for so long, Macchiarini was still legally married. Some even believed he'd win a Nobel Prize one day, according to author Stuart Ritchie. In July 2012, 13-year-old Ciaran Finn-Lynch became the first child to receive a donor trachea stripped of cells and . After a few days there, she traveled to Macchiarini's home in Barcelona, Spain, with some friends who came along for support. Emanuela made sure that the children are away from the media and limelight.The couple has been married for 30 years now. What started as dream relationship developed into a nightmare filled with lies and deceit. [11] KI terminated its clinical relationship with Macchiarini in 2013 but allowed him to continue as a researcher; in February 2016, the university announced that it would not renew his research contract, which was due to expire in November, and terminated the contract the following month. They said that the patient was doing fine and that's not true: One of his lungs was completely obliterated from a chronic infection.". Dr. Death: Miracle Man premieres everywhere from August 16 including Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and the Wondery app. He is considered a skilled surgeon and researcher in rehabilitation medicine. Summary in English and Swedish", "Sweden fires board of institution handing out medicine Nobel after scandal", "Swedish Nobel judges fired in Karolinska medical scandal", "Swedes indict surgeon for stem-cell windpipe transplants", "Skandalkirurgen Macchiarini dms fr vllande till kroppsskada". [33], In April 2013, Macchiarini implanted a fully synthetic seeded trachea in two-year-old Hannah Warren, who had been born without one. When NBC documentary producer Benita Alexander was tasked with covering the story of innovative surgeon Paolo Macchiarini in 2013, she could not have fathomed the extent to which the doctor would alter her life. He's also had his artificial trachea removed. Macchiarini obliged, creating a fully synthetic trachea seeded with stem cells from Lyles and implanting it at KI in November 2011. 4 February 2016. ", Alexander, who waited in the car, said that the last time she saw Macchiarini, he had turned around and walked back up the stairs. Conan Fitzpatrick/SVT. All You Need To Know About Lee Know from 'Stray Ki. Ahead of the Oct. 14 premiere of the ABC docuseries (which covers a new con story each week), Benita posted on Instagram about the impact that Paolo has had on her life. [12][20] KI published the incomplete results of its verification of Macchiarini's CV in February 2016. [19], Macchiarini made ties in Russia after he gave a master class in 2010, at the invitation of politician Mikhail Batin; a few months later he did a trachea transplant there which was widely covered in Russian media. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Paolo_Macchiarini&oldid=1139201354, Academic staff of the Karolinska Institute, People involved in scientific misconduct incidents, All articles with bare URLs for citations, Articles with bare URLs for citations from April 2022, Articles with PDF format bare URLs for citations, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0. [41][42][43] Gerdin found that Macchiarini had committed research misconduct in seven papers by not getting ethical approval for the some of his operations, and misrepresenting the result of some of those operations, as well as work he had done in animals. After a few months of friendship, things became romantic. She's worked closely with the Investigation Discovery (ID) network for ID Now, Still a Mystery (which she also narrates), and Crimes Gone Viral. I mean, I got this sort of chill through my body, like there was some sort of electric spark, and I remember, in my head, thinking, 'What the hell was that?'". I did not think that by pulling that thread, we would completely undo the sweater.". In a 500-page complaint filed in 2014 that detailed their allegations, the doctors accused Macchiarini of promoting a medical procedure that showed few signs of success while endangering the lives of his patients. He did this by chemically stripping away the cells of a windpipe. [26], Turkish national Yesim Cetir underwent a routine surgery in 2011 to treat excessive sweating in her hands, but due to an error her trachea was severely injured and her left lung was damaged. There is not much information available about Emanuela Pecchias early life, relatives, or family. Barack and Michelle Obama were also invited. "It said that he had a normal functioning airway," Corbascio said. The Karolinska Institute, which had renewed Macchiarini's contract in November 2015, launched another investigation into Macchiarini and reversed its previous conclusions -- Macchiarini was indeed guilty of scientific misconduct, the Institute determined. [19] In 2013, KI terminated its clinical relationship with Macchiarini but allowed him to continue as a researcher; in February 2016, the university announced that it would not renew Macchiarini's research contract, which was due to expire in November, and terminated the contract the following month. The Untold Truth About Tim Allen's Wife Jane Haj. Who is Dr Paolo Macchiarini wife? In 2015, Alexander sent emails to the Karolinska Institute expressing concerns about the acclaimed surgeon. Paolo explained that the pope, who was another patient of his, wanted to use us as the poster couple to push the church out of old traditions. At the time, Macchiarini was employed by the prestigious Karolinska Institute in Sweden. Benita Alexander, a TV producer, was set to marry the doctor of her dreams in 2015 in a lavish ceremony officiated by Pope Francis. By her looks, we can guess that she must be in her early or mid-50s. The Fall from Grace of a Famous Italian Surgeon. Jenna King Net Worth. She was able to get the Vatican to verify that he had never been the pope's personal doctor. A Swedish court has given a disgraced Italian surgeon a suspended sentence for causing bodily harm during an experimental stem-cell windpipe transplant. I was like, 'What is happening to Benita,'" Alexander's friend, Marian Fontana, said.