Dr. Alessandro Brunelli is the vice-Director of the Division of Thoracic Surgery and Head of Section of Minimally Invasive Thoracic Surgery at Ospedali Riuniti Ancona, Ancona, Italy, which is the only specialized center of thoracic surgery in the Region.

Dr. Brunelli has been a visiting physician at several USA centers (Duke University, UCSD, Washington University St. Louis) and most recently spent 6 months working at the Division of General Thoracic Surgery, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota.

Dr. Brunelli introduced in Ancona the technique of  uniportal VATS technique for operations on spontaneous pneumothorax, lung and mediastinal biopsies, and other diseases normally managed by VATS procedures. By using the uniportal approach, only one single incision of 2 cm is performed and the camera and other dedicated endoscopic instruments are introduced through the single port. 

In 2007 Dr. Brunelli started the program of VATS lobectomies. This type of procedure allows for a reduction in the postoperative stay and a faster recovery from operation. Patients usually can go home 2-3 days after surgery.

Dr. Brunelli is the only surgeon in the Region performing operations for correcting chest wall deformities such as pectus excavatum and pectus carinatum. He is also the only surgeon in the Region performing VATS sympathicotomy for palmar and axillary hyperhidrosis.

Dr. Brunelli is currently a member of the Council, the Database Committee, the Annual Meeting Committee of the European Society of Thoracic Surgeons. He is the Director of the ESTS Database and a faculty member of the ESTS School of Thoracic Surgery. He is the Director of the ESTS Database and Audit program and ESTS General Secretary-Elect.

He is a current member of the European Society of Thoracic Surgeons (ESTS), the American Association for Thoracic Surgery (AATS),  the Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) and honorary member of the Society for Cardiothoracic Surgery in Great Britain and Ireland (SCTS).

He is Author of more than 120 articles in peer-reviewed impact factored scientific journals such as The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, The Annals of Thoracic Surgery, The European Journal of Thoracicand Cardiovascular Surgery, Chest, Thoracic Surgery Clinics, Respiration and others, with a personal impact factor greater than 300. He is in the Editorial Board of the Annals of Thoracic Surgery.

Dr. Brunelli was the Chair of the European Respiratory Society/European Society of Thoracic Surgeons joint task force appointed to develop guidelines for the selection of patients for lung resection and is currently in the panel of the third edition of the American College of Chest Physicians guidelines for diagnosis and management of Lung Cancer.