Dimitri Poddighe, Prof.
College of Health Sciences
Director, Pediatrics Residency Program
Biography
Dr. Dimitri Poddighe graduated cum laude in 2003 from the medical school of the University of Pavia (Italy); during this period, he was also alumnus at the historical and merit-based Collegio Ghislieri in Pavia.
Dr. Dimitri Poddighe obtained the Specialization Diploma in Pediatrics (EQF level 8) cum laude in 2008 from the University of Pavia (Italy), after discussing a thesis in pediatric immunology (title: “Immunodeficiency e Autoimmunity: the double blade of the immune system dysregulation”).
From 2007 to 2009, Dr. Dimitri Poddighe has also worked as Research Fellow in Immunology at the Children’s Hospital – Boston Harvard University (MA, USA). After his return to Italy, he held several positions as a pediatric consultant in different (both academic and non-academic) hospitals in Lombardy (Italy), including the Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo (Pavia), affiliated with the University of Pavia, where he has served as “Cultore della Materia” in Pediatric from 2015 until 2017.
During his professional career, Dr. Dimitri Poddighe also completed three 2nd level Master Academic programs: I) Pediatric Hematology at the University “La Sapienza” in Rome (2010-2011); II) Pediatric Immunopathology at the University of Pavia (2011-2012); III) Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition at the University “La Sapienza” in Rome (2016-2017). In 2015-2016 he also completed a professional training in the Department of Pediatric Rheumatology at the Istituto G. Pini (Milano, Italy).
In 2018, Dr. Dimitri Poddighe joined the School of Medicine at the Nazarbayev University (NUSOM) as an assistant professor. In 2020, he was promoted to Associate Professor at NUSOM and was appointed Director of the Clinical Academic Department of the University Medical Center (UMC) in Astana. Moreover, he has started the NUSOM Pediatric Residency Program started in September 2019 as a Program Director. During his work experience at NUSOM and UMC, he substantially contributed to implement all the pediatric academic programs.
Dr. Dimitri Poddighe joined the VinUni College of Health Sciences in September 2024, as full professor of Pediatrics, Academic Chair of Pediatrics, and Director of the Residency Program in Pediatrics.
His research activity is mainly focused on pediatric immunology, rheumatology, and gastroenterology, with a specific interest for allergic, immune-mediated, and autoimmune diseases. In Kazakhstan, he was awarded with three research grant as principal investigator (PI), in addition to being involved in several others as co-PI or investigator.
So far, Dr. Dimitri Poddighe authored 147 Scopus-indexed scientific publications and hold an h-index of 29. In 2022, he received the Scopus Awards Kazakhstan 2022 (in recognition of his scholarly contribution in Immunology and Microbiology). In the same year, he was also awarded with the Onorificenza (Honor) of “Cavaliere dell’Ordine della Stella d’Italia”, granted by the President of the Italian Republic on proposal by the Ambassador of Italy in Kazakhstan, because of his role in supporting the cooperation between Italian and Kazakh institutions in the field of the healthcare and medical education. In 2023, he was appointed as a member of the committee “Life and Health Science” of the RKZ National Scientific Council of the RKZ Ministry of Science and Higher Education.
• Pediatrics
• Clinical Immunology
• Pediatric Rheumatology
• Pediatric Gastroenterology
• Pediatric Allergy and Immunology
• Celiac Disease
• Childhood SLE
• Behcet’s Disease
• Inflammatory myopathies
• Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis
• Unconventional T cells
• Basophils
• Mycoplasma pneumoniae immune-mediated manifestations
• Pediatrics
• Pediatrics – graduate medical education
• General pediatrics
• Pediatric Immunology and Allergy
• Pediatric Rheumatology
• Pediatric Gastroenterology
1. GBD 2021 Lower Respiratory Infections and Antimicrobial Resistance Collaborators (including Poddighe D). Global, regional, and national incidence and mortality burden of non-COVID-19 lower respiratory infections and aetiologies, 1990-2021: a systematic analysis from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021. Lancet Infect Dis. 2024;24(9):974-1002.
2. Poddighe D, Dossybayeva K, Kozhakhmetov S, Rozenson R, Assylbekova M. Double-Negative T (DNT) Cells in Patients with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus. Biomedicines. 2024;12(1):166.
3. GBD 2019 Child and Adolescent Communicable Disease Collaborators (including Poddighe D). The unfinished agenda of communicable diseases among children and adolescents before the COVID-19 pandemic, 1990-2019: a systematic analysis of the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019. Lancet. 2023; 402(10398):313-335.
4. Abdukhakimova D, Dossybayeva K, Almukhamedova Z, Mukusheva Z, Assylbekova M, Zhangabylova D, Nurgaliyeva K, Boluspayeva N, Kulmangabetova K, Hasanova L, Tanko M, Poddighe D. Serum immunoglobulin A (IgA) levels in children affected with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis. Heliyon. 2023;9(7):e17479.
5. Dossybayeva K, Bexeitov Y, Mukusheva Z, Almukhamedova Z, Assylbekova M, Abdukhakimova D, Rakhimzhanova M, Poddighe D. Analysis of Peripheral Blood Basophils in Pediatric Systemic Lupus Erythematosus. Diagnostics (Basel). 2022;12(7):1701.
6. Poddighe D, Romano M, Dossybayeva K, Abdukhakimova D, Galiyeva D, Demirkaya E. Celiac Disease in Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis and Other Pediatric Rheumatic Disorders. J Clin Med. 2022;11(4):1089.
7. Poddighe D, Demirkaya E, Sazonov V, Romano M. Mycoplasma pneumoniae Infections and Primary Immune Deficiencies. Int J Clin Pract. 2022;2022:6343818.
8. Bekbossynova M, Akhmaltdinova L, Dossybayeva K, Tauekelova A, Smagulova Z, Tsechoeva T, Turebayeva G, Sailybayeva A, Kalila Z, Mirashirova T, Muratov T, Poddighe D. Central and effector memory T cells in peripheral blood of patients with interstitial pneumonia: preliminary clues from a COVID-19 study. Respir Res. 2022;23(1):278
9. Abdirakhmanova A, Sazonov V, Mukusheva Z, Assylbekova M, Abdukhakimova D, Poddighe D. Macrophage Activation Syndrome in Pediatric Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: A Systematic Review of the Diagnostic Aspects. Front Med (Lausanne). 2021;8:681875.
10. Poddighe D, Turganbekova A, Mukusheva Z, Abdirakhmanova A, Assylbekova M, Abdrakhmanova S. HLA-B*51 allelic and carrier frequency in Kazakhstan: insights into Behçet’s disease prevalence in Central Asia. Intern Emerg Med. 2021;16(2):325-331.
11. Poddighe D, Turganbekova A, Baymukasheva D, Saduakas Z, Zhanzakova Z, Abdrakhmanova S. Genetic predisposition to celiac disease in Kazakhstan: Potential impact on the clinical practice in Central Asia. PLoS One. 2020;15(1):e0226546.
12. Poddighe D. Macrolide Resistance and Longer-Term Assessment of Azithromycin in MORDOR I. N Engl J Med. 2019;381(22):2184.
13. Poddighe D. Extra-pulmonary diseases related to Mycoplasma pneumoniae in children: recent insights into the pathogenesis. Curr Opin Rheumatol. 2018;30(4):380-387.
14. Poddighe D, Bonomelli I, Giardinetti S, Nedbal M, Bruni P. Paediatric Dengue Fever diagnosed through parents’ epidemiologic report and preventive strategy during the acute phase of infection. J Travel Med. 2016;23(1):tav013.
15. Poddighe D, Cavagna L, Brazzelli V, Bruni P, Marseglia GL. A hyper-ferritinemia syndrome evolving in recurrent macrophage activation syndrome, as an onset of amyopathic juvenile dermatomyositis: a challenging clinical case in light of the current diagnostic criteria. Autoimmun Rev. 2014 Nov;13(11):1142-8.
• 2003: MD Diploma, Università degli Studi di Pavia (Italy)
• 2008: Specialization Diploma in Pediatrics (EQF level 8), Università degli Studi di Pavia (Italy)
• 2012: 2nd level master in Pediatric Hematology, Università degli Studi di Roma “La Sapienza” (Italy)
• 2013: 2nd level master in Pediatric Immunopathology, Università degli Studi di Pavia (Italy)
• 2018: 2nd level master in Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition, Università degli Studi di Roma “La Sapienza” (Italy)
• 2021: Inclusion in the NU-top ranked researchers’ list based on the publications in year 2021 (top-2% scientist bibliometric ranking published by Stanford University)– General position: 122.764
• 2022: Onorificenza (Honor) of “Cavaliere dell’Ordine della Stella d’Italia”, granted by the President of the Italian Republic on proposal by the Ambassador of Italy in Kazakhstan, because of his role in supporting the cooperation between Italian and Kazakh institutions in the field of the healthcare.
• 2022: Scopus Awards Kazakhstan 2022 (in recognition of his scholarly contribution in Immunology and Microbiology).
• 2022: Inclusion in the top ranked researchers’ list based on the publications in year 2022 (top-2% scientist bibliometric ranking published by Stanford University) — General position: 66.941
