Carlo Alberto Benech
Neurosurgery has always been an integral part of my DNA. My father, Franco, is a neurosurgeon, so I can say I have been immersed in this profession since the day I was born, on October 31, 1978. I grew up with a strong passion for sports, especially Formula 1 and Ferrari.
As a child, I dreamed of becoming a racing driver. The idea of sitting in a single-seater car traveling at hundreds of kilometers per hour, where everything depends on you, your readiness, your coolness, and those decisions made in a fraction of a second, fascinated me tremendously.
However, the truth is that neurosurgery had already chosen me. Chosen because it turned out to be a natural path: easily learning from the surgical actions of my mentors. I graduated in Medicine and Surgery from the University of Turin in 2003, then specialized in Modena under the guidance of Dr. Giampietro Pinna, an excellent mentor and physician. I continued my training at Cornell University in New York, the International Neuroscience Institute in Hannover, the University Hospital of Helsinki, and Saint Louis University, which were crucial for my personal and professional growth. I owe these experiences and my determination to the Young Tumor Investigator Award, which I received from the American Brain Tumor Association in 2005 in New Orleans.
In 2009, I returned to Turin to continue my career as a neurosurgeon. That same year, I began collaborating with the Fornaca Clinic and was hired by the CTO Hospital. At this facility, I developed a strong interest in the treatment of neurovascular and spinal tumor pathology, as well as spinal disorders. I have coordinated live surgery courses on cerebral aneurysms and annually teach at international skull base neurosurgery courses, in addition to being an author, co-author, and reviewer of scientific publications and conference presentations.
Despite excellent collaboration with Director Dr. Giuliano Faccani and colleagues in Neurology, Neuroradiology, and Neuroanesthesia, in December 2016, I decided to take on a new challenge. I ended my association with CTO and began working at the Humanitas-Cellini Clinic in Turin in January 2017, where I first directed the Spinal Surgery Service 3 and, since January 2024, have been the Head of the Center for Robotic and Spinal Surgery.
Over the years, I developed a particular interest in robotic techniques applied to neurosurgery because, in a world driven by continuous technological innovation, the constant pursuit of improvement must be a moral imperative. Thus, in 2018, I introduced the Excelsius GPS robot to Italy and have been using it for most spinal surgeries, training surgeons from all over the world in robotic techniques. While Turin has always been my home both personally and professionally, with my activities at both Cellini Hospital and the Fornaca Clinic, I now also practice in Milan at Humanitas San PIO X Hospital and in Rome at Villa Stuart Clinic.
Besides my career, I am dedicated to my family: I am married to Elena, and together we have a seven-year-old daughter, Francesca. Calculation, coolness, and millimetric precision do not exist with her; Franci has introduced me to new strength and dimensions. I dream of the best for her, perhaps a sports career. So far, I have performed over 5,000 surgical procedures as the primary surgeon and 1,000 surgeries using assisted robotic technology.
Every operation that ends successfully is comparable to the end of a race in a Ferrari: you see the finish line, feel the adrenaline, and when you realize it’s done, the checkered flag waves. And you feel fulfilled, satisfied, and ready to start all over again.