ABBATE Francesco

Francesco Abbate is Full Professor at the Department of Veterinary Sciences of the University of Messina.
He is currently Dean of the Department of Veterinary Sciences and Professor of Systematic and Comparative Veterinary Anatomy (Anatomy III) in the Degree Course in Veterinary Medicine, Anatomy of the Domestic Animals in the Degree Course in Agricultural science and technology for ecological transition.
Scientific responsible of one unit of research of a project cofunded from MURST for the years 1999-2000 entitled “Molecular signals in the regulation of the ovarian follicle growth and the oocyte capacity in substaining the embryonal development in bovine species”.
He was member of the Committee of the Area 07 for the evaluation of research programs in the year 2000.
Designated "Liaison Officer" of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of the University of Messina in occasion of the visit of appraisal of the commission of the EAEVE (European Association of Establishments for Veterinary Education) that had place from 15th to 21st October 2001.
Scientific responsible of one unit of research of a project cofunded from MURST for the years 2001-2002 entitled " Intra and extracellular molecular signals and morphofunctional mechanisms correlable to the in vitro production of embryos in horse”.
He has participated in representation of the Dean of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of Messina to the General Assemblies of the Deans of the European Faculties members of the European Association of Establishments for Veterinary Education that have been held in Thessaloniki in May 2002, in Toulouse in May 2003 and in Santiago de Compostela in May 2004 and in the quality of delegated for the International relationships to the Assembly that has held in Warsaw in May 2005 and in Ghent 2006.
He was member of the College of Professors of the PhD in "Morphology of fish species" and of "Science of fishing products and avian species".
He is member of the College of Professors of the PhD in "Veterinary Sciences".
Designated with Rectorial Decree of 11st September 2002 Delegate of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine for the International Relationships. Such delegation was confirmed for three years 2004/2007 with Rectorial Decree of 28th December 2004.
From 2008 to 2012 he was the Delegate of the Faculty for the Erasmus-Socrates Program. In July 2008 he was unanimously elected General Secretary of the European Association of Veterinary Anatomists, the Association of professors and scientists of Veterinary Anatomy from over 60 european and non-european countries.
With Rectorial Decree of January 21st 2009 was nominated Component of the University Erasmus Commission. With the unanimous proposal of the Academic Senate, with Rectorial Decree of 28.02.2011, was nominated member of the Commission drafting the Statute of the University of Messina established by the Article 2, paragraph 5, of Law 240/2010.
In July 2012 was unanimously elected President of the European Association of Veterinary Anatomists.
In December 2102 was elected member of the Academic Senate of the University of Messina, as representative of the Scientific-Disciplinary Area 07 for the four academic years 2012-2016.
In October 2014 was member of a commission for the PhD final exam at the University of Oslo (Norway).
Designated "Liaison Officer" of the Department of Veterinary Sciences of the University of Messina in occasion of the visit of appraisal of the commission of the EAEVE (European Association of Establishments for Veterinary Education) that had place on 17th and 18th March 2015, concluded with the full approval of the Course in Veterinary Medicine.
Since May 2015 he is member of the Scientific Committee of the Italian Association of Veterinary Morphologists (AMV).
In September 2015 was elected member of the Academic Senate of the University of Messina, as representative of the Associate Professors of the macro-area "Life Sciences" (Areas 05,06 and 07) for the three academic years 2015-2018.
He has been member of the Commission of the Academic Senate "Teaching and student services".
He has been member of the Commission for holding paid positions of full-time professors. He was component of the International Scientific Committee of the following congresses: XXIX Congress of the European Association of Veterinary Anatomists, Stara Zagora, Bulgaria, 2012. XXX Congress of the European Association of Veterinary Anatomists, Cluj Napoca, Romania, 2014. XXXI Congress of the European Association of Veterinary Anatomists, Vienna, Austria, 2016. XXXII Congress of the European Association of Veterinary Anatomists, Hannover, Germany, 2018.
Since 2016, he has been Scientific Director of the Operating Unit of the project of the Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie entitled "Avian and biofilm mycoplasmas: a potential critical point for the containment of these pathogens".
He was elected component of the Management Committee of the Veterinary Teaching Hospital of the University of Messina for the four-year period 2017/2020.
In September 2018 he was appointed member of a University Commission with the task of defining a regulation concerning the teaching to be given in e-learning mode.
Since 2017, he has been Associate Editor of "Anatomia Histologia Embryologia" official journal of the World Association of Veterinary Anatomists.
He is Co-Principal Investigator of the "Zebrafish Neuromorphology Lab" part of the international network "ZFIN" (The Zebrafish International Network).
In 2019 he was appointed by Ludwig Maximilian Universitat Munchen (Germany), External Member for the competition for the position of "Head of the Institute for Anatomy".
Since 2019, he has been the Chair of the EAEVE Standing Committee of the Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Messina.
Since 2021 he is a member of the EAEVE National Working Group.
Since 2021 is Dean of the Department of Veterinary Sciences of the University of Messina.
He is enrolled to the following Scientific Societies: -Italian Association of Veterinary Morphologists; -Italian Group for the Study of the Neuromorphology; -European Association of Veterinary Anatomists; -World Association of Veterinary Anatomists.
He is author of over 70 indexed international scientific publications and of several communications in national and international congresses.
The main research interests are the following: Studies by immunohistochemistry and molecular biology on lateral line system, olfactory epithelium, pineal gland and taste buds of zebrafish; Studies by immunohistochemistry and molecular biology on the ovary of bitch, cat, cow and sow; Studies by light microscopy and scanning and transmission electron microscopy of the oral cavity and tongue of zebrafish, teleosts of commercial interest and different species of reptiles.