Valeska Padovese MD

Dr. Padovese graduated from the medical school of Trieste University in 1998 and obtained the post-degree diploma in dermatology and venereology in 2002. After the specialization, she collaborated with the National Institute for Health, Migration, and Poverty in Rome, a public institute that focuses on migrants' health and development cooperation; during this time she was involved in national and international projects. In 2003 she started traveling to Africa and working in the Tigray region of northern Ethiopia (2005-2007) at the Italian Dermatological Hospital. She carried out an operational research project in the rural communities of the Tigray region aimed at early detection of HIV infection through skin signs and symptoms, and also research to determine prevalence and type of dermatological conditions/STIs related to HIV infection in the area.

Dr. Padovese has been recently appointed as a consultant at the Genito-Urinary (GU) Clinic at Mater Dei Hospital in Malta. She is leading the GU Clinic team, which serves the entire Maltese population ensuring infection control practice and extend support for undergraduate and postgraduate teaching, in-service training, and research programs. She is in charge of diagnosis, investigation, and treatment of STIs and related conditions, as well as counseling in relation to HIV testing, for operating a system of contact tracing in order to contain the spread of STIs, and for ensuring a clinical consultancy and liaison services to other services, hospitals, agencies, governmental and non-governmental organizations on matters pertaining to sexual and reproductive health.