Marcello Costa

Marcello Costa (9 January 194014 April 2024) was an Italian-born Australian medical researcher, academic, and public health advocate. He specialized in the structure and functions of the enteric nervous system. He taught in Turin, Melbourne, and Helsinki before moving to Adelaide in 1975 where he was a foundation lecturer at the Flinders Medical School, building the new discipline of neuroscience at the college. In 1949 his family migrated to Argentina, where he attended San Martin High School and then in 1954 entered the public Italian High School Cristoforo Colombo of Buenos Aires, finishing the Scientific Lyceum in 1960. In his youth, he was so intrigued by science that he even sold his bicycle to buy a microscope to study protozoa in ponds.

He studied as an intern in the University of Turin's Department of Anatomy and Histology, working as a researcher under the supervision of Giorgio Gabella. He was involved in a number of extracurricular activities, including acting as the editor of the university newspaper l'Ateneo. Although he was enrolled in anatomy, he also incorporated physiology despite resistance from the university to this multidisciplinary approach. He earned his degree in medicine (Laurea in Medicina e Chirurgia, equivalent to MB BS) from the University of Turin in 1967; his M.D. thesis was "The Adrenergic Innervation of the Alimentary Canal" with Dignita di Stampa (worthy of publication).

Medical research career Quote|text="Our neurological systems link us to everything we do, shaping our thoughts, culture, intellectual capacity, emotions and our bodily functions. There is no area of science more important to understand, in my view."|author= Marcello Costa |source=

His research focused on the nervous system, specifically how it interacts with the gut to control it, and he authored or co-authored more than 250 academic works on that subject,

He was a founder of the Australian Neuroscience Society, and he served as its president in 1994–1995. In 2003 he founded the South Australian Neuroscience Institute (SANI) in association with Neuroscience colleagues and the SA Government, representing the three SA Universities; he served as its co-chair from 2003 to 2010. universities which give credibility to pseudo-scientific topics including chiropractic, whether the free trade agreement between Australia and China should include "traditional Chinese medicine", proposals to register traditional Chinese medicine, and the "white light" reportedly seen by some dying people.

He also promoted awareness of the connections between science and humanities, especially in a project called "Science Outside the Square" where he teamed with Ian Gibbins, Professor of Anatomy at Flinders, playing keyboard while Costa sang and played the guitar. Their performances aimed to combine science, music, and art. The University of Adelaide described FSM as "a public health watch dog group of distinguished lay members, scientists and health professionals who are concerned about honesty in medical claims and the need for evidence-based medicine particularly in the growing alternative therapy industry". He presented at the 2017 World Science Festival. He was a member of the Scientific Advisory Panel of the Australian Science Media Centre. He was a solo speaker at the Adelaide Festival of Ideas in July 2018, speaking on "A neuroscientist's view of homo sapiens and its world".

Personal life

Costa married Daniela Tuffanelli in 1970. The couple has a son, Andrea, and three grandchildren.

He died in Adelaide on 14 April 2024.

Awards and recognition

His awards and recognitions include: 1992: "Cavaliere della Repubblica Italiana" from the Italian Government 1994: Piedmontese of the Year 1997: Honorary member of the Golden Key Honour Society 2001: Centenary Medal Australia 2004: Member of the Australian Academy of Brain Sciences 2014: Australasian Neuroscience Society medallion for "individuals who have provided outstanding service to the Society" 2015: Inducted as an Honorary Bragg Member of the Royal Institution of Australia (RIAus) 2018: Federation of Neurogastroenterology and Motility (FNM) Societies Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of his research and mentorship, which have substantially influenced progress in the fields 2020: Officer of the Order of Australia (General Division) "for distinguished service to higher education, and to medical research, in the field of neurophysiology, and to professional scientific bodies." The Australasian Society for Autonomic Neuroscience presents a "Marcello Costa Excellence in Autonomic Neuroscience Award" to recognise excellence in autonomic neuroscience.

Published books