He has grown in a multi-ethnic and multicultural environment (Italian father, Japanese mother; nations where he lived during the first 6 years of his life: USA, Japan, Norway, Italy) showing and developing an excellent adapting ability. He is fluent in English (native language) and Italian and he has double citizenships (USA & Italian). During his educational career he never failed a goal: scientific high school, degree in medicine and surgery, PhD in psychiatry and relational sciences, residentship in psychiatry. His professional growth has been fostered by several leaders in the field of psychiatry: Donald Klein (Columbia University, NY), Charles B. Nemeroff (University of Austin-Texas, USA), Laura Bellodi (Vita Salute San Raffaele University, Milan-Italy), Eric Griez & Koen Schruers (Maastricht University, NL), Francesca Brambilla (Milan), Alan Schatzberg (Stanford University, USA), Ned Kalin (University of Madison-Wisconsin, USA) and Thomas Schlaepfer (University of Friburg, Germany) He is the Co-Editor in Chief, together with Prof. Charles Nemeroff (University of Austin-Texas – USA), of the scientific journal Personalized Medicine in Psychiatry published from Elsevier He developed his skills in teaching, serving for 7 different universities (Humanitas University-Milan, State University of Milan, Vita-Salute San Raffaele University-Milan, State University of l’Aquila, Lumsa University in Rome, Maastricht University, University of Miami). He tutored several students to obtain degrees in Medicine and Psychology, PhDs, residentship in Psychiatry and Clinical Psychology (Milan, L’Aquila, Maastricht, Yale, Rio de Janeiro). He is currently Voluntary Professor, Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Miller School of Medicine, Miami University (USA), Visiting Associate Professor, Department of Psychiatry and Neuropsychology, Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Maastricht University (NL), Director, Sumer course in Affective Neuroscience, University di Maastricht (NL) & University di Firenze (IT).
His career as a scientific researchers led him to publish on the most quoted psychiatric/mental health journals before the age of 35 (American Journal of Psychiatry, Biological Psychiatry, Neuropsychopharmacology etc.) with constancy in publications on peer reviewed journals that led him to publish more than 195 papers indexed on the Journal of Citation Index, with a global Impact Factor higher than 1300, a mean IF for publication indexed of 6 and an H-Index of 53/43 (Google Scholar/Scopus). He participated as a co-investigator to research projects funded by the Italian Minister for Research and University (MIUR) and he has been the PI of a four years projects funded by Cariplo Foundation “Are Anxiety Disorders associated with cognitive decline and Molecular mechanisms of dementia? A multi-centric Italian study in middle-aged and older patients and controls” and currently he is the PI of a two-year research project promoted by the Department of Biological Sciences, Neurocenter, Humanitas University “The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic disease on the mental health and well-being of the Italian and global population”. In 2020 and 2021 he has been ranked, based on scientific production in the last 10 years, from the US rating agency Expertscape (www.expertscape.com) as 1st in Italy and in Europe and 2nd Worldwide in the field of Panic Disorder and 1st in Italy in the field of Anxiety Disorders. He has been the Scientific Director of the Non Profit International Foundation for the Support of Psychiatric Research (www.fondazioneforipsi.org) from 2013 to 2019 and President of the Scientific Committee of the AIAMC (Italian Association for Behavior Analysis and Modification)(www.aiamc.it) from 2017 to 2021. Currently he is the president of the scientific committee of the Non Profit Association ALPA (Free from panic and anxiety) (www.infoalpa.it), the president of the Collegium Internationale Activitatis Nervosae Superioris (CIANS) and member of the executive committee of IACABAI (Italian Associate Chapter of Association for Behavior Analysis International)
- Perna G, Cocchi S, Bertani A, Arancio C, Bellodi L: 35% CO2 challenge in healthy first degree relatives of patients with panic disorder. American Journal of Psychiatry, 152: 623-625, 1995.
- Perna G, Favaron E, DiBella D, Bellodi L: Anti-Panic Efficacy of Paroxetine and Polymorphism within the promoter of the serotonin transporter gene. Neuropsychopharmacology, 30(12):2230-5, 2005
- Perna G, Grassi M, Caldirola D, Nemeroff CB. The revolution of personalized psychiatry: will technology make it happen sooner? Psychological Medicine, Oct 2:1-9, 2017
- Perna G, Cuniberti F, Daccò S, Nobile M, Caldirola D. Impact of respiratory protective devices on respiration: implications for panic vulnerability during the COVID-19 pandemic”. Journal of Affective Disorders, 277: 772-778, 2020
- Caldirola D, Cuniberti F, Daccò S, Grassi M, Torti T & Perna G. Predicting new-onset psychiatric disorders throughout the COVID-19 pandemic: A machine learning approach Journal of Neuropsychiatry & Clinical Neurosciences, 34:233-246, 2022