Fondation Marisa Sophie
Francesca Stingele holds a University Degree in Microbiology and a PhD in Molecular Biology from the University of Munich. She spent the first eight years of her career in research partly in academia and in industry and subsequently shifted to drug development in the biotech industry. Her last position was Managing Director of Neurim Pharmaceuticals, an Israeli-Swiss biotech Company, active in developing novel central nervous system products. She was going to change position to become the CEO of a venture capital funded CNS Start-up Company, when the tragedy hit her family. The youngest family member, Marisa at the time 11 months old, was hit by a streptococcal meningitis, which was not treated in time, and within one week Marisa passed away. After seven years in court the two doctors treating Marisa were charged for homicide by negligence. This trauma would change the course of Francesca’s and her family’s life. She left her biotech career to create a Foundation for Critically Ill children (www.marisasophie.com) and became an advocate for patient safety, lecturing at universities, nursing schools and conferences.