Maria Bernadette Cilona

Dr. Maria Bernadette Cilona is a specialist in Allergology and Clinical Immunology at the Advanced Multidisciplinary Center for Asthma, Food and Drug Allergies at IRCCS Ospedale San Raffaele in Milan, directed by Dr. Mona-Rita Yacoub.

She graduated in Medicine and Surgery in 2020 from Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, completing a clinical research period at UZ Leuven University Hospital (Belgium). In 2025, she completed her specialization in Allergology and Clinical Immunology with highest honors.

She carries out scientific activity as author and co-author of indexed publications on eosinophilic diseases, drug allergies, and asthma. She serves as sub-investigator in numerous national and international clinical trials and registries. She regularly participates as a speaker at national and international scientific congresses and is a member of SIAAIC, SIMI, junior member of EAACI, and of the Italian Severe Asthma Network (SANI).

Specifically, she manages:

• Asthma, including severe asthma, rhinitis and chronic rhinosinusitis through skin prick testing and second- and third-level diagnostics (specific IgE testing, Fractional Exhaled Nitric Oxide – FeNO, spirometry with bronchodilator testing), offering the possibility of initiating allergen-specific immunotherapy for inhalant allergens.
• She collaborates within the multidisciplinary Pregnancy Pathology Clinic together with gynecologists and internists, managing allergic and immunological diseases during pregnancy.
• Urticaria, angioedema, eczema, atopic dermatitis and contact dermatitis, with the possibility of performing skin biopsy, patch testing, and initiating targeted biological and immunosuppressive therapies.
• Drug allergies (antibiotics, anesthetics, NSAIDs, contrast media and chemotherapeutic agents), also in collaboration with the Hospital Cancer Center, with availability of diagnostic testing and desensitization protocols.
• Eosinophilic and mast cell disorders, including hypereosinophilic syndrome and mast cell activation syndrome.
• Food allergies, including anaphylaxis, with diagnostic assessment through specific IgE testing, Basophil Activation Test (BAT), prick-by-prick testing with fresh foods, and differential diagnosis with gastrointestinal disorders (allergies vs intolerances, SIBO, irritable bowel syndrome).