Andrea Amalfitano said he bleeds green and white.
"Heck yeah, I'm glad to be back," he said.
Arriving at MSU on Sept. 1 to continue his research on genetic disorders, the pediatric geneticist is unpacking, moving boxes and starting to set up his new laboratory.
Amalfitano, an MSU alumnus, is the appointed Osteopathic Heritage Foundation Endowed Chairperson, a position funded by a nonprofit, private foundation based in Columbus, Ohio.
He has brought nationally renowned research to MSU, and Amalfitano said he will continue to work with patients as well.
"I see children and adults with genetic disorders," he said. "What I am trying to do is apply molecular technology approaches to try and treat these conditions.
"I bridge that gap between clinical medicine and the basic research lab and figure out how to tackle some of these devastating problems."
He called MSU his home for 10 years, from 1980 to 1990, when he completed his undergraduate degree and then continued with the dual degree program in the College of Osteopathic Medicine.
He simultaneously earned his medical degree and doctorate degree from MSU before going on to do his internships in Michigan hospitals and then a residency at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.
Now, fresh from Duke University where he spent the last nine years researching genetic diseases, he said he is excited to be back and dive into his work.
"I have always wanted to come back," he said. "I get to give back to what I got. I will be able to expand and go after diseases I wished to address, but haven't had the resources to go after before."
Amalfitano said he plans to continue to use his medical certification and his research together at MSU.
"I have a laboratory that I am rapidly going to equip," he said. "I don't want to just blunder in and set up shop. It will take time to get things going."
He said he plans to continue to see patients in a clinical setting. His work involves treating everyone from infants to 80-year-olds.
"I will see a lot of children that are developmentally delayed and it comes up as they fall behind in schools," Amalfitano said. "I get to see the full spectrum. It makes for a very interesting clinic. You never know what the question is going to be."
Amalfitano has had "a very highly respected research effort" occurring at Duke, and has collaborated with scientists from all over the country and world, said Veronica Maher, the associate dean for graduate studies in the College of Osteopathic Medicine.
"We knew his work was extremely important and his research is extremely well-received around the world," Maher said. "His ability to work with others and his outgoing, generous personality draws others to be happy to work with him."
Michele Fluck, a professor of microbiology and molecular genetics, worked with Amalfitano when he was doing his graduate work in the 1980s. She said he was a "dream student" and will be a true asset to campus.
"I always said the only thing I did for him was tell him not to work too hard," Fluck said. "He's in a very interesting area in which we didn't have, really, anybody yet."
Amalfitano said he wants to help enhance any academic programs related to his expertise at MSU - working with anyone who is interested in his field and advancing the field of genetics.
"My goal, as well as most of the professors on campus, is to continue the mission - to teach and train the future researchers and physicians," Amalfitano said. "I certainly have a number of things we develop in the labs that I want to see get out into the clinics and want them to have an impact."
