Redento D. Ferranti

FERRANTI, Redento D. Redento D. Ferranti, an internationally recognized physician, passed away Tuesday, (July 29, 2008) at St. Raphael Hospital after a career during which he pioneered advances in pulmonary rehabilitation, promoted the importance of nutrition in patients with chronic respiratory insufficiency and spearheaded programs to study sleep disorders. Dr. Ferranti's curiosity, intelligence, humor and love of life illuminated his work and relationships with fellow physicians, patients and family. In lectures and conferences in the U.S. and Europe, Dr. Ferranti's colleagues often referred to him as the "father of modern pulmonary rehabilitation." Dr. Ferranti was an associate clinical professor of medicine at Yale University and, among other positions, served as medical director and director of the pulmonary program at Gaylord Hospital. As a fulltime physician at Gaylord from 1969 to 1997, he founded and expanded the pulmonary program to one of international stature and in partnership with Yale founded the Sleep Study Laboratory, which he then transformed into the largest sleep center in Connecticut and one of the largest in New England. He was one of the first physicians to introduce the use of liquid oxygen in small portable containers. Born in Sulmona, Italy, in 1923, Dr. Ferranti was the only child of Maria Assunta Colamosca and Marco Ferranti, a tailor and railway worker. Coming of age in war-torn Rome, Dr. Ferranti became convinced of the need to foster international relations to avoid war, poverty and disease, and helped promote the youth hostel movement in post-war Europe. After graduating from the University of Rome Medical School in 1952, Dr. Ferranti served residencies at Kings County and St. Vincent's Hospitals in New York City. He married Ida Preziosi, a nurse-anesthetist, in 1954 and moved to Connecticut, where in addition to his work at Gaylord served in positions at hospitals including Yale-New Haven, St. Raphael, Meriden-Wallingford, WWII Memorial, New Britain Memorial, and Veterans Home & Hospital. He co-founded a school for respiratory therapy at St. Raphael. His concern for quality of life and his multidisciplinary approach to medicine informed his efforts to examine the role of diet and sleep disorders in patients with respiratory problems, which he explored in numerous academic articles and lectures in the U.S. and Europe. His interest in international cooperation and in mentoring younger colleagues spurred him to organize the Roman Forum in Pulmonary Diseases in 1973, the success of which led to dozens of other medical conferences in Europe and the U.S. Dr. Ferranti received many awards including The American Lung Association and Connecticut Thoracic Society's Humanitarian Award and the Gaylord Medal. Despite such accolades, Dr. Ferranti, affectionately known as Tino, was a modest man who liked nothing better than to introduce acquaintances from all walks of life to the joys of Italian cooking and wine, apply his interest in architecture while rehabilitating his beloved house in Trevi, Italy, and put his encyclopedic knowledge of European culture to use during travels with family and colleagues. Dr. Ferranti, a North Haven resident, is survived by his wife, Ida; six children: Marc, Peter, Paul, Thomas, Mary and John; and nine grandchildren. Friends may call at The Celentano Funeral Home, 424 Elm St., New Haven, Friday from 4-8 p.m., and are invited to attend a funeral mass at the Church of St. Mary, 5 Hillhouse Ave., Saturday at 10 a.m. Memorial contributions in Dr. Ferranti's name may be made to Gaylord Hospital Sleep Program, P.O. Box 400, Wallingford, CT 06492. Attention: Development.