Paolo Capodaglio received his M.D. degree from the University of Pavia, Italy, in 1988 and his specialization in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PMR) from the same University in 1991. After graduating, he worked as a PMR specialist at different hospitals of the Fondazione Maugeri Institute. He then spent time working abroad (1992 University of Dusseldorf, Germany; 1995-1996 National Institute of Occupational Health, Copenhagen, Denmark), in the course of which he began collaborations with several research groups in Europe and the US. He has also taught at the Medical School of the University of Brescia, Italy. At present, he is Director of the PMR Unit (80 inpatients) and the Laboratory for Research in Biomechanics and Rehabilitation at the Istituto Auxologico Italiano IRCCS in Verbania-Piancavallo, Italy. He has devoted much of his research to functional evaluation in ageing and pathological conditions (spinal cord injuries, musculoskeletal disorders, obesity and metabolic conditions), has published more than 200 papers in peer-reviewed journals and 6 books, and serves as reviewer for several indexed journals.