Dr. Riccardo Polosa is professor of Internal Medicine at the University of Catania, Italy, and a world-renowned researcher into tobacco harm reduction.

Polosa and his team have conducted numerous important clinical trials on the safety and efficacy of e-cigarettes, in addition to studies on schizophrenia, smoking and the transition from smoking to e-cigarettes. He is the founder and director of the recently created Center of Excellence for the Acceleration of Harm Reduction, a scientific advisor for the Italian Anti-Smoking League, and a special scientific advisor for the International Network of Nicotine Consumer Organizations (INNCO).

In the original Filter video above, he tells me about a chance meeting that set him on his current path, his initial skepticism about e-cigarettes, and the peculiar American sensitivity to nicotine use.