When considering the vitality and stimulating enthusiasm of Italian Professor Michele Masellis, one would hardly believe that he will be celebrating his 80^th birthday this year; and it is impossible to describe briefly his work and achievements at both national and international level. But because Prof. Masellis is also well-recognized in the Czech Republic, where he has contributed substantially to growing international medical relations, let us mention just a few high-points of his career from the Czech point of view.Michele Masellis was born in Triggiano, northern Italy, on May 8^th, 1935. He studied medicine at the University of Modena, graduating in1962, and subsequently started specializing in maxillo-facial surgery (University of Genova, 1968) and plastic reconstructive surgery (University of Padova, 1970). In 1971, he moved to Palermo, Sicily, where...