He received his M.D. and Ph.D. in psychiatry and neuroscience from the University of Turn in Turin, Italy. He also completed his psychiatry residency there before joining the Mind, Brain and Neuroimaging Unit of the Institute of Mental Health Research at University of Ottawa as a postdoctoral fellow. Afterwards, Dr. Lavagnino joined the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at UTHealth for a postdoctoral research fellowship.