Organizing
Abbas Qadreh
Consultant Pediatrician and Diabetologist at Athens Pediatric Center. Graduated from the Medical School of the University of Athens. Has specialized in Pediatrics and served as a research associate at the Institute of Child Health in Athens (1988-1992). Subsequently completed a 5 years fellowship at the Pediatric Diabetes Center of P. & A. Kyriakou Hospital. Holds a PhD from the University of Crete, with research focused on phenylketonuria (PKU). With extensive expertise in diabetes, clinical research, and medical education, he has been organizing International Seminars on Pediatric Diabetes (ISPAD Courses) since 1997. His research focuses on diabetes mellitus, with numerous publications in scientific journals.
Charmandari Evaggelia
Evangelia Charmandari is a Professor of Pediatrics – Pediatric and Adolescent Endocrinology at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens Medical School, “Aghia Sophia” Children’s Hospital, Athens, Greece, and the Director of the Masters of Science (MSc) Program entitled ‘General Pediatrics and Pediatric Subspecialties: Clinical Practice and Research’. She is the Scientific Supervisor of the Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Center for Clinical, Experimental Surgery and Translational Research, Biomedical Research Foundation of the Academy of Athens, Athens, Greece. She is the President of the Hellenic Society for Pediatric and Adolescent Endocrinology, the Chair of the ESPE Rare Disease Advisory Committee (RDAC) and a Μember of the ENDO-ERN Steering Committee.
Professor Charmandari graduated from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki Medical School as a valedictorian of her class and completed her specialization in General Pediatrics in the UK. She was further subspecialized in Pediatric and Adolescent Endocrinology at Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children and
University College Hospital in London, UK. She is a certified Pediatrician and Pediatric and Adolescent Endocrinologist by the Royal College of Pediatrics and Child Health, London, UK. She obtained a Masters of Science degree in Clinical Pediatrics and a PhD degree in Pediatric and Adolescent Endocrinology, which were
both awarded by the University College London (UCL), University of London, London, UK. She subsequently undertook a Postdoctoral Fellowship in Molecular Endocrinology and Cellular Biology at the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, Maryland, USA. She also worked as a Consultant in Pediatric and Adolescent
Endocrinology at St. James' University Hospital and Leeds General Infirmary, Leeds, UK.
Professor Charmandari’s research work has focused on the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis physiology, pathophysiology and its disorders, including Gushing’s disease, Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia and Adrenal Insufficiency, the molecular mechanisms of glucocorticoid receptor action, the syndromes of Primary Generalized Glucocorticoid Resistance and Hypersensitivity, disorders of growth and puberty, as well as childhood obesity.
She has more than 500 publications in SCI journals, books, and international conference proceedings (impact factor: 1603; Citations: 12,100; h-index=52; i10- index: 121). She was awarded the ‘Henning Andersen Prize’ of the European Society of Pediatric Endocrinology (basic research), as well as several awards of the Hellenic Endocrine Society, Medical Society of Athens, Hellenic Society of Adolescent Medicine, Hellenic Society for Pediatric and Adolescent Endocrinology, Health Care Business Awards, BITE Awards, Hellenic Responsible Awards, Patient Partnership Awards και Education Leaders Awards. She has been an invited speaker in more than 250 National and International Meetings. Finally, she has attracted approximately €3,200,000.00 research funding
Karipidou Melina
Melina Karipidou is a Clinical Dietitian-Nutritionist and a Research Fellow currently conducting her PhD on management of people who live with Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus at Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, School of Health Science and Education of Harokopio University, in Athens, Greece. She serves as Project Coordinator at the International Catholic Migration Commission (ICMC), on behalf of UNICEF Greece, for the implementation of the National Action Against Childhood Obesity. She is also a Scientific Associate at the Athens Pediatric Center, Iatriko Medical Group. She was Head of the Nutrition Department of the General Maternity & Children’s Hospital “MITERA” member of HYGEIA group, for 13 years. Her work focuses especially on the nutritional intervention in diabetes mellitus and obesity, at both children and adults, delivered in individual or group sessions. For the dissemination of her knowledge and experience on the diabetes management she is often invited to speak in conferences or to give academic lectures. She has presented research through written and oral announcements at international conferences and has corresponding scientific publications.
Kontogianni Meropi
Meropi Kontogianni is an Associate Professor of Clinical Nutrition at the Department of Nutrition and Dietetics (DND) of Harokopio University. Prof. Kontogianni has graduated the DND at HarokopioUniversity (1998), and she holds also a PhD in Applied Dietetics-Nutrition (DND, 2004). In 2003 she was appointed to the Department of Nutrition of the General University Hospital “Laiko” as a Dietitian and in 2009 she was appointed as a faculty member at DND. Her research interests focus on the assessment of dietary habits and their association with health and disease prevention and treatment, as well as on disease-related malnutrition. Prof. Kontogianni has participated in 21 funded research projects receiving either EU, national or private funding resources. She has 122 publications in international peer-reviewed journals (>4600 references, H-index=35), 10 publications in Greek peer-reviewed journals, 200 presentations in international and Greek conferences, and has authored 30 chapters in the broader field of nutrition in edited volumes.
Panayiotopoulos Aristotle
Dr. Aristotle Panayiotopoulos is a Pediatric Endocrinologist and maintains dual board-certification by the American Board of Pediatrics in both Pediatrics and Pediatric Endocrinology. During his tenure in the United States, he served as an attending physician in Pediatric Endocrinology and Diabetology at both Children’s Hospital at Montefiore and Northwell Health. In 2014, he was appointed Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, first at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and later at the Zucker School of Medicine in 2016. In 2022, Dr. Panayiotopoulos returned to Greece with his family. He currently serves as the Director of Pediatric Endocrinology and Lipid Disorders at Athens Medical Center and maintains a private practice.
Support for the Whole Family
