Onassis Health Day 2023

In honor of the hospital’s 30 years of service, the Onassis Cardiac Surgery Center (OCSC), the Onassis Foundation and its Scholars’ Association are organizing the 3rd Onassis Health Day. Boasting more than one million patient appointments and tens of thousands of heart operations since first opening its doors in 1993, the OCSC is not simply the realization of the vision set out by Aristotle Onassis – it is a life-giving gift that has both transformed the public healthcare landscape in Greece and helped advance the medical sciences on an international level.

This year’s Onassis Health Day – to be held at Onassis Stegi – will see specialist scholars, healthcare scientists, and other distinguished participants discussing the past and future of cardiology, about patients and medical personnel, as well as planning for the emerging digital realities of smart hospitals, and preparing for the 2024 arrival of the Onassis National Transplant Center (ONTRC) and all it will bring.

10:00 – 10:30 | Opening remarks

● Anthony S. Papadimitriou, President of the Onassis Foundation

● Ioannis N. Boletis, President of the Onassis Cardiac Surgery Center (OCSC)

● Panagiotis Minogiannis, General Manager of the Onassis Cardiac Surgery Center, President of the Onassis Scholars’ Association

10:30 – 13:00 | 1st session

The scientific contribution of the Onassis Cardiac Surgery Center: cardiac surgery, transplantations, pediatric patients, research

Moderators: Theofani Antoniou, MD, PhD, Director of Medical Services, Head of the Anesthesiology Department, OCSC

1. Revolutionizing Cardiology and Cardiac Surgery

Konstantinos Perreas, Director of the 1st Department of Cardiac Surgery, OCSC

Michail Efremidis, Director of the Department of Cardiology, Head of the Department of Cardiac Electrophysiology & Pacing, OCSC

2. Laying the foundations of the miracle of heart and lung transplantation

Stamatis Adamopoulos, MD, PhD, Director of Heart Failure, Transplantation & Mechanical Circulatory Support Unit, OCSC

Themistoklis Chamogeorgakis, Director of the 2nd Department of Cardiac Surgery, Head of Cardiac Surgery, Heart-Lung Transplantation & Mechanical Support, Coordinator of the Cardiac Surgery Department, OCSC

3. Introducing the pioneering “Department of Pediatric Cardiology and Adult Congenital Heart Disease”

Nikolaos Giannopoulos, MD, PhD, FECTS, Alternate Director and Scientific Coordinator of the Department of Pediatric Cardiology and Adult Congenital Heart Disease, OCSC

Ioannis Papagiannis, MD, PhD, Director of the Department of Pediatric Cardiology & Adult Congenital Heart Disease, OCSC

4. At the forefront of scientific research

Charalambos Antoniades, Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine, University of Oxford, Onassis Foundation Scholar

Evangelia Nyktari, MD, FESC, Cardiology Consultant, CMR Scientific Lead, OCSC

13:00 – 13:45 | Coffee break

13:45 – 15:15 | 2nd session

30 years of people-centered contribution: life experiences, lifelong values, life-changing scholarships

Moderators: Effie Tsiotsiou, Executive Director& Director of Education of the Onassis Foundation

1.When science gives birth to human stories

Meletios Kanakis, MD, MSc, PhD, Consultant Cardiothoracic Surgeon, Department of Pediatric Cardiology and Adult Congenital Heart Disease, OCSC, Onassis Foundation Scholar

Konstantinos Petsios, Head of Clinical Research Office, OCSC, Onassis Foundation Scholar

Irini Kitsou, Transplant Coordinator, OCSC, Onassis Foundation Scholar

Dimitris Magginas, President of "SinexiZO", the Panhellenic Association of Heart and Lung Transplant recipients, OCSC Transplant patient

2.Human resources and values

Xanthi Papadaki, Deputy human resources director, OCSC

3.Excellence in Medicine

Ioannis Iakovou, Director of the Department of Hemodynamics and Interventional Cardiology, OCSC, Onassis Foundation Scholar

Andreas Prachalias, MD, PhD, Consultant Surgeon, Liver Transplant, Hepato-Biliary & Pancreatic Surgery, Clinical Director of Liver, Gastroenterology and Endoscopy, King’s College Hospital, Onassis Foundation Scholar

15:15 – 15:45 | Light meal

15:45 – 18:15 | 3rd session

Planning the next 30 years: innovation in health and digital transformation in quality healthcare services

Moderators: Prodromos Tsiavos, Head of Digital Development & Innovation of the Onassis Foundation

1.Onassis National Transplant Center A smart hospital at the service of transplantations

Saket Shukla, Zone Business Lead for Digital Business in Southern Europe at Siemens Healthineers

Dimitris Nikas, Chairman & Managing Director, Medtronic Hellas

Michael Papadakis, Chief Information Officer, OCSC

2. Health as a tool for growth

Irene Kitsara, European Standardization Initiatives Director, ΙΕΕΕ SA

Natalia Manola, Athena Research & Innovation Center & OPIX.AI

Sotirios Tsaftaris, Chair in Machine Learning and Computer Vision, Canon Medical/Royal Academy of Engineering Research Chair in Healthcare AI,University of Edinburgh, Onassis Foundation Scholar

18:15 – 19:00 | 4th session

Discussing the next 30 years

Moderators: Antonis Fourlis, Journalist

● Anthony S. Papadimitriou, President of the Onassis Foundation

● Ioannis N. Boletis, President of the Onassis Cardiac Surgery Center