“Many admire, few know.” Hippocrates, Regimen
 |
|
Constantine Maroulis
|
Founded at an informal meeting in late 1948, the HCS became a registered scientific body and held its first annual General Assembly in 1950, where the first President, Alexandros Portokalis, handed over to his successor, Constantine Maroulis.
The HCS was a Founder Member of the ESC and has maintained close contact with European cardiology over the intervening years, including hosting the
5th European Congress of Cardiology in Athens in 1968 - during the Presidency of Georgios Michailidis, the first Greek Professor of Cardiology.
Brief history of Greek cardiology
“Healing is a matter of time, but it is sometimes also a matter of opportunity.” Hippocrates, Precepts
 |
|
Georgios Michailidis
|
Although cardiologists who had trained in other countries staffed central Greek hospitals from the 1930s, it was not until 1954 that cardiology became a recognised medical specialty in Greece itself. By that time, the first haemodynamics laboratory had already been founded, in 1951 at Nea Ionia Hospital, and similar installations followed in all the major hospitals in Athens and Thessaloniki.
The year 1958 marked a significant milestone, as the University of Athens established the first Department of Cardiology, and in 1961 Dr. Georgios Michailidis took office as the first Professor of Cardiology in Greece.
In 1960, the HCS inaugurated its offices in central Athens. However, the Society continued to expand, in terms of both membership and activities, and over the next decades it outgrew its original premises. In 1992, the foundations were laid for new headquarters: the Greek Heart House. By late 1994 the five-storey building was complete and ready for its official opening. The Heart House began its regular function in 1995, housing offices for all the permanent staff and officers of the Society, a library, boardroom, and amphitheatre.
The HCS membership now numbers around 2,500 cardiologists from all regions of Greece. The Society continues to support medical education, through its own annual congresses and other regular central or regional scientific meetings organised by its 20 Working Groups, as well as providing scholarships to cardiologists in training. More information may be found on the HCS website.
Hellenic Journal of Cardiology
“There are in fact two things, science and opinion; the former begets knowledge, the latter ignorance.” Hippocrates, Law
The official journal of the HCS, the Hellenic Journal of Cardiology, has been published on a regular basis for more than 50 years. Since its inception, the Journal has provided a forum for the publication of scientific articles in the Greek language, thus supporting and encouraging research efforts by members of the Society.
Since 2002, when the editorship passed to Professor Panos Vardas, the Journal has also been published in an English language edition, aimed at a more international readership. In 2005, this edition was honoured with inclusion in the US National Library of Medicine’s PubMed/Medline indexing service, which since the beginning of 2009 has included links to full text articles in the Journal’s own archive. Currently, approximately 200 articles per day are downloaded from the Journal’s website, while a glance over the Journal’s recent contents will show that it has become increasingly international in scope.
Greek cardiology and the ESC
"… while calling on the gods a man should himself lend a hand.” Hippocrates, Regimen
Despite the country’s relatively small population (about 11 million), Greece has maintained a high profile at ESC congresses, being consistently among the top few contributing countries in terms of abstract submissions, presentations accepted, and participation.
In addition, a number of prominent Greek cardiologists have served on the ESC Board: Professor Dennis Cokkinos (Vice President, 1989-90), Professor John Gialafos (Councillor 1992-94, Treasurer, 1994-96), Professor Christodoulos Stefanadis (Councillor 1998-2000), Professor Panos Vardas (Vice President, National Societies, 2004-06). Professor Vardas is currently President of the European Heart Rhythm Association (EHRA) and is a candidate for ESC President Elect; other current ESC officers from Greece include Professor John Lekakis (Chairman, Working Group on Peripheral Circulation), and Professor Gerasimos Filippatos (Chairman, Clinical Section, ESC Heart Failure Association (HFA)). Other Greek cardiologists have been involved in various capacities with the organisation of events as part of the ESC’s continuing medical education programme.
Apart from the 5th ESC Congress mentioned above, Greece has also hosted scientific meetings of the ESC Working Groups and Associations: Europace 97, EuroEcho 2004 and EuroPrevent 2006.
A continuing mission
“… make a habit of two things - to help, or at least, to do no harm.” Hippocrates, Epidemics
The HCS is committed to maintaining a high level of both medical and ethical practice among Greek cardiologists, while promoting continuing medical education and encouraging the participation of its members at an international level. It also plays an increasingly political role, pressing for the implementation of international guidelines as a part of Greek medical practice, and supporting initiatives for the primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular diseases. Its primary mission is to contribute to the all-embracing goal of the ESC: “to reduce the burden of cardiovascular disease in Europe”.
Read also: Founding Fathers of the ESC part XIII - Hellenic Cardiological Society
More details about the Hellenic Cardiological Society