Anastasia Beneka

Anastasia Beneka is a Professor at the Department of Physical Education & Sport Sciences, Democritus University of Thrace (Greece), affiliated with the Laboratory of Therapeutic Exercise and Rehabilitation. She holds academic roles including teaching undergraduate and graduate courses on musculoskeletal injuries, rehabilitation counseling, and anatomy. Her research focuses on therapeutic exercise for chronic musculoskeletal pain, sports injury rehabilitation, and ergonomic interventions for occupational health. She has supervised over 30 master’s and doctoral theses and contributed to peer-reviewed journals such as the Journal of Sport Rehabilitation and Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports.

• Educations: PhD in Sports Sciences (1998), MSc in Coaching (1996), BSc in Physical Education (1994), all from Democritus University of Thrace.
• Professional Experience: Researcher (2005–present), Academic Advisor (2008–2010), Special Advisor to the Greek Ministry of Education (2007–2009).

Research Interests: She investigates musculoskeletal injury prevention, therapeutic exercise programs for chronic pain, and the biomechanical assessment of athletic performance. Notable contributions include studies on proprioceptive training in soccer players, core stability for low back pain, and ergonomic interventions for office workers.

Publications: Over 50 peer-reviewed articles (605 citations, H-index 15), with recent work on AI-driven injury rehabilitation systems and workplace exercise programs. Key themes include musculoskeletal rehabilitation, sports biomechanics, and clinical exercise physiology.

• Awards: Marshall Memorial Fellowship (2006), Chairman’s Award for Medical Science Excellence (1997).
• Grants/Projects: Coordinator of the Erasmus+ project “Therapeutic Exercise at Workspace” (2014–present), contributor to EU-funded research on sport tourism and rehabilitation protocols.

Labs/Teams: Active in the “Therapeutic Exercise and Rehabilitation Lab” and collaborates with international institutions on EU-funded projects.