معرفی
George Athanasopoulos is a Visiting Professor of Cardiology at the University of Belgrade since 2015, with a distinguished 35-year career centered at Athens' Onassis Cardiac Surgery Center where he served as Director of Cardiology Department (2013-2023), Head of Non-Invasive Cardiology (2002-2017), and Deputy Director (1992-2002). His clinical expertise spans valvular heart diseases, echocardiography, and pulmonary hypertension interventions.
His academic foundation includes:
- Doctoral thesis (1996) at the University of Athens Medical School on "Effect of Amiodarone on Left Ventricular Function in Dilated Cardiomyopathy"
- Postgraduate specialization in Clinical Cardiology-Echocardiography (1988-1989) at Royal Postgraduate Medical School London as an Onassis Foundation Scholar
- Cardiology Specialty training (1985-1988) at Tzaneio General Hospital of Piraeus
Dr. Athanasopoulos' research revolutionizes echocardiographic applications in pulmonary hypertension and valvular disease, establishing reference standards through the EACVI NORRE study and pioneering 3D printing for left atrial appendage modeling. His work integrates inflammatory biomarkers like interleukin-6 with stress echocardiography to predict coronary artery disease outcomes, while his registry data drives clinical protocols for balloon pulmonary angioplasty in chronic thromboembolic hypertension.
Analysis of his 2019-2022 publications reveals three converging trajectories: (1) Refinement of echocardiographic strain parameters for early detection of right ventricular dysfunction in pulmonary hypertension, (2) Development of 3D-printed cardiac models for procedural planning in structural interventions, and (3) Critical evaluation of stroke prevention gaps in atrial fibrillation management. These threads demonstrate his unique bridging of imaging innovation, hemodynamic assessment, and clinical registry science.
His scientific recognition includes:
- Fellowship in the European Society of Cardiology (1993)
- Onassis Foundation Scholarship for advanced echocardiography training
As principal investigator, he secured major European Society of Cardiology grants including the NORRE Research Programme (2008-2015) establishing echocardiographic norms, and served as National Coordinator for the EURO-ENDO registry (2015-2018) and Euro Heart Survey on Cardiac Oncology Toxicity (2014-2016), directing multicenter data collection across Greece. His editorial leadership spanned the Hellenic Cardiology Review (Director 1999-2006) and European Journal of Echocardiography (1999-2009).
He co-founded the Hellenic Pulmonary Hypertension Registry and leads the Cardiovascular Imaging in Clinical Practice program (2017-present) with Imperial College London, while his EACVI NORRE study data remains the gold standard for left ventricular strain interpretation across 28 European centers.
