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NHS TALKS EPISODE 8: CONTROLLING COVID-19 & TOBACCO CHALLENGES IN GREECE

  • jcm1980
  • June 22, 2020
  • Comments Off on NHS TALKS EPISODE 8: CONTROLLING COVID-19 & TOBACCO CHALLENGES IN GREECE

PANELISTS

DR. PANAGIOTIS BEHRAKIS, DIRECTOR, INSTITUTE OF PUBLIC HEALTH, THE AMERICAN COLLEGE OF GREECE

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Dr. Behrakis is a pulmonologist and leading Public Health expert in respiratory physiology and tobacco control. He is the Director and Founder of the Institute of Public Health at the American College of Greece, Director of the George D. Behrakis Research Lab of the Hellenic Cancer Society, and a Principal Researcher at the Biomedical Research Foundation of Athens Academy.

He has served as a Professor at the University of Athens Medical School, Harvard and received awards especially for his work with successful anti-smoking campaigns in Greece and Europe given the special focus on youth and smoking.

The educational campaign entitled, SmokeFreeGreece has yielded a 33% reduction of smoking prevalence among young smokers and received notice and awards from Europe’s Commission and other private and public institutions.

Dr. Behrakis has authored 150+ medical journal papers, and a host of other contributions to medical and related publications, journals and articles worldwide.


DR. VASILEIOS KIKILIAS, MINISTER, GREEK HEALTH MINISTRY

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Dr. Kikilias was appointed as Greece’s Minister of Health by Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, in July 2019. His public service career includes membership in Greece’s Parliament, service as Municipal Counselor of Athens, Ministry for Public Order and Citizen Protection and as spokesman for the New Democracy Party.

Dr. Kikilias is a orthopedic surgeon, and received advanced medical degrees from Greece’s National and Kapodistrian University where he serves on the faculty. He served Greece’s Air Force as an orthopedic surgeon and was also a celebrated professional basketball player on the A.E.K. and Panionios Basketball Teams as well as Greece’s National Team. Dr. Kikilias also served as the President of the Athens Youth and Sports Organization.


THE HONORABLE GEOFFREY PYATT, UNITED STATES AMBASSADOR TO THE HELLENIC REPUBLIC

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Ambassador Pyatt is a career member of the U.S.’ Foreign Service sworn in as the U.S. Ambassador to the Hellenic Republic in September, 2016. Ambassador Pyatt also served as U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine, receiving the State Department’s prestigious Robert Frasure Memorial Award in recognition of his commitment to peace and alleviation of human suffering in eastern Ukraine.

Previously, Ambassador Pyatt’s posts include service as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State in the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs, Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Mission to the International Organizations in Vienna, at U.S. Embassy in New Delhi, India, U.S. Consulate in Hong Kong and at the U.S. Consulate General office in Pakistan.

Ambassador Pyatt served on the staff of Deputy Secretary Strobe Talbott and at posts in Hounduras. Prior to joining the Foreign Service, he worked with The Inter-American Dialogue, a Washington-based think tank that brings together leading citizens of the Americas.

Ambassador Pyatt grew up in La Jolla, California and holds a Master’s degree in International Relations from Yale and B.A. in Political Science from the University of California, Irvine.



OUR HOST: JOHN METAXAS

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John is an award-winning news reporter and anchor at WCBS News radio and Bloomberg business reports with an audience of millions. He was anchor of CNN’s Your Money, NASDAQ and Moneyline with Lou Dobbs correspondent. John has interviewed legendary business figures including Bill Gates, Andy Grove, Michael Bloomberg and world figures such as Presidents Obama, Clinton, Carter, and Mikhail Gorbachev.

John has practiced law and served as Chief Communications Officer for E*TRADE. He has also served as an Adjunct Professor in journalism.