March - april 2013

issue 2 - VoluMe 3

The helleNic MeDical socieTY oF NeW YorK

The hellenic Medical
society of New York
executive Board

Dr. Nicholas H. E. Mezitis

president
Dr. George Liakeas
1st Vice-president
Dr. Stella Lymberis
2nd Vice-president
Dr. John Stathopoulos
secretary
Dr. Elias Sanidas
asst. secretary
Dr. Demetrios Karides
Treasurer
Dr. Gerasimos Petratos
asst. Treasurer
Dr. Alexander Sotiropoulos
scholarships
Dr. George Tsioulias
(ex officio)
Dr. George Dangas
(ex officio)
Please renew
your membership
and update
your professional
information in order
to maintain your status in the Physician
Referral Hotline
Registry and
on our website.

April 2013

Dear Colleagues

Happy Easter to you and your families and friends.

The advent of spring marks the close of a busy winter period

and new beginnings for our Society.

Many of you celebrated Tsiknopempti with us in traditional

Greek fashion, while others attended the Greek National Holiday pageant at St. Demetrios High School in Astoria, whose
science program we now mentor. In March, we were also honored to host the President of the Athens Medical Association,
Dr. George Patoulis, for three days of community presentations
and meetings with our Executive Board and other HellenicAmerican professional society representatives, during which a
formal fraternal association ( ) was proposed
for our two organizations. On April 8, our Society was applauded as we marched up Fifth Avenue in the Greek parade
and 2 weeks later we greeted our 2013 Distinguished Female
Physician honoree, Dr. Artemis Simopoulos, at the annual Dr.
Mary Kalopothakes Award Symposium at Lenox Hill Hospital
North Shore LIJ.

Work continues on improving our website, our Physician Referral Network and our electronic communications outreach. Our
events are featured regularly on Facebook, YouTube and the
MGTV-USA website, even as we are planning our presence on
TV, in the knowledge that community education is an integral
part of our mission.

In May, you will have the opportunity to be part of history at the

2013 George N. Papanicolaou Award Symposium. Dr. John
Zervoudakis will be this years honoree with a select group of
speakers. Following presentations, a special celebration will
formally introduce our fraternal relationship with the Athens
Medical Association. President Dr. George Patoulis as well as

The hellenic Medical

society of New York
specialty areas

Finance
Dr. George Liakeas (E)
Dr. Demetrios Karides (E)
Dr. Dimitrios Kostopoulos
Dr. George Yatrakis
Dr. Andreas Cosmatos
Dr. Andreas Koutras

Membership
Dr. Panagiota Andreopoulou
Dr. Dean Pappas
events
Dr. Stella Lymberis (E)
Ms. Roula Lambrakis
Dr. Nicholas Mezitis (E)

information Technology
Dr. Elias Sanidas (E)
Dr. Dimitrios Kostopoulos
Dr. Gerasimos Petratos (E)
education &
community outreach
Dr. John Stathopoulos (E)
Dr. Andreas Cosmatos
Dr. James Melis
real estate
Dr. George Yatrakis
Dr. Demetrios Karidis
Dr. Spyros Mezitis
Dr. George Liakeas (E)

scholarships
Grants / awards
Dr. Alexander Sotiropoulos
Media / News Bulletin
Dr. Stella Lymberis (E)
Dr. Nicholas Mezitis (E)

other Association members and distinguished guests from

Greece will be in attendance.

As always, assistance to Greece in its hour of need is paramount in our considerations. Our relationship with the Athens
Medical Association will permit coordination of our members efforts to support healthcare needs in Greece. Collaboration with
the Federation of Hellenic Medical Societies of North America
has enhanced our ability to be of counsel to national HellenicAmerican associations such as the AHEPA and the Panarcadian Association, with a presence in tertiary care in Greece,
through their hospitals. Cross-cultural cooperation with the Bnai
Zion Foundation, which will honor our member Dr. Dimitrios
Kostopoulos with its 2013 Humanitarian Award on May 9, will
benefit the programs of the Hellenic Relief Foundation feeding
the needy in Greece.
Much more remains to be done in our Administration, as we address scholarships, finances and other issues of relevance to
our members in a period of major changes in the practice of
medicine. Each and every one of you is our ambassador to the
profession and all should be members of our Society for truly
in unity there is strength.
Be well. Be strong. Be together.
.
Nicholas H.E. Mezitis, M.D.
President

Before the gates of Excelle nce

the high Gods have place d sweat,
Long is the road thereto
and ste ep and rough at the first.
But whe n the he ight is won,
the n there is ease,
Though grievously hard
in the winning.
Hesiod

legal
Dr. George Tsioulias (E)
Mr. Steven Ateshoglou
Mr. George Zapantis
Bylaws
Dr. Marinos Petratos
Dr. George Dangas (E)

professional
representation
Dr. George Tsioulias (E)
Dr. Frixos Goussis
Dr. Demetrios Markouizos
Dr. George Dangas (E)
Dr. Despina Komninou
Dr. Spyros Mezitis
Dr. Alexander Sotiropoulos

advisors to the president

Dr. Marinos Petratos
Dr. Antoine Harovas
Dr. Artemis Simopoulos

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click to play

(E)=Executive Board member

Membership
Appeal

Join the Hellenic

Medical Society
of New York
Membership in the
Society is a title
of distinction for
physicians and other
health care
professionals
and confers many
benefits

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TOP 10 BENEFITS
OF MEMBERSHIP
*
1. CME credits
2. Inclusion in
Referral Directory
3. 2 gratis tickets
to social events
(excluding Gala)
4. Premier Banking
with HSBC
5. Long-Term Care
Insurance
6. Travel discounts
to Greece
7. Subscription
discounts
8. Feature articles
in NEO magazine
9. Cosmos FM interview opportunities
10.Monthly e-News
Bulletin
membership@hmsny.org
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APOKRIES CELEBRATION AT THE HOLY TRINITY

CATHEDRAL CENTER IN MANHATTAN

Healing through
Appreciation of Life
Images
and
Harmonies
selected by
Dr. Aphrodite Togias

CLICK TO VIEW

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up For each
pracTice
sTarT-up Fee
WaiVeD For each
pracTice
liFeTiMe 15%
oFF BooK prices
reVeNue shariNG
For The socieTY
as a Whole

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Physical Therapy for Astoria,
Bay Ridge, Upper East Side,
Bayside and Midtown
Manhattan

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Greek Language
Health Program
on COSMOS FM 91.5
Public Radio
Produced
by the Mezitis
Education and
Research Institute

Hosted by
Dr. Nicholas Mezitis and
Dr. Despina Komninou
Featured guests
included:
Dr. George Patoulis
President of the
Athens Medical
Association
Dr. Artemis Simopoulos
Dr. Andrew Glyptis
Psychologist
Dimitra Hrisikos
WHBA President
Dr. Constantinos
Drosatos, and
Doctors of the World
Greek Chapter
President

Dr. Nikitas Kanakis

Please consider
sharing your expertise in
future programs.
Contact

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DONATIONS
TO THE YOUTH
OF GREECE
AND TO OUR
HELLENICAMERICAN YOUTH

The daughters of
Dr apostolos Tambakis,
past president and
benefactor of the hellenic Medical society of
New York , donated
$25,000 to our society
in honor of their father.
The donation was directed for the purchase of
computer hardware and
support services for the
pupils in the school of Asprochoma, Messinias
where Dr. Tambakis attended class in his youth.
Dr. Tambakis has also directed funds from a major
foundation honoring him,
to our Society in support
of our initiative of mentorship of the Science program at St. Demetrios
High School in Astoria,
Queens.
Such contributions and
the initiatives of the Hellenic Medical Society of
New York set an example
for the Omogenia in addressing issues confronting our youth in the
United States and in
Greece.

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Nicholas . . Mezitis, M.D.
President
The Hellenic Medical Society of New York

.: Our Condolences :.

Elizabeth Coryllos

MD, FAAP, FACS,IBLCLC

Distinguished
pediatrician - surgeon.
Past President and
faithful member of the
Hellenic Medical
Society of New York.
Daughter of
HMS NY Founder
Dr. Polyvios Coryllos.
Established a scholarship fund with our
Society in honor
of her father.
Presented on 'TongueTie Revisited. Its Diagnosis and Management.
Impact on Breastfeeding and on the Dyad's
Emotional and Physical
Well-Being.' at the First
World Hellenic Medical
Network Conference in
Kos 2007.
***

Athanassios
(Tom) Voudouris

Beloved father
of our distinguished
colleague, specialist in
Hematology-Oncology,
former member of the
Executive Board of the
HMS NY, Dr. Dialekti
Voudouris.
***

Andrew Athens

Past President of the

World Council of Hellenes Abroad and friend
of the Hellenic Medical
Society of New York.

Dr. Mary Kalopothakis Scientific Symposium

April 18th , CME Program and speakers
Mary Kalopothakes was born in
Athens in 1859, the daughter
of Michael D. Kalopothakes
a medical doctor from Athens,
Greece, and of Martha Hooper
Blackler from Marblehead,
Massachussetts, USA. She
studied at Greek and American
schools and graduated from the
Harvard Annex (now Radcliffe
College). She wanted to study
medicine. However, because of
the difficulties posed due to the
fact that she was a woman in the Greek University, she commenced her studies in Paris, France on October 1886. She returned to Athens in 1894 and passed the oral and written
exams and began practicing the specialties of Pediatrics and
Gynecology.

The pioneering female physician was an active member of the

Union of Greek Women which was mobilized at the onset of the
Greco-Turkish War of 1897. She worked as a Director and a
surgeon of the Hospital of the Red Cross in Volos. She was
recognized by Queen Olga for her daily training and seminars
to prepare nurses to serve on the front. At the end of the war of
1897 the Greek women were also recognized by Florence
Nightingale, the English nurse who made outstanding contributions to the knowledge and improvement of public health.
Mary Kalopothakes opened a clinic for women and children and
trained nurses focusing on public health and the prevention of
tuberculosis while always working fulltime as a pediatrician.
In 1909 she published a report on public health in Greece outlining rates of infant mortality, hygiene and tuberculosis in the
book "The Health of the Nations". She continued her efforts
publishing the book "Elements of Hygiene for Schools" in 1912
and editing the "Hygeia" (Health) magazine.

During the Balkan War of 1912 she served in Arta at the Hospital of the Red Cross. In the two wars in which she took part, her
contribution as a surgeon was legendary, demonstrating unparalleled dedication, unwavering courage and heroism.
A modest, charitable humanitarian, she attended to poor pa-

tients as well as to refugees of the Asia Minor Catastrophe

without seeking payment. She found courage in her faith practicing medicine with a selfless dedication. A daughter of the
founder of the Greek Evangelical Church,she wrote many
hymns. She also wrote in the "Ephemeris ton Paidon" (Childs'
paper) and the "Astir tis Anatolis" (the Star of the East) newspapers that her father edited. She died in January 1941 while the
Greek troops enjoyed victories at the Albanian front.
arTeMis p. siMopoulos, M.D.
BioGraphical sKeTch

spacious, elegantly
laid-out and furnished
medical office in a modern high-rise building
in the heart of astoria.
The office is located in
the vicinity of Mount
sinai hospital of Queens
and a few steps from the
subway station. The office has a designated
wireless network and is
fully computerized.
There are two underground parking spaces
for Doctors and
a nearby Muni parking
lot for patients.
suitable for
an internist, surgeon
or gynecologist.
For information,
call (718) 523 4520
or (212) 737 4004
and ask for
Natasha or Kiki

Artemis P. Simopoulos, M.D. is

the Founder and President of
the Center for Genetics, Nutrition and Health, a nonprofit educational organization in
Washington, D.C. since 1990. A
graduate of Barnard College,
Columbia University, with a
major in Chemistry, and a graduate of the Boston University
School of Medicine, she is a
physician and endocrinologist
whose research at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) was
on the nutritional aspects of genetic and endocrine disorders;
evolutionary aspects of diet and fatty acids; and the importance
of a balanced ratio of omega-6/omega-3 fatty acids in health
and disease and in growth and development.

She is the author of The Omega Diet (HarperCollins, 1999) and

has edited over 50 books and journal supplements in addition
to publishing over 350 scientific papers. She has been the editor of the Karger series World Review of Nutrition and Dietetics
from 1989 to 2011. Volume 102 in the series is on Healthy Agriculture, Healthy Nutrition, Healthy People.

Dr. Simopoulos was Executive Secretary of the Division on

Medical Sciences at the National Research Council, National
Academy of Sciences in Washington, D.C. from 1972 to 1977
and Project Director for the pioneering book Genetic Screening:
Programs, Principles and Research published in 1975 by the
National Academy of Sciences-National Research Council.
This was the first book that analyzed in depth the scientific,
legal, ethical, economic and public policy aspects of genetic

~ INVITATION ~

screening, and is found in many of the medical libraries around

the world. Dr. Simopoulos chaired the Nutrition Coordinating
Committee at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) from 1978
to 1986.

2013 GEORGE N
PAPANICOLAOU
AWARD AND
SEMINAR

Honoring
Dr. John Zervoudakis

Obstetrics and
Gynecology,
New York
Presbyterian Hospital
AND
SPECIAL EVENT

CELEBRATING
THE ESTABLISHMENT
OF FRATERNAL
ASSOCIATION

BETWEEN
THE HELLENIC
MEDICAL SOCIETY
OF NEW YORK
AND THE ATHENS
MEDICAL ASSOCIATION
Dr. George Patoulis
President of the
Athens Medical
Association and Mayor
of Marousi, Attiki
Thursday,
May 23 at 6:30 PM
Weill Cornell
Medical College
York Avenue
at 68th Street

In addition to her responsibilities at NIH, Dr. Simopoulos

served as Consultant on Nutrition and Health to Ms.
Ester Peterson, Special Assistant to The President for
consumer Affairs, The White House, from 1978 to 1980.
During that time she was a member of a number of White
House delegations to the World Health Organization and
the Food and Agriculture Organization. From 1978 to
1983 she was Cochairman and Executive Secretary of
the Joint Subcommittee on Human Nutrition Research,
Federal Coordinating Council on Science, Engineering,

and Technology, Office of Science and Technology Policy, Executive Office of The President, The White House,
and a member of its successor, the Interagency Committee for Human Nutrition Research from 1983-1986.
Dr. Simopoulos was a Founding Member of the International Society for the Study of Fatty Acids and Lipids
(ISSFAL) in 1991, Secretary/Treasurer of ISSFAL from
1991 to 1998, and a member of the Editorial Board of the

Medicine
and the Law

click to play

Changes to HIPAA
Enforcement
and Breach
Notification Rules
What Providers
Need to Know Now

By Catherine G. Patsos, Esq.

Changes to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act(HIPAA)Rules

are here, and covered entities and business associates
have until September 23,
2013 to comply with them.
Significant changes have
been made to the Enforcement Rule and the Breach
Notification Rule, among
other requirements. One of
the most significant changes
for providers is that a covered entity is now liable for
the violations of its business
associate if the business associate is acting as an agent
of the covered entity.
click to view full article

ISSFAL Newsletter from 1994 to 2000. She is the

Founder of the International Society of Nutrigenetics/ Nutrigenomics (ISNN), was Past President from 2005-2009
and Founder and Chair of the World Council on Genetics,
Nutrition, and Fitness for Health (WCGNFH) since 2005.
Dr. Simopoulos is the recipient of numerous honors and
awards, including the first Presidential Award for Studies in
the Field of Obesity and Weight Control (Columbia University, USA); the 1991 Boston University School of Medicine
Distinguished Alumna Award (USA); and the 1998 Gopalan
Oration Award (India); the 1999 Geoffrey H. Bourne Lecture at Saint Georges University in Grenada ,British West
Indies; the 2003 Michael J. Hill Memorial Lecture in London, U.K.; and the 2010 Dr. Demetrios Flessas Lecture at
the Hellenic American Medical Society of New York City,
NY. In 2008 she was 1 of 9 selected women in the U.S.
recognized by the Education Update in their March issue
Women Shaping History.

St. Luke's and Roosevelt Hospitals

Dr. Nicholas H. E. Mezitis gave a presentation on
"Sound the Alert "
Diabetes Awareness Day
Spring into good health with these educational
and fun events designed to keep you healthy.