EVENT
When:
Friday, February 13, 2026 | 13:30 – 15:30
Where:
ACG Events Hall, DC, Ag. Paraskevi Campus
Organized by:
Dr Tatiana Papageorgiou, Associate Professor, Deree Music Department
– The American College of Greece
Supported by:
The Frances Riches School of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
– The American College of Greece
In collaboration with:
The Biomedical Sciences Program, Science and Mathematics Department – School of Sciences and Technology, the Department of Psychology and the ACG Health & Wellness Center.
About the event
On the occasion of the World Congenital Heart Defect Awareness Day, which symbolically coincides with Valentine’s Day, Dr Tatiana Papageorgiou, Associate Professor of Music, will host a special interdisciplinary event of lectures and performances, titled “The Heart in Music and Medicine”, joined by distinguished guest speakers. The event aims at integrating insights into the subject from different perspectives, celebrating the enduring relationship between music, medicine and the biomedical sciences.
The event will bring in experts in the field, including distinguished interventional cardiologist, Dr. Spyros Papaioannou (Director of Cardiology at the Athens Naval Hospital, Director of the Hellenic Society of Athletic Cardiology and a member of the European and American Cardiology Societies), who will deliver a speech about congenital heart defects and sudden cardiac death in young people and athletes, stressing the significance of prevention and proper treatment.
Dr. Paraskevi Papadopoulou, Professor, of the Biomedical Sciences and Environmental Studies programs, a senior collaborator of the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) network, will present a speech about the ‘Rhythm of Cardiovascular Health and Disease’, based on important findings from the recent cardiovascular study ‘Global, Regional, and National Burden of Cardiovascular Diseases and Risk Factors in 204 Countries and Territories’ (1990-2023), published by the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
The lecture offers a valuable and inspiring learning opportunity, presenting a range of topics from the impact of music to cardiac health, to scientific perspectives on the crucial heart conditions that affect millions of young people and adults around the world, thus raising awareness and stressing the importance of detection, prevention and proper care towards heart health and well-being. The lecture will be interspersed with live music performances of iconic songs about the heart, presented by talented young artists from the Deree Music Program of the American College of Greece.
Join us in this unique gathering that features a series of insightful lectures and performances that bridge the realms of cardiology, biomedical research, psychology and music, while celebrating the heart – both as a vital organ for our life and well-being, and as a universal symbol of emotion and connection.
Speakers
Dr. Spyros Papaioannou, MD, PhD, FESC, FSCAI
Interventional Cardiologist, Director at the Athens Naval Hospital’s 2nd Cardiology Clinic, Director of the Hellenic Society of Athletic Cardiology and a member of the European and American Cardiology Societies.
Dr. Spyros Papaioannou is recognized as one of the leading cardiologists in the country. He is the Director of the Athens Naval Hospital’s 2nd Cardiology Clinic since 2017, and he has served in all key positions within the healthcare sector of the Hellenic Navy. Dr Papaioannou has over 30 years of experience in clinical, consultative and interventional cardiology, having built a high reputation for the diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular disease. He also specializes in athletic cardiology, the risk factors and prevention of sudden cardiac death in young people and athletes, currently also serving as Director of the Hellenic Society of Athletic Cardiology.
Dr Papaioannou graduated from the Military Medical School and continued his training at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida, USA. He completed his specialty at the Onassis Cardiac Surgery Center, and in 2003, he earned a Ph.D. from Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTH). He specialized in interventional cardiology at Walsgrave Hospital in the United Kingdom and has, since then, performed over 1,000 invasive procedures. Dr Papaioannou has participated as a chairman and speaker in over 550 cardiology conferences in Greece and abroad. He has published 80 scientific papers in national and international journals. In April 2022, he was appointed Professor of Cardiology at the European University of Cyprus. He is a member of both the European and American Cardiology Societies.
Dr. Paraskevi Papadopoulou, PhD
Professor of Biomedical Sciences & Environmental Studies at Deree – The American College of Greece
Dr. Paraskevi Papadopoulou is a Professor of Biomedical Sciences & Environmental Studies at Deree-The American College of Greece, and Strategic Research Advisor at the Digital Health Literacy and Policy Hub. She is an expert in cell biology, biophysics, and biomedical sciences, digital health, AI applications in healthcare and education, STEM and medical education, and sustainability. She has extensive experience in institutional leadership, having served as Head at the Department of Science and Mathematics, and Program Director of the Biomedical Sciences Program at Deree (2020-2023), while coordinating curriculum development and innovation initiatives. She is also the Founder of the Biomedical Science Research (BMSR) Team and has served as Team Leader @ Research, Technology, & Innovation Network (RTIN) from Sep. 2021 to Aug. 2024. Prof. Papadopoulou is a Senior Collaborator of the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) Network and Associate Editor in Frontiers in Digital Health | Personalized Medicine. She has participated in the Erasmus+ project SDG4U and has authored over 70 scientific publications and co-edited multiple international volumes on AI, health, digital health and education.
Dr. Tatiana Papageorgiou, PhD
Associate Professor, Department of Music – Frances Rich School of Arts, Humanities and Sciences, Deree – The American College of Greece
Dr. Tatiana Papageorgiou is a concert pianist, music theorist, scholar and pedagogue. She has maintained an active performing career with appearances on six continents and collaborations as piano soloist with prestigious orchestras including the London Philharmonic, Beijing Symphony, Moscow New Opera Symphony, Warsaw Opera Symphony, the Greek National Radio Symphony, and the Athens and Thessaloniki State Symphony Orchestras. She has also been active as an orchestrator and arranger, working in a wide range of styles from Bach and Chopin to modern Greek music. Her orchestrations have been performed by renowned symphony orchestras and ensembles, and her publishers include Schott Music in Mainz, Germany, and Philippos Nakas in Athens. Dr. Papageorgiou holds a Ph.D. in musicology from Birmingham City University, UK, having completed groundbreaking doctoral research into the piano-symphonic music of legendary Greek composer Mikis Theodorakis (1925-2021). Part of her doctoral work was pursued in New York, while a Fellow Researcher-Visiting Artist at Cornell University, School of Mediterranean Studies. As one of the leading Theodorakis experts today, her research work spans performance, editorial practice and scholarly writing. Her close, 23-year collaboration with Mikis Theodorakis resulted in the unearthing of several unpublished works for piano and piano with orchestra, as well as a complete discography and several world premiere performances, including those with the composer himself on the podium. Her scholarly writings ask new questions about Hellenicity and Internationalism, cultural identity, music aesthetics, Greek music theory, and the relation of music to humanist ideals. Her writings also focus on film music theory and aesthetics, and her recent research explores the therapeutic function of music, as revealed in the cases of composers Chopin, Rachmaninoff and Theodorakis. Dr Papageorgiou has been a member of the Deree Music Faculty since 1999, where she has served as Coordinator of the Music Program (2000-2008). Her teaching focuses on piano performance, music theory, film music, music as a humanity, and subjects in Greek music and culture.
The event is free and open to the public.
For further clarifications, please contact [email protected]