by Dr Ourania Kolokotroni, Head of Department of Primary Care and Population Health
December 2020
On behalf of all the faculty members of the Department Primary Care and Population Health, I would like to welcome three new faculty members to our department and our school: Elena Critsellis, Despo Ierodiakonou and Pascale Salame. All three of them started working with us in November 2020 and are already making an impact to the mission and vision of our department. Elena has joined dynamically the activities of the Master of Public Health programme as well as our discussions on the Department’s research strategy. Despo has been working hard to enhance the activities of the MSc in Family Medicine programme whilst discussions have already taken place on how the department can capitalize on her vast research experience to expand research work in Primary Care. Pascale has been instrumental in coordinating the discussion on the development of our department’s research strategy and is an inspiration to us all. We are extremely honoured to have them as part of our team and wish them continued success in their new roles and professional careers.
Professor Pascale Salameh has been appointed Professor in Epidemiology.
Prof Salameh holds a PhD from Bordeaux University and a Master of Public Health and a PharmD from the Lebanese University.
She is an expert in research direction with a diploma of Ability to Direct Research (HDR); she has a long experience in research designing, data collection, management and advance statistical analysis. Prof Pascale is the founder and director of INSPECT-LB, an autonomous multidisciplinary health research group. She has more than 370 publications in peer-reviewed journals, several book chapters and hundreds of oral presentations and scientific posters in the fields of medical epidemiology, clinical pharmacy, education and public health. She is a recipient of the Medal of the French National Academy of Pharmacy, member of many Lebanese national committees related to health, and expert on antimicrobial resistance collaborating with the World Health Organization.
Prof Salameh is Former Dean of the Faculty of Pharmacy at the Lebanese University, Former Associate Dean for Academic Affairs at the School of Pharmacy at the Lebanese American University and Former Chair of the Scientific Committee at the Lebanese Order of Pharmacists, the National Pharmacy Association in Lebanon.
Dr Despo Ierodiakonou has been appointed Assistant Professor of Primary Care and Population Health.
She is a holder of a Doctor of Medicine (MD) degree from the University of Crete and a PhD in Epidemiology from the University of Groningen, the Netherlands. She also holds a MSc in Environmental Health (CII-HSPH) and Epidemiology (Netherland’s Epidemiological Society).
As a postdoctoral fellow she has worked with research groups at Harvard University, Imperial College London and the University of Crete. Dr Ierodiakonous’ research interests include epidemiology of asthma and allergies, with focus on identifying genetic, biological and environmental factors related to allergic diseases. She is also experienced with systematic reviews and meta-analysis.
Dr Ierodiakonou did her general practice training in Crete, Greece. As a General Practitioner she cares to improve population health by focusing on prevention and management of chronic diseases, in conjunction with primary care research of respiratory (COPD and asthma) and other chronic diseases.
Dr Elena Critselis has been appointed Assistant Professor of Primary Care and Population Health.
Dr Critselis completed her undergraduate degree (Dean’s List) in Nutritional Sciences at Cornell University and Master of Public Health (MPH) degree with a dual concentration in Chronic Disease Epidemiology and Global Health at Yale University. She received her doctoral degree with Distinction in Nutrition-Epidemiology from Harokopio University and completed a Postdoctoral Fellowship in Clinical Chronic Disease Epidemiology – Translational Research at the Biomedical Research Foundation of the Academy of Athens, Greece. She is a dual “Alexander Onassis” Public Benefit Foundation Scholar for Graduate and Doctoral Studies, and a Hellenic State Scholarships Foundation Scholar for Postdoctoral Research.
Dr Critselis’ primary interests focus on the optimal prevention and clinical management of the most prevalent chronic diseases across the lifespan, particularly in relation to nutrition and age-related disorders. She has participated in numerous multicentre research projects, funded by the World Health Organisation, European Commission, and National Strategic Research Frameworks. Her research achievements are reflected by more than 75 publications in international scientific peer-reviewed journals with more than 1,900 citations (Scopus H-index: 25), 30+ presentations in scientific conferences, 2 book chapters published by international publishing houses, and 20+ invited lectures in international conferences and research institutions. The culmination of her research work has been honoured with three scholarships and eight national and international awards, including the European Society of Urological Research Movember Foundation Award.