Despo Ierodiakonou
Associate Professor
Profile
Despo Ierodiakonou is an Associate Professor of Family Medicine (General Practice) and Epidemiology at the University of Nicosia Medical School.
Dr Ierodiakonou obtained her MD from the University of Crete and her PhD in Epidemiology from the University of Groningen, the Netherlands. She also holds an MSc in Environmental Health from the Cyprus International Institute for the Environment and Public Health, in association with the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and an MSc in Epidemiology from the Netherlands Epidemiological Society.
Her research focuses on the epidemiology of chronic diseases, particularly allergic and respiratory conditions, with an emphasis on early-life and life-course determinants of health. Through her work, she aims to identify environmental and developmental factors that influence disease prevention, progression, and long-term health outcomes. She has extensive expertise in evidence synthesis, including systematic reviews and meta-analyses, and has contributed to commissioned reviews for the UK Food Standards Agency that informed national and international recommendations on infant feeding and the primary prevention of allergic diseases, and more recently she has served as a consultant to the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), leading evidence synthesis on life-course dietary exposures, nutritional interventions, and supplementation for the prevention of lung function impairment and COPD. She collaborates extensively with multidisciplinary research teams and international partners, including Harvard University, Imperial College London, the University of Crete, and other institutions.
Despo Ierodiakonou has authored more than 60 peer-reviewed publications and has a Scopus h-index of 25. She has significant experience in epidemiological research, environmental health, and public health evidence generation. As a Family Medicine specialist, she is committed to advancing population health through disease prevention, evidence-based clinical practice, and the translation of research findings into healthcare policy and practice.