An Online Event

 

Transfusion Medicine: Current challenges in blood safety and quality of blood in emergencies

 

Constantina Politis
Associate Professor of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens
Haematologist, Scientific Advisor of the Hellenic National Public Health Organisation (EODY) and the Coordinating Haemovigilance Centre and Surveillance of Transfusion (SKAEM)

 

When: Wednesday, March 17, 2021, 18:00 – 19:00 (EET-Athens)

 

Organized by: Institute of Public Health – The American College of Greece

 

The lecture will be held in Greek.

You can watch it here.

 

Information: +30 210 331 4755

You can watch the videos of previous lectures here.

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Speaker’s bio

Professor Constantina Politis, Haematologist, MD, PhD, Member of the Association of Professors Emeriti of the University of Athens

Dr. Politis is currently Scientific Advisor to the Hellenic National Public Health Organization for the Coordinating Haemovigilance Centre and Surveillance of Transfusion of the Ministry of Health. She is the national representative to the Council of Europe, EDQM CDPTS Expert Group for Blood and a member of the Ad Hoc Group (GTS) responsible for the “Guide to the Preparation, Use and Quality Assurance of Blood Components”.

Over the past decades she has been the national representative on the European Committee on Blood Transfusion and she is currently a member in the Vigilance Expert Group of the European Commission and scientific advisor to the Thalassaemia International Federation (T.I.F).

She is a member of the Association of Professors Emeriti of the University of Athens and the European Association of Professors Emeriti.

Dr. Politis is also member of the National Committee for Tropical Diseases of the Ministry of Health, member of the International Haemovigilance Network (Coordinator of the IHN-ISTARE Working Group), member of the International Society of Blood Transfusion (ISBT), member of the European School of Transfusion Medicine (ESTM), member of the European Haematology Association (EHA) and member of the Hellenic Societies of Haematology, Immunology, Transfusion Medicine, Haemapheresis, HIV/AIDS and Hepatology.

Starting in 1966, she has held posts as Medical Assistant in the Department of General Medicine and Senior House Officer in the Blood Bank of the Athens General Hospital, Registrar in Clinical Pathology of South Warwickshire Hospital, Pathologist in the Plasmapheresis Clinic of the North London Blood Centre, Resident Registrar in Clinical Pathology at St. Bartholomew’s Hospital Medical School of London University, Honorary Lecturer and Senior Registrar in Haematology and Blood Transfusion of the Charing Cross Hospital Medical School of London University, Director of the Hellenic Red Cross Blood Centre and Thalassaemia Unit, Director of the 3rd Regional Blood Centre and Thalassaemia Unit of «Georgios Gennimatas» General Hospital of Athens, President of the Hospital Scientific Committee and Chair of the Hospital Transfusion Committee of the 3rd Regional Blood Centre, President of the Blood Transfusion and Immunohaematology Committee (SP-HM) of the Council of Europe, Chairperson of the Task Force for restructuring the blood services in Central and Eastern Europe of the Council of Europe, President of the Scientific Committee for Blood Transfusion of the National Blood Centre (EKEA) of the Ministry of Health, and the National representative in the Regulatory Committee for blood transfusion of the European Commission.

During her career she has published 675 papers (publications, monographs, presentations in scientific fora) and she has received Scientific Awards (1995, 1998, 2013), Best Poster Awards (2002, 2003, 2008), as well as 13 distinctions (3 golden, 3 silver and 7 honourable mentions) for her contribution to the promotion of voluntary blood donation and the thalassaemia programme awarded by the Hellenic Red Cross Society, the Panhellenic Federation of Blood Donors Association, FIODS and the Hellenic Federation of Thalassaemia Patients.

Dr. Politis’s major scientific interests include the Quality and Safety of Blood (Transfusion transmissible infections, Leucodepletion, NAT testing, Aphaeresis – Haemaphaeresis, Pathogen inactivation, autologous blood donation and transfusion, Optimal use of blood, Quality management, Patient blood management, Economics of blood), Haemovigilance (Management of Haemovigilance Networks at national, regional and hospital level, Surveillance of ARs and AEs associated with transfusion and donation, Post-donation and post-transfusion information, Look back studies, Traceability of blood components, Epidemiological surveillance for TTIs) and Haemoglobinopathies (Clinical management of thalassaemia syndromes and SCD, Iron chelation therapy, Alloimmunization- Blood matching policies, Social and psychological aspects of thalassaemia). Other interests include art, poetry, literature and painting (Diploma in History of Art, Extramural Studies, London University 1978).