By Michalis Kakias
NEW YORK – Dr. Nikolaos E. Papantoniou, a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, was honored at the annual Dr. George N. Papanicolaou Symposium organized by the Hellenic Medical Society of New York (HMSNY), the Greek Teachers Association “Prometheus”, and the Panevoikos Society of America. The event on May 23 at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York also included the award presentation for the Greek Teachers Association “Prometheus” student essay contest winners. Master of ceremonies for the event was Dr. Spyros Mezitis.
Dr. Papantoniou expressed his warm thanks to the HMSNY for this highest honor, noting that the award of the Papanicolaou Prize is one of the greatest and most important moments of his career.
President of the Greek Teachers Association “Prometheus” Demosthenes Triantafillou congratulated all the students for their academic success and thanked the prize sponsors and the members of the competition committee.
Manos Koubarakis, Consul of Greece in New York praised the tremendous work of Dr. George Papanicolaou. He told The National Herald, “He is one of the most important medical researchers in the 20th century. His discovery has saved millions of women to date around the world. The scientific contribution of this great Greek is multifaceted and monumental.”
Greek Teachers Association “Prometheus” members gave their best wishes to the students and offered their thoughts on the achievements of Dr. Papanicolaou. Dr. John Antonopoulos, congratulated the students and wished them good progress in the rest of their school career. Dr. George Melikakis described Dr. Papanicolaou as one of the legends of modern medical science that saved millions of lives. Timoleon Kokkinos, a member of Prometheus, expressed his pride because, as he said, “the winning pupils show that the Hellenes abroad will continue to have a brilliant future as outstanding scientists.”
Dr. George Liakeas, HMSNY President, said one of the main goals of the organization is to provide scholarships to students, especially for medical school.
Soula Podaras, President of the Panevoikos Society of America, and Tony Rigos, a member of the society, spoke about the life and work of Dr. Papanicolaou who hailed from Kymi on the island of Evia.
Finally, the students awarded in the competition are: Despina Anastasiou- St. Demetrios Afternoon School (DIAS Award- Dr. G Nathenas), Eleni Vardakis Afternoon High School Ascension Fairview (Dr. Vasiliki Saitas Award), Katerina Ginis Townsend Harris High School (Christos Rizou Award), Alexandros Theofanopoulos Francis Lewis High School (Christos Rizou Award), George Panaousis Francis Lewis High School (DIAS Award – Dr. G Nathenas), Daphne Sardis Fort Lee High School (Dr. Vasiliki Saitas Award), Abraham Stathopoulos St. Nicholas Flushing (Dr. N Triantafillou Award), Evangelia Tsaggaris St. Demetrios High School (Frederikis Sagiannis Award), Panagiota Chasen St. Demetrios High School (Greek Congressional Award).
Before the award ceremony, the students visited Dr. Papanicolaou’s laboratory, his statue, and the tree of Hippocrates from Kos in the garden of the hospital.
Born in 1883 in Kymi, Greece, Dr. George Papanicolaou attended school in Greece and at the age of 21 obtained the Doctor of Medicine degree from the University of Athens. He went to Germany to study the philosophy of biologic sciences. After a brief period of studying with August Weisman, Papanicolaou went to Munich. There he earned his PhD degree in Zoology. He then returned to Greece where he met Andromache Mavroyeni, later known as Mary Papanicolaou or Mrs. Pap. She became his lifelong companion and a great source of support for him.
Dr. and Mrs. Papanicolaou then went to France where Dr. Papanicolaou worked as a physiologist. From there, just before the outbreak of the Balkan War, the couple returned to Greece. While serving in the Greek Army, Dr. Papanicolaou met United States volunteers who told him of the opportunities in the US. Dr. Papanicolaou obtained a position as assistant in the Department of Anatomy at New York’s Cornell Medical School in 1913. His wife, Mary, also worked there as his technician. Dr. Papanicolaou worked at Cornell from 1913 until a few months before his death, making groundbreaking discoveries including his famous Pap test that has saved millions and continues saving lives to this day.
The post Dr. Papantoniou Honored at Annual Dr. Papanicolaou Symposium in New York (Video) appeared first on The National Herald.