NEW YORK – On April 6, the Hellenic Medical Society of New York (HMS) held the Dr. Mary Kalopothakes Symposium to honor Distinguished Female Physician of the Year Dr. Anastasia Anagnostopoulos, Chair of the Department of Pathology and Medical Director of Laboratories at Saint Francis Hospital, The Heart Center in Roslyn, NY, and Medical Director of Laboratories at the Infusion Center of Saint Francis Hospital in East Hills, NY. The award is named in honor of the first Greek-American female physician Dr. Mary Kalopothakes.
The introduction was made by Dr. Stella Lymberis, Chair, 1st Vice President of HMS and Clinical Assistant Professor of Radiation Oncology at New York University. HMS President Dr. George Liakeas offered greetings for this informative symposium. The scientific program began with the Keynote Lecture, “Lung Cancer: Risk Factors, Early Detection, Screening Guidelines, Classification, Staging and Predictive and Prognostic Molecular Studies,” presented by Dr. Anagnostopoulos, who received her medical degree from the University of Athens and has been practicing medicine for over thirty years. Anagnostopoulos noted that smoking is the most serious risk factor for lung cancer and prevention is key to dealing with this terrible disease. The doctor emphasized that helping smokers realize the seriousness of the consequences of tobacco use is vital to the prevention of lung cancer.
The symposium continued with the lecture presented by Dr. Julia A. Smith, Clinical Director of the Cancer Screening Program at the Laura and Isaac Perlmutter Cancer Center, and Director at NYU and Bellevue Lynne Cohen Foundation & Caring Together Project for Women with Increased Risk for Cancer, on The Importance of Screening Patients for Atypical Cancer Family Histories and Offering a Genetic Blood Test to Rule Out the Possibility of a Genetic Mutation. Dr. Smith stated that “management of these patients varies greatly depending on the result of the test.” A simple blood test for 25 different genetic mutations helps patients with a family history of cancer decide, along with their doctors and genetic counselors, what course of treatment to take. Smith highlighted the need to identify more patients whose lives can be saved by this remarkable test. The event was co-sponsored by Myriad Genetics, the lab that offers the MyRisk test for hereditary cancers.
Founded in 1936, HMS is a professional organization of physicians. It is devoted to education and international outreach projects, granting scholarships, fellowships and awards, and also fostering strong ties to the community through conferences and symposia like the one held to honor the Distinguished Female Physician of the Year.
Dr. Mary Kalopothakes was born in Athens in 1859. She studied at the Harvard Annex (now Radcliffe College) and then began her medical studies in Paris in 1886. Returning to Athens in 1894, she passed her exams and began her practice in pediatrics and gynecology. With the Union of Greek Women, she served as a physician during the Greco-Turkish War of 1897, worked with the Hospital of the Red Cross in Volos as a surgeon, and was recognized by Queen Olga and Florence Nightingale for her work preparing nurses for the front. Working tirelessly for the public health in Greece, she published books on health and hygiene. Dr. Mary Kalopothakes passed away in 1941, but her memory, philanthropy, and contributions to medicine live on with the award named in her honor.