9th Seminar on the Holistic Approach to Heart Disease and the Role of Caregivers Held with Great Success
With significant public participation, both in person and online, the 9th consecutive seminar organized by the Greek Carers Network EPIONI, in co-organization with the patient associations “The Heart of the Child”, “Skytali”, and the Association of Cardiac Officers of the Hellenic Navy – Coast Guard and Friends, took place on Monday, June 15, 2026.
The event was hosted at the French Institute (31 Sina Street, Athens) with a simultaneous live broadcast via the Zoom platform, under the auspices of the Region of Attica, the Municipality of Athens, and the Global HEART Hub. Distinguished scientists and experts approached heart disease holistically, while also highlighting the crucial and often invisible role of caregivers.
Greetings and Part One
The seminar opened with welcoming greetings from state representatives and patient associations, featuring remarks by Panagiota Manou, Eleni Tsounakou, and Ioanna Levanti.
Immediately after, the scientific program commenced with Dr. Mitchell Silva, co-founder of Esperity, who presented EPIONI’s new, innovative Clinical Trials Portal. Next, retired Commodore Antonios Psaroudakis moved the audience by sharing his experiential perspective from a patient’s point of view. Thodoris Spiliotis, a biomedical technology engineer, then took the floor to explain how the innovative Cordia platform can effectively connect individuals with similar health experiences.
Nutrition, Home Care, and Cutting-Edge Technology
In the second part of the seminar, food technologist Filippos P. Voukelatos focused on the decisive role of nutrition in managing the daily life of those living with heart failure.
This was followed by an online intervention by the experienced cardiologist Ilias Karabinos, who shared an entirely practical and useful guide for the proper care of heart patients at home.
Modern technological developments were at the center of the presentation by Omiros Papadopoulos, Director of Research at NCSR “Demokritos”, who analyzed how Artificial Intelligence eliminates distances in supporting chronic patients by presenting the RuralMedAI project.
Mental Health and Invisible Impacts
The seminar concluded its presentations with the critical field of mental health. Clinical neuropsychologist Dr. Vasiliki Varela and psychologist Maria Vlachopoulou, representing the EKKAN Unit of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, shed light on the invisible and profound psychological impacts of hereditary heart diseases, both on the patients themselves and on their families.
After the speeches, a highly productive and lively open discussion with the audience followed, where questions were answered and views were exchanged.
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