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Dr Eleni Vavouraki is a pulmonologist with a PhD in pulmonary rehabilitation; she is also specialised in Complementary and Alternative Medicine. After becoming an aunt of triplets that were born very prematurely (26+4), she together with the triplet’s parents co-founded the association Ilitominon, of which she is the President since 2011. For 23 years she was a faculty member of TEI-A, currently known as University of West Attica, and now she is teaching postgraduate courses in the Medical School of the University of Thessaly and the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. Dr Vavouraki is also a member of Therapeutic Riding Association of Greece, a NGO where children with disabilities (mainly due to prematurity) are helped to cope by improving their physical and psychological condition. Dr Vavouraki is a member of the Parent Advisory Board of EFCNI.
| Timeframe | Activity | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Annually since the launch of the ESCNH in November 2018 | Presentation of the ESCNH related to breastfeeding and the role of human milk banks, at the Breastfeeding Seminar organised by the NICU of the 3rd Pediatric Clinic of the University Hospital “ATTIKON”. | Athens, Greece |
| Scheduled | Lectures and workshops on the ESCNH to undergraduate students of the Department of Midwifery of the University of Western Macedonia, Greece. | Greece |
| November 2023 | 1st Cypriot-Hellenic Conference “Life after NICU”: Presentation of the ESCNH focusing on the need to integrate the standards into the National health policy framework. Meeting with Dr Popi Kanari, the Minister of Health, alongside neonatal physiotherapist Pani Pantelides. | Nicosia, Cyprus |
| October 2023 | Lecture and workshop at the 7th EMA Education Conference “Midwifery Education in the Future”. | Athens, Greece |
| September 2023 | Round table at a Paediatric Conference in Larissa. | Greece |
| May 2023 | Lecture at the Panhellenic Neonatology Conference. | Greece |
| May 2023 | Lecture at an event of the Midwives’ Association in Ioannina. | Greece |
| May 2023 | Lectures in the context of the Postgraduate Studies Programme of the Aretaieion Hospital Neonatology Clinic of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. | Greece |
| March 2023 | 5th Panhellenic Conference of the Hellenic Psychoprophylactic Society: Presentation of the project and the new standards on cord management. | Greece |
| December 2022 | Presentation of the standards at the event organised by the Department of Midwifery of the International Hellenic University at the Municipal Hall of Thessaloniki. | Thessaloniki, Greece |
| November 2022 | Presentation of the ESCNH, with a focus on the standard on the role of human milk banks, at an event on prematurity organised by the A’ Neonatology Clinic and NICU of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki at Hippokratio Hospital. | Thessaloniki, Greece |
| November 2022 | Presentation of the standard “Very early and continuous skin-to-skin contact” at an event organised by the Hellenic Midwives Association at the Zappeion Hall. | Athens, Greece |
| November 2022 | Presentation of the ESCNH and standards on the role of human milk banks at the 4th Breastfeeding Workshop on “Guidelines for Breastfeeding Promotion & Breast Milk Administration in Clinical Practice”, organised by the B’ Neonatology Clinic and NICU of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki at the Papageorgiou Hospital. | Thessaloniki, Greece |
| 2021 until today | Inclusion of the ESCNH in the Postgraduate Studies Programme (MSc) “Current prevention and treatment of pediatric diseases” of the Department of Medicine of the University of Thessaly. | Volos, Greece |
| January 2021 | Launch of the Online Parents’ School, which in its content builds on the ESCNH: A collaboration between Ilitominon, Aretaieion Hospital Neonatology Clinic of National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, and the NICU of the General Maternal Hospital of Athens “Elena Venizelou”. | Athens, Greece |
| November 2020 and 2021 | Presentation of the Standard “Providing mother’s own milk (MOM) for preterm and ill term infants” at the 20th and 21st Breastfeeding Workshops respectively, organised by the Neonatology Clinic of Aretaio University Hospital. | Greece |
| November 2020 | Presentation of the standards for Infant- and family-centred developmental care in a webinar organised by the General Maternal Hospital of Athens “Elena Venizelou”, in collaboration with Ilitominon. The webinar was also open for parents. | Online |
We thank Dr Vavouraki for her outstanding efforts to raise awareness for the ESCNH in Greece. Her wide-ranging and consistent teaching activities at various hospitals, universities and departments across Greece play an incredibly important part in anchoring the ESCNH in both teaching and practice.
