Theoklis Zaotis has been appointed Director of the Columbia University Global Center in Athens

Professor Theoklis Zaotis leads the newly established Columbia University Global Center in Athens, with the aim of recruiting and developing actions in Greece, in the context of which Columbia will collaborate with the academic, business and scientific community, as well as in the field of culture. Professor Theoklis Zaotis until recently served as President of the Greek National Organization of Public Health (EODY), while at the same time he was a Primary Professor of Pediatrics at the Faculty of Medicine of the National Kapodistria University of Athens, a former Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Pennsylvania and was recently appointed Professor Assistant Professor of Epidemiology at Columbia Mailman School of Public Health.

As Head of the Columbia Global Center based in Athens, Professor Theoklis Zaotis will design and direct a series of initiatives, in the context of academic work and research activity. Greece was chosen by Columbia University to host one of the Global Centers because of its location, being at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, the Middle East and Africa, participating in shaping the culture of the region and maintaining close historical ties with its neighbours. . Through the Athens Global Center, the Columbia University community will seek to establish partnerships in Greece’s academic, scientific, social, economic and business environment, with universities, research centres, independent bodies and public organizations, but also with civil society and the media. Developed and multi-level cooperation. At the same time, a new channel of cooperation is opened between Greece and the United States, strengthening historical relations at the level of culture and education.

The scientific and research areas in which the Columbia Global Center will develop its work in our country relate to classical and modern Greece, education, business, innovation, climate change, health and migration, among others. The academic and student community at Columbia University will have the opportunity to “discover” Athens: libraries, museums, archives, historical monuments, academic and cultural institutions, technological innovations, and modern communities.

The Athens Global Center is a gateway through which Columbia students and professors can enrich their own fields of knowledge, but also contribute their part to the intellectual, cultural and educational life of Greece, by exchanging knowledge through academic and research programmes, conferences and meetings.

“Professor Theoklis Zaotis has extensive experience in the academic field and has distinguished himself in the field of public health, having held leadership roles in prestigious organizations in the United States and Greece,” said Wafaa Al-Sadr, Executive Vice President of Columbia Global. “He is able to build partnerships with institutions of strategic importance in the country and strengthen cooperation between Columbia University and Greece.” “Columbia’s Global Centers provide an unparalleled opportunity to collaborate with academics and practitioners around the world. The center in Athens will contribute to the vibrant knowledge exchange and innovation in the country’s academic and cultural life,” said Columbia University President Minouche Shafik.

“I am excited to take on this role as Columbia University is committed to strengthening relations with Greece and the region. Our country is a geopolitical, cultural, and geographic crossroads between West and East, and Greece is an exciting touchpoint for the University – the possibilities for collaboration and learning are endless,” emphasizes Mr. Zaotis.

About Columbia Global Centers

The Athens Center is one of 11 Colombia Global Centers established in cities around the world, including Amman, Beijing, Istanbul, Mumbai, Nairobi, Paris, Rio, Santiago, Tel Aviv and Tunisia. Columbia University announced its initiative to establish a global center in Athens in November 2022, with the aim of engaging faculty, students, and in-country partners in programs and collaboration related to climate change, migration, international relations, entrepreneurship and innovation, and classical studies. Arts, culture, public health, medicine, etc.