Kalliopi Kalaitzi

Dr. Kalliopi (Popi) Kalaitzi was born in Thessaloniki, Greece. She graduated with honours from the American College of Thessaloniki (Secondary school- Anatolia College) where she studied with full scholarship. In 2005 she graduated from the Medical School of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTH-Greece) and she completed (2007-2009) a two year internship at “A.H.E.P.A” University Hospital of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (Greece).

She has then attended post-graduate courses on the Administration of Health Units (February- June 2009) and on Emergency Pre-hospital Medicine (January-December 2011) (Greece). In 2013 she accepted a position at the Bavaria Klinik Kreischa (supervisor Hans-Jörg Schubert), in Germany, as a resident in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and it was then that she decided to focus on healthy ageing and Lifestyle Medicine.

She also worked (2015-2016) as a clinical doctor and teaching assistant at the Charité– Universitätsmedizin Berlin (supervisor Anett Reisshauer), affiliated with both Humboldt University and Freie Universität Berlin (Germany). During the period 2012-2014 she studied for a Master’s degree in Global Health, Health crisis Management and Disaster Medicine (University of Athens/Medical School – Greece). The theme of her thesis was: “Should I stay, or should I go? Readiness, Willingness and Ability of the Greek healthcare personnel to respond to epidemics”. Mrs Kalaitzi successfully completed the Greek board certification for Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.

Currently, she is the head of the first Lifestyle Medicine Department in Greece (Euroclinic, Athens) and an academic scholar at the 2nd Propaedeutic Internal Medicine Clinic Research Unit – Oncology Unit of Athens Medical School (“Attikon” University General Hospital). Moreover, she is conducting academic research as candidate for a Phd degree (Athens University) in the Physiology of Exercise laboratory. Her research focuses on the role of Lifestyle Medicine interventions and in particular exercise for the management of obesity.

She is also board member of the Hellenic Cardiology Foundation (special interest section of cardiological rehabilitation), member of the Exercise Is Medicine Initiative and board member of the Hellenic Initiative against Alzheimer’s. In September 2020 she received the Health and Fitness Lifestyle Advisor Certificate of the European Lifestyle Medicine Organization. She has also an interest for Culinary Medicine (certification: CHEF Coaching program of Harvard Medical School, July- August 2020). 

She attended the University of Massachusetts’ Medical School’s Intensive Training in Motivational Interviewing (January- June 2021). In addition to her clinical and academic interests in healthy ageing, Lifestyle Medicine & Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, she is active in the field of humanitarian Medicine. For this purpose, she visited Africa and she provided voluntary medical assistance in a refugee camp in Germany. 

Popi has a wide social and scientific activity, as she has participated in several national and international conferences and seminars, delivering speeches on issues such as rehabilitation, exercise, nutrition, lifestyle medicine and public health. Moreover, she is one of the six co-founders of “BrainGain” movement a hub of Greek researchers and academics, including scientists as well as legal scholars, economists, and strategic communication specialists that live and work abroad. The group has started developing a set of best practices for the Greek government and research institutions. Mrs Kalaitzi received the German Marshall Foundation Fellowship and the U.S.A’s Department of State International Visitor Leadership Program “American Youth: Inspiring Leadership and Civic Participation” in recognition of her outstanding contribution to the society. She was selected as one of the 40 under 40 European Young Leaders.