As part of “Cultural Endorama ’17,” a photography exhibition featuring images captured through a microscope by pathologists was held.
The two-day ENDORAMA conference, which took on a celebratory tone in 2018, as it successfully marked its tenth edition, is now known to be complemented—in addition to its purely scientific focus—by the CULTURAL ENDORAMA, a cultural initiative running parallel to the two-day conference, with a clear thematic focus and a variety of events. The Cultural Program is what gives the conference its unique character each year; it takes us beyond the boundaries of our field, allowing us to “engage” with society, learn about initiatives and characteristics of the broader region of Western Greece, or address specific issues that concerned us the previous year.
And so, the educational program covered Kalavryta and its role in the Revolution, Messolonghi and the lagoons surrounding it, the refugee crisis, theater and the Patras Municipal and Regional Theater, the correctional system and human rights, the excavations at Messene, the “war of memory,” the CERN experiment, and the “God particle.” Each year, exhibitions, recitations, music, and gastronomy come together to paint a picture of the chosen theme. The paintings from Messolonghi, the weapons of the Revolution, and the costumes of the Municipal Regional Theater were paired with symphonic works, traditional music, Eva Kotamanidou reading the Third Rhapsody of the Iliad, and historian Marianna Koromila’s iconic lecture on the profound culture of Syria.
In 2018, the CULTURAL ENDRAMA festival focused on science, which for at least the last thirty has been at the center of all biomedical and health sciences, and has frequently made headlines with its groundbreaking developments and momentum: Genetics. Our guest speaker at the Opening Ceremony was our fellow countryman Antonarakis Stylianos, Professor Emeritus in the Department of Genetic Medicine and Development at the University of Geneva, Medical School, who spoke to us about the past, present, and future of genetics. At the same time, in the foyer of the Conference Center, a photography exhibition by fellow pathologists was held, featuring images captured through a microscope. The photographs on display were not taken with a camera, but with a microscope! These works are based on microscopic histological images, either processed or unaltered.
On behalf of “ENDORAMATOS,” we would like to thank all those who, once again, contributed to the Opening Ceremony and the cultural identity of our two-day event:
Stylianos Antonarakis, Professor Emeritus at the University of Geneva, who readily accepted our invitation.
Our colleagues, the medical pathologists P. Dadioti-Arampantoni, M. Lambropoulou, M. Melachroinou, A. Batistatou, and Chr. Skopa, who contributed their works and enriched this year’s anniversary event with their unique artistic vision.
Yannis Pikramenos, the conference organizer, who once again embraced and highlighted in a special way not only the organizational and academic aspects of ENDORAMA, but also its cultural dimension.
Finally, historian and archaeologist Androniki Chrysafi, who has served as curator of the “Cultural Endorama” since its inception and, with great care, passion, expertise, and fruitful discussions, she contributes to its realization every year.
The Organizing Committee
A. Vagenakis, Professor Emeritus
N. Georgopoulos, Professor
K. Markou, Professor
BIOGRAPHIES OF DOCTORS AND ARTISTS
The daily medical routine of pathologists, the study of cells and tissues for diagnostic purposes, also includes an aspect that is difficult for the general public to perceive or understand with the “naked eye.” Histological examinations, beyond their objective utility in medical science, can take on yet another role and become the subject of art exhibitions. The images of tissues under the microscope, as they are stained in daily practice, create works of art that pass before the eyes of pathologists. An eye that is not only trained but also sensitive observes through the microscope a visual narrative of bones and cells composing scenes of beauty comparable to that found in nature or in paintings. The exhibition we hosted at ENDORAMA ’17 confirms that beauty and art are hidden everywhere—we just need the talent and imagination to uncover them.
PETROULA ARAPANTONI – DADIOTI
MD, PhD, Pathologist – Director of the Pathology Laboratory ERRIKOS DUNAN – ATHENS
Petroula Arapantoni-Dadioti, a medical pathologist, was born in Skala, Laconia. She studied medicine at the University of Athens. She received her Ph.D. from the Medical School of the University of Athens in 1987. She served at EANP – METAXA – Piraeus starting in 1982 as a resident assistant, rose through all the ranks of the medical hierarchy, and, as Coordinator Director of the Pathology Laboratory, she retired in December 2013. She is currently the Director of the Pathology Laboratory at the ERRIKOS DUNAN Hospital in Athens.
Throughout her career as a practicing pathologist for more than 40 years, her intense scientific activity, her dedication to the specialty she chose and continues to practice, as well as her love for life, were the reasons that led her to envision that Life is the highest form of Art.
Pathologists, despite the practical and emotional pressures of their work, have the unique opportunity to embark on an artistic journey to the source of life—a visual journey using a microscope as their tool. The visual narrative of her professional life consists of works of ART inspired by a lifetime of studying cells and tissues, proving that BEAUTY and ART are everywhere.
Pathologist Petroula Arapantoni-Dadioti has shared with the public, for charitable purposes, a collection of approximately 150 works of art. The first exhibition took place in Athens in 2006, the second in Patras in 2007, and the third in Lamia in 2008.
The works are based on microscopic images of tissue as they are stained in routine practice for all biopsies. The works do NOT include malignant tumors.
MARIA LAMBROPOULOU
Maria Lambropoulou is an Associate Professor of Histology —Embryology in the Department of Medicine at Democritus University of Thrace (DUTH) and holds a medical specialty in Pathological Anatomy. She teaches Histology and Embryology to students in the Department of Medicine and to students in the Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics at DUTH.
He also teaches in seven graduate programs at the same university, serves as a research associate on funded projects, and is an active member of research teams affiliated with the Democritus University of Thrace research centers. He has been actively engaged in clinical work from 2006 to the present, focusing on histopathological evaluation and the molecular diagnostic approach to various diseases.
Her work, which focuses primarily on molecular histopathology, has earned international recognition, with numerous publications, frequent citations in the global scientific literature, and many presentations at Greek and international scientific conferences, as well as to the general public through seminars organized by various institutions in the Region of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace.
It has organized conferences and scientific exhibitions featuring histological and artistic imagery with the aim of highlighting the important work of pathologists in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases. He promotes volunteerism and community service by participating as an active member in related initiatives.
As a pathologist, he has found that the scientific study of human tissues under a microscope is astonishing, especially when the cells unwittingly form images and scenes of a beauty comparable to that found in paintings. Images that powerfully demonstrate that the cold science of medicine meets and flirts with art in an original and magical way.
Her collection includes routine histological microscope images in which cells form unimaginable shapes and patterns, take on specific forms, and are depicted without any technical processing. It also includes unique images resulting from air bubbles, glue, and dust particles trapped beneath the coverslip during the processing of histological sections.
Some of the works have won awards at exhibitions on similar themes and have received excellent reviews.
The sale of this collection is for charitable purposes and is dedicated to all those who are battling and facing serious health challenges with courage and dignity, and especially to those who fought and passed away with their heads held high.
ANNA BATISTATOU
Anna Batistatou received her medical degree (MD) in 1988 from the Medical School of the University of Patras. Her graduate studies are as follows: M.A. (1990), M.Phil. (1990), and Ph.D. (1993), Department of Pathology and Center for Neurobiology and Behavior, Columbia University in the City of New York, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, New York, USA. In 1997, she obtained her medical specialty certification in Pathological Anatomy.
Since 2002, he has been a faculty member at the Pathological Anatomy Laboratory in the Department of Medicine at the School of Health Sciences, at the University of Ioannina, where she was promoted to the rank of Professor in 2013. She also works as a board-certified pathologist at the University Hospital of Ioannina. She has extensive diagnostic experience (pathological examination and diagnosis of over 2,000 biopsies and surgical cases per year), as well as a research portfolio. Her research focuses on understanding the molecular pathogenesis of malignant neoplasms and identifying prognostic and predictive markers in tissue samples from patients with neoplasms. She has authored 20 chapters in Greek and international books. He has 22 full-text publications in peer-reviewed Greek journals and 180 full-text publications in peer-reviewed international journals. The total impact factor is 450. The total number of citations in international peer-reviewed journals is 3,225, and the h-index is 30.
Since 2016, he has served as President of the Hellenic Society of Pathological Anatomy.
In 2016, her book *Life in Stone* was published by “Fagotto Books.” She has participated in group exhibitions in Greece, other European countries, and the U.S. with works based on microscopic histological images.
CHRYSOULA D. SKOPA
PLACE OF ORIGIN: Atalanti , Lokris
UNDERGRADUATE STUDIES
1967: High school diploma from the 6th Girls’ Gymnasium, Athens
1967–1973: School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens
July–September 1972: Training as a student at the Radiobiology Laboratory and the Department of Pediatrics, University of California, San Francisco, CA
GRADUATE STUDIES: Special Postdoctoral Fellow at the Bruce Lyon Memorial Research Laboratory, Children’s Hospital, Medical Center, Oakland, CA
1978–1981: Residency in Cytology at Aretaieio Hospital, Athens
1981–1987: Research Associate at the Laboratory of Pathological Anatomy, Department of Medicine, University of Patras (Completion of residency in Pathological Anatomy)
DEGREES – QUALIFICATIONS
June 1974: Bachelor of Medicine, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens
November 1981: Board Certification in Cytology
December 1984: Board Certification in Pathological Anatomy
June 1986: Doctoral degree, School of Medicine, University of Patras (Grade: “Summa Cum Laude”)
ACADEMIC CAREER
August 1981: Research Associate, Department of Medicine, University of Patras, Laboratory of Pathological Anatomy
July 1987: Lecturer , School of Medicine, University of Patras
Sept./Nov. 1990: Assistant Professor, School of Medicine, University of Patras
Sept./April 1991 -92 : Visiting Scientist at the Dept. of Pathology, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, MD, USA (Educational leave)
July 1999: Associate Professor, School of Medicine, University of Patras
June 2005: Professor of Pathological Anatomy, School of Medicine, University of Patras
September 2008: Director of the Pathological Anatomy and Cytology Laboratory, University Hospital of Patras
2015: Professor Emerita , University of Patras
