Dr. Christina Kanaka-Gantenbein is a Professor of Pediatrics-Pediatric Endocrinology and Director of the First Department of Pediatrics at the Medical School of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens at the “Agia Sofia” Children’s Hospital “Agia Sofia.” She was admitted to the Medical School of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens at the top of her class, having achieved the highest score on the Panhellenic Entrance Exams of her year, and subsequently earned her medical degree, again achieving the highest score of her graduating class (recited the Hippocratic Oath at the graduation ceremony). She completed her residency in Pediatrics at university hospitals in Germany (Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany) and Switzerland (Inselspital in Bern and Triemli Spital in Zurich, Switzerland). He subsequently specialized in Pediatric Endocrinology at university hospitals in France and Switzerland (Robert Debré Hospital in Paris, the Inselspital University Pediatric Clinic in Bern, Switzerland, and the University Pediatric Clinic in Geneva, Switzerland). Upon returning to Greece, she was appointed to the faculty of the First Department of Pediatrics at the School of Medicine of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, where she has been serving since 2005. In June 2018, she was appointed Director of the First Pediatric Clinic of the School of Medicine at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, and in June 2021 and July 2024 she was reelected Director of the aforementioned Clinic, a position she continues to hold to this day. She has supervised more than 20 doctoral dissertations, participated in more than 600 Greek and international conferences, and serves as a reviewer for more than 35 international scientific journals. She is a member of the Board of Directors of numerous scientific committees and committees of the Ministry of Health. Her clinical and research work focuses primarily on topics in pediatric endocrinology, such as diabetes mellitus and obesity in children and adolescents, thyroid disorders in children and adolescents, as well as the evaluation and follow-up of patients with rare pediatric endocrine disorders. She serves as the scientific director of the Diabetes Center, the Endocrinology, Metabolism and Diabetes Unit, and the Center of Expertise for Rare Endocrine Disorders in Children at the “Agia Sofia” Children’s Hospital. Her clinical, educational, scientific, and research work is extensive and ongoing both within and outside Greece, as reflected in her role as a reviewer for scientific conferences and journals, as the author of more than 250 publications in foreign languages, and through her presentations at scientific conferences, where she has delivered over 500 invited lectures.
