Past

The foundation of the School of Medicine (1984) and the University Hospital (1990) in Heraklion advanced Gastroenterology in Crete, Greece. Orestis Manousos was the first Professor of Gastroenterology who, after a brilliant career abroad and in Athens, Greece, settled to Heraklion to contribute to the development of the recently founded School of Medicine and of Gastroenterology in Crete. Prominent Greek Gastroenterologists, such as Elias Kouroumalis, Ioannis Mouzas and Spyros Potamianos, were attracted by the ambitious goals set and they further boosted the effort.
From the very beginning, Gastroenterology inpatient and outpatient services have been offered by an independent department that was fully equipped with cutting-edge instrumentation on the basis of international standards. It featured modern video endoscopes, of the first ones in Greece, a manometry suite, as well as a laboratory, offering several research opportunities in such early times. Close collaboration with other departments of the University Hospital (such as Rheumatology, Dermatology, Radiology, Pathology and Surgery) fostered interdisciplinary optimization of healthcare for patients.
Significant research focusing on Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (headed by Prof. O. Manousos) and on liver diseases (headed by Prof. E. Kouroumalis) has had an international impact. Initially, epidemiological and clinical studies were carried out and gradually basic research was developed as well (headed by Prof. E. Kouroumalis). Nowadays, the department also contributes to plenty of international multicenter studies. In the last decade, a well-organized clinical studies office has been set up (head: Prof. I. Koutroubakis) and has been facilitating participation in a multitude of demanding drug testing studies for Inflammatory Bowel Diseases, Hepatitis B, Hepatocellular Carcinoma and Primary Biliary Cholangitis. We have been honored with funding and awards by various Greek and international agencies.
A high-level fellowship program was founded early, has been training Gastroenterologists across all disciplines of the specialty and has been offering practice in all endoscopic techniques. Our well-trained graduates have pursued academic careers in Greece and abroad, staffed hospitals in Crete or engaged in private practice, effectively covering the health needs in Crete island. There is a year-around educational program covering all aspects of Gastroenterology. Moreover, several national, international congresses and, starting from the COVID era, regular online postgraduate activities, maintaining a large attendance, are hosted by the department. Further, many doctoral theses in clinical and/or laboratory research have been prepared and successfully defended under the supervision of faculty members of the department.
The Gastroenterology Department of Heraklion University Hospital has grown to one of the largest in Greece and its service as a tertiary reference center significantly upgraded the health services provided in Crete and minimized patient referrals to continental Greece. Specialized outpatient clinics cover the whole spectrum of diseases of the digestive tract, the liver and the pancreas, including demanding health issues, such as Inflammatory Bowel Diseases, complicated pancreatic and biliary disorders, liver tumors and transplantation, alcohol abuse and nutrition issues. A modern and fully equipped endoscopy suite, which was recently expanded and renovated thanks to donations and state funding, covers all aspects of diagnostic and therapeutic endoscopy. Many of our physicians have participated in the past or actively participate in major national and international medical organizations or guideline committees.
Concluding, for 40 years now the Gastroenterology department of the Medical School in Crete, Greece has been excelling in education for Gastroenterologists, Patient Care and Research and has shaped a distinct identity in Greece and abroad.