By Thomas Thomou, Ph.D.

The HBA-USA is a US based, non for profit organization that has been founded 4 years ago with the mission to create a scientific network that would promote the interests of all Greek-American scientists and trainees. During the four years of its existence, HBA-USA established itself as an scientific association encompassing more than 300 members (the vast majority of whom are distinguished professors and medical doctors) nationwide. The association proceeded with important activities including the acquisition of tax exempt status, a very-well visited website, participation in conferences and congresses organized by the Hellenic and Cypriot ministries of health and the organization of student and scientist exchange programs between the USA and Greece.

During the workshop, for two days, esteemed Greek-American scientists engaging in basic and clinical research across many disciplines, ranging from cancer genetics to cardiovascular, metabolic and neurodegenerative diseases, enjoyed the rare opportunity of meeting and learning from each other; discussing, clarifying, and codifying their common goals and disparate experiences while acknowledging the obstacles to success.

The list of the attendees at the meeting included scientists registered with the HBA-USA from the greater Boston area, as well as 12 more states of the US (New York, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, Virginia, Florida, Missouri, Ohio and California).

The opening ceremony included the presentation of the 1st "Aristoteles Award" of the HBA-USA by Professor Nicolaos Madias (Caritas St. Elizabeth, Boston, MA) to Professor Gregory Stephanopoulos (MIT, MA) for his outstanding achievements in Bioscientific research. Distinguished Professor Dimitri Nanopoulos (A & M University, TX) initiated the scientific part of the meeting with his keynote lecture entitled "The Quantum Life" which highlighted the importance of multidisciplinary approaches in bioscientific hypotheses.

The following plenary session included talks from three of the HBA-USA members that excelled in their research in the last year and whose work was published in peer-reviewed journals of the highest impact; Dr Nina Papavasiliou (Rockefeller University, NY), Dr. Dimitrios Vavylonis (Lehigh University, PA) and Dr Maria Hatzoglou (Case Western Reserve University, OH) showcased the importance of multidisciplinary approaches in their research while demonstrating why Greek-American scientists are among the very best in biomedical research.

The General Consul of Greece, Mr. Konstantinos Orphanides, hosted a reception in the Greek Consulate. The reception was attended by approximately 100-120 registered attendees and invitees. During the reception, participants had the opportunity to “meet and greet” with local Greek-Americans, as well as with the Consul General and the staff of the consulate.

The program of the second day of the meeting consisted of three sessions:

1. Cancer & Neurobiology workshop with the following speakers: Dr. Theodore Krontiris (City of Hope National Medical Center, CA), Dr. Manolis Kellis (MIT, MA), Dr Philip Tsichlis (TUFTS, MA), Dr. Nikos Robakis (Mount Sinai School of Medicine, NY) and Dr. Diomedes Logothetis (Virginia Commonwealth University, VA).

2. Cardiovascular Biology, metabolic diseases and endocrinology workshop with the following speakers: Dr. Haralambos Gavras (Boston University, MA) and Dr. Yu-Hua Tseng (Harvard University, MA). Both workshops included presentations of established scientists in every discipline and followed by an open discussion among the participants moderated by the speakers, aiming to create a framework for possible collaborations among the attendees.

3. Technology commercialization and Academia-Industry collaborations (in cooperation with the Hellenic Business Network) with the following speakers: Mr. Yiannis Cosmopoulos (TUFTS, MA and Hellenic Business Network), Dr. Christos Mantzoros (Harvard University, MA) and Dr. George Vasmatzis (Mayo Clinic, MN). During this session the attendees were educated in the legal background and the current status quo regarding academia and industry collaborations and possibilities for transfer of technology from universities and teaching institutions to the market of life sciences.

The next national summit of the Hellenic Bioscientific Association in the USA is expected to take place in the spring of 2011.