The National Commission for Bioethics and Technoethics was established on April 2021. The work and the archive material of the National Bioethics Comission is accesible here
Personnel
The Commission is supported by three (3) Scientific Officers and the Secretariat.
The Commission is supported by three (3) Scientific Officers and the Secretariat.
The duties of the officers comprise report preparation and undertaking research on topics decided by the Commission. They also organize a database of texts and relevant scientific publications and work for the publication of prints regarding the Commission's activities or of bioethical interest in general. The two officers are:
Dr Takis Vidalis, Doctor of Law
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Takis Vidalis (Ph.D. in constitutional law / University of Athens) was elected in 2001 as a senior researcher and legal advisor of the Hellenic National Bioethics Commission. In 2017 he completed a study under the general title Biolaw (vol. 1, “The Person”, vol. 2, “From Biodiversity to Intelligent Machines”), (Sakkoulas Publ.).
Currently, he teaches a) Biolaw and Bioethics at the International Hellenic University, and the University of Thrace, b) “Artificial Intelligence: Ethics and Law, at the Law School of the Univ. of Athens, c) “Medical Ethics and Bioethics” at the University of Athens (distance learning program). An international expert in Research Ethics and Law for the European Commission, he contributed also, to the UNESCO’s Global Ethics Observatory (GEObs) Database on Ethics Related Legislation and Guidelines. He is the president of the Research Ethics Committee of the leading research Institute in Greece “Democritus”. A member of the Athens Bar Association, T. Vidalis is the founder of the BioMedLex interdisciplinary initiative (www.biomedlex.gr), specialized in the law of biomedical research.
Dr Vasiliki Mollaki, Doctor of Genetics,
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Vasiliki Mollaki is a Geneticist and Ethics Expert.
She studied Genetics (BSc Genetics) at Cardiff University in Wales, UK. In 2002 she received her postgraduate degree in Molecular and Genetic Medicine (MSc Molecular and Genetic Medicine) from Sheffield University, UK and completed her doctorate in 2006 at Sheffield University, UK, in the field of Genetics.
Vasiliki Mollaki was occupied as a postdoctoral research fellow at the Institute of Biomedical Research of the Academy of Athens, the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens and the National Centre of Scientific Research "Demokritos" in Athens, in research projects investigating the genetic basis of human disease (e.g., Hodgkin’s lymphoma, familial hypercholesterolemia, hereditary cancer syndromes and more).
She was an Adjunct Lecturer teaching Molecular Biology and Genetics at the Technological Institute of Athens in the Faculty of Health and Caring Professions (2008-2018). Since 2017, she teaches Bioethics at the International Hellenic University, as a Visiting Professor. Since 2021 she teaches Genetics in the Department of Biomedical Sciences in the University of West Attica in a position according to the PC407/1980.
Since 2011, she works as a Scientific Officer at the National Commission for Bioethics & Technoethics (former Hellenic National Bioethics Commission), where she started her career in ethics.
She has been appointed as external Ethics Expert in the European Commission, where she carries out ethics evaluations for European research programs (since 2016) and she has chaired eight ethics expert panels.
She is a member of the Research Ethics Committee (REC) of the University of Patras and the University of West Attica.
She is a member of the National Committee for the Protection of Animals Used for Scientific Purposes.
She is a member of the Editorial Board of the journal Bioethica.
She has published 3 monographs, 1 e-book, 15 articles in international scientific journals and 4 articles in national scientific journals (http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8479-8704) and contributed 3 chapters in 3 collective books.
Dr Theodore Trokanas, Doctor of Law
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Theodoros Trokanas was born in Thessaloniki. He holds a Bachelor’s degree from the Faculty of Law of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (200o), a Master’s degree in “Human rights and protection of humanity” in a private law specialty from the University of Dijon (2003) and a Phd in Civil Law (Family Law) from the Faculty of Law of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (2011).
Between 2011 and 2013 as well as 2018 and 2020 he was Adjunct Faculty at the Department of Accounting and Finance of the University of Macedonia in Thessaloniki, teaching courses in civil and corporate Law. From 2013 to 2017 he served as a Lecturer and next as an Assistant Professor of Civil Law at the School of Law of European University of Cyprus. From 2017 to 2020 he was Adjunct Faculty at Hellenic Open University, teaching an undergraduate course in “Basic Principles of Law and Administration” of "Business and Organisation Administration" Programme of the School of Social Sciences.
Since 2011 he has been a Visiting Scholar at the Interdepartmental Postgraduate Program “Contemporary medical acts: Legal Regulation and Bioethical Dimension”, as well as at the Interinstitutional Graduate Studies Program “Critical Thinking and Soft Skills in Biomedical Sciences” at the Aristotle University Thessaloniki. Since 2021 he has been Adjunct Faculty at Open University of Cyprus, teaching a course in “Ethics and Reproductive Health” in a Bioethics and Medical Ethics postgraduate program. In spring semester 2023-2024 he taught courses in “Succession Law” and “Cadastral Law-Horizontal and Vertical Property” at the Faculty of Law of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.
In 2017 he co-directed the International Anniversary Conference "1997-2017: 20 years after Oviedo Convention on Human Rights and Biomedicine. What are the achieved gains and its potential?". Since 2020 he has been a national tutor in HELP online course in “Key human rights principles in Biomedicine” of the Council of Europe. Since 2021 he has participated in the initiative Stavros Niarchos Foundation Bioethics Academy (SNFBA) of The Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics (JHU) and the Bioethics Chair at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH).
He is a member of Laboratory for the Research of Medical Law and Bioethics at the Faculty of Law of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, a Board Member of Society for the Study of Medical Law And Bioethics, and an external Member of Research Ethics and Conduct Committee of Ionian University. He is also a member of European Society for Reproduction and Ethics (ESHRE) and of the European network on Health, Law and Bioethics (HeaLaB EuroNet).
He has authored the monographs “Human reproduction, Individual autonomy and its limits” (2011), “The Cypriot Law on Medically Assisted Reproduction” (2016) and “Error in motive in Civil Code” (2022) as well as of numerous articles in family law, law of succession, medical law, and data protection law. He has been invited to present papers to multiple Greek and international conferences of medical law.
He has been a practising lawyer since 2002, a member of the Bar Association of Thessaloniki, and since 2018 he has delivered professional training seminars on the GDPR/DPO for the Center for Education and Lifelong learning of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.
He has an excellent command of English, French and a good command of German and Spanish.
The Secretariat is responsible for the preparation of the Meetings, the secretarial support of the Chairman and the members, having also administrative tasks. Furthermore the Secretariat serves as a public relation person of the Commission with other relevant authorities in Greece and abroad.
Since 2002 Ms Marianna Dracopoulou is running the Secretariat.
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● Gratuate from Law School, National and Κapodistrian University of Athens ● Active lawyer in the field of civil law ● Collaboration with Professor οf Law School George Papadimitriou ● Employed as Head of Secretariat at the Hellenic National Bioethics Commission under the presidencies of: Professor George Koumantos, Professor Ioannis Papadimitriou, Professor Christodoulos Stefanadis, Ass. Professor Eleni Rethimiotaki and Professor Effy Vayena (2021- today) ● Every year she organizes the educational Seminars on bioethics ● Among many others, she has organized: the 1rst NEC FORUM in Athens (2003) under the Greek European Presidency with the participation of the 27 member states of EU, the Conference for the celebration of the 10 years of the Commission, in memory of the first Chair, Professor George Koumantos, with main subject “the euthanasia” (2009), the International Conference for the celebration of the 20 years of the Commission, under the auspices of H.E. the President of Hellenic Republic, Prokopios Pavlopoulos, in the Auditorium of the Hellenic Parliament (2019) ● She has organized the 1rst Panhellenic School Contest with the participation of 40 schools from all around the country ● She has been the editor of the first publications of the Commission, in greek and in english as well ● She has translated in english Recommendations and Opinions of the Commission ● She has participated in many NEC FORA, in Europe.
Since 2002 she is the Head of the Secretariat and she is responsible for the organizational and administrative structure of the Commission.
She speaks english, french, german, italian and spanish.
The Commission offers to students, mostly postgraduates, both from human and life sciences the Possibility of training on issues related to bioethics
The Commission organizes educational seminars covering a wide range of bioethics issues
The Commission organizes educational activities for schools (Secondary Schools and High Schools) related to bioethics