On April 11, the Postgraduate Program in Periodontology of the School of Dentistry of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA) celebrated its 30th anniversary with an event which we had the pleasure to attend. The Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) received a plaque in recognition of its support for upgrades to the technical equipment used by the NKUA School of Dentistry’s undergraduate and postgraduate programs.
SNF Board of Directors member and Senior Legal Advisor George Agouridis, who accepted the plaque on behalf of the Foundation, said, “Since the philanthropic activity of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) can be summed up in the phrase ‘Empowering Humanity,’ which is a guiding principle for us, we are delighted to have the opportunity, through such partnerships, to contribute to the important work of educating the new generation of practitioners. May you continue your important work, with humanity and dedication to your science, for the next 30 years and beyond, and continue to help the country, above all by cultivating people who care for their fellow human beings.”
As part of the Foundation’s Global Health Initiative (GHI), SNF’s grant to the NKUA School of Dentistry supported the procurement of 24 dental chairs for the School’s clinics, as well as 40 state-of-the-art educational simulators. The equipment serves students’ education while also strengthening the School’s central focus on social work. Through its clinics, the School of Dentistry provides low-cost dental care to 9,000 oncology patients and low-income people, as well as children with disabilities, performing 30,000 dental procedures annually.