Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death worldwide, responsible for nearly 50% of all deaths. An organized Cardiology Clinic, staffed by specialists not only in treatment but also in managing risk factors such as hypertension, dyslipidemia, diabetes, smoking, and exercise, is the cornerstone of effective prevention and care.
Professor Athanasios Manolis holds a PhD from the Medical School of the University of Athens. From 1987 to 2006, he served at the Cardiology Clinic of Tzaneio Hospital, where he established one of the first Hypertension Clinics in Greece. He further specialized at one of the world’s leading Hypertension Centers at the Boston University School of Medicine.
He has been elected Professor at Boston University and Emory University in the USA, as well as at Timisoara University in Romania, and is a Visiting Professor at multiple universities worldwide. Each year, he delivers more than 60 lectures internationally at universities and congresses.
From 2007 to 2021, he was Director of the Cardiology Clinic at Asklepieio Voulas Hospital, which he developed into one of the country’s leading public cardiology clinics, comparable to university hospitals and internationally recognized for both clinical care and research.
His academic contributions include over 300 publications in international journals, 20 chapters in international textbooks with a cumulative impact factor of 1,650, while there are more than 55,000 citations of his worldwide.
He has been a member of the writing committees for the European Society of Hypertension (ESH) and the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) guidelines on hypertension (2007, 2009, 2013, 2018, 2023), and contributed to ESC guidelines on: Cardiovascular disease in pregnancy (2011), Dyslipidemia management (2011), Cardiovascular prevention (2012), Aortic disease (2014).
He serves as a member of numerous international societies and editorial boards, and is Associate Editor of the European Journal of Internal Medicine.
In Greece, he has long served as a member of the National Cardiology Examination Committee, evaluator for consultant and director positions within the National Health System, and since 2007 has chaired the Secondary Evaluation Council of the National Organization for Medicines (EOF).
Dr. Manolis Kallistratos worked at the Onassis Cardiac Surgery Center from 2003 to 2007 in the Non-Invasive Diagnostic Unit, where he performed hundreds of cardiopulmonary exercise tests (ergospirometry) and thousands of exercise stress tests. He was also involved in the evaluation of patients with heart failure and pre-transplant assessments.
From 2005 to 2007, he was a Research Associate at the Department of Clinical Pathophysiology, University of Athens, evaluating chemotherapy-related cardiotoxicity in oncology patients.
Between 2007 and 2021, he served at the Cardiology Department of Asklepieio Voulas Hospital, where he directed the Hypertension Clinic (certified as a Center of Excellence by the European Society of Hypertension), which also recognized him as a Hypertension Specialist. He was also responsible for the Stress Testing and Cardiopulmonary Exercise Testing Units, as well as the Cardiac Rehabilitation Department in collaboration with the Physiotherapy Unit.
Since 2008, he has been a PhD holder in Cardiology from the University of Athens. He has presented more than 350 abstracts at international congresses, published over 80 scientific papers, and received 10 awards for his research at national and European levels.
Dr. Tatiana Zamfir worked in the Cardiology Department of Metaxa Hospital from 2014 to 2018, where she specialized in the care and monitoring of oncology patients alongside her clinical cardiology duties.
Since 2018, she has been part of the Mobile Medical Units initiative of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation, bringing high-quality healthcare to remote and underserved areas of Greece throughout the year.
From 2019 to 2021, she served at the Cardiology Clinic of Asklepieio Voulas Hospital, specializing in advanced cardiac imaging techniques, including: stress echocardiography, strain rate imaging, and transesophageal echocardiography—certified by the European Society of Cardiology.
She established and directed the Cardio-Oncology Clinic, dedicated to the monitoring and management of oncology patients in collaboration with their treating physicians.
Heart Failure
Heart failure is a syndrome associated with high cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. The five-year prognosis for these patients is worse than that of many forms of cancer. They often experience frequent hospitalizations—on average three per year—which significantly impact their quality of life. Pharmacological treatment of heart failure aims not only to improve cardiovascular morbidity and mortality but also to enhance patients’ quality of life, requiring specialized expertise and knowledge in this field.
The Associate Director, Manolis Kallistratos, has been involved in the management of heart failure for over 15 years. He has long-term experience monitoring patients with heart failure at the Cardiology Clinic of Asklipieio Voula and was responsible for the clinic’s heart failure rehabilitation program. He has participated in numerous research protocols and has published extensively in both Greek and international peer-reviewed journals in this field.
Cardio-oncology
Cancer is the second leading cause of death in Europe, following cardiovascular diseases. Advances in cancer treatment have significantly improved the survival rates of these patients.
However, cancer patients face a substantial risk of developing cardiovascular diseases and complications due to the cardiotoxicity of certain therapies.
The field of Cardio-Oncology aims to significantly reduce cardiovascular morbidity and mortality while improving the quality of life for patients with cancer.
Modern cardio-oncology teams focus on three key phases:
- Before treatment: Identifying and optimizing all risk factors that could lead to cardiovascular complications during surgery or systemic therapy,
- During treatment: Timely recognition and appropriate management of cardiovascular complications, with therapeutic decisions made through multidisciplinary discussion for patients experiencing cardiovascular issues,
- After treatment: Optimizing preventive strategies and implementing a structured follow-up program for these patients.
The Coordinator of the Clinic, Tatiana Zamfir, has extensive experience from one of Greece’s most prominent oncology hospitals, Metaxa. She subsequently established and directed the Cardio-Oncology Clinic at Asklipieio Voula, providing comprehensive cardiac monitoring—including echocardiography—before, during, and after cancer treatment.
The Hypertension Clinic at Metropolitan Hospital is the first private hypertension clinic in Greece to be certified as a Hypertension Excellence Centre by the European Society of Hypertension (ESH) in June 2021. This prestigious certification recognizes the Clinic’s innovative practices and the outstanding quality and effectiveness of its services in the research, diagnosis, management, and treatment of hypertension.
Hypertension Clinic: Center of Excellence certified by the European Society of Hypertension
Hypertension is the primary cause of cardiovascular-related deaths. It affects approximately 25% of the Greek population, and more than 50% of adults.
All information available at the Hypertension Center
Specialized Clinics
- Cardiology Clinic
- Hypertension Clinic
- Heart Failure Clinic
- Cardio-Oncology Clinic