The Hellenic Medical Society of Australia (HMSA) held it’s end of year celebration on Friday, December 5 at the Greek Centre, Melbourne.
It was a well-attended event and an opportunity to reflect on this past year’s achievements in a relaxed environment and to thank both HMSA members and members of the wider community who collaborated with HMSA in various events to ensure their success.
Speakers on the night included A/Prof Marinis Pirpiris, President of HMSA, Bill Papastergiadis OAM, President of the Greek Community of Melbourne, and Georgia Dimopoulou from the Greek National Tourism Organisation, all sharing messages of connection and collaboration.
We also heard from A/Prof Pirpiris that after many meetings and discussions, the legislative changes were recently passed in the Parliament of Greece, that enable for the mutual recognition of Australian medical degrees in Greece. ‘
“This achievement is more than a legal reform – it is a bridge between the two nations. It strengthens opportunities for young clinicians and honours the excellence of Australian medical education. The impact of this change will be felt for generations,” he said.
On the evening, HMSA also acknowledged and thanked HMSA members who have made significant contributions to the growth of HMSA through their involvement in the board, including Dr Arthur Athanasios Kokkinias, A/Prof Spiros Fourlanos, Dr Maria Raftopoulos and Dr George Koufogiannis.
A/Prof Pirpiris also sincerely thanked HMSA members who have presented and supported events throughout the year on topics including fertility and neuro-oncology and thanked members of the wider community who have contributed and collaborated in events including International Women’s Day, the HMSA Careers Day, the HMSA Gala Ball, as well as community education events, some of whom were present on the night including GCM Board representatives (Bill Papastergiadis OAM, Dr Dora Papamakarios, Simela Stamatopoulos, Manuel Tsirmiris), HACCI representative Fotini Kypraios (apology), Pronia representatives (Elpis Korosidis, Sylvia Hadjiantoniou, Paul Orfanos, Anna Tadese), Mayor Emily Dimitriadis, Dean Kalymniou, Katy Karabatsos, Peter Gavos, Bill Petridis, MUNGA representatives (Athanasios Pirpiris, Christina Damigos, Cherie Katsoulis).
The HMSA also thanked their sponsors for all their support throughout the year. HMSA is looking to 2026 as an opportunity to create more meaningful events that promote education, connection to heritage and can lead to improved health outcomes for all.
 held it’s end of year celebration on Friday, December 5 at the Greek Centre, Melbourne. ){kind=link}