Dr Antonia Trichopoulou studied Medicine at the University of Athens. She served as Professor and Director of the Department of Nutrition and Biochemistry at the National School of Public Health and subsequently as Professor of Preventive Medicine and Nutrition at the Medical School of the University of Athens. She also headed the World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Nutrition and served as Adjunct Professor at the Harvard School of Public Health.

In 2006, she co-founded the non-profit Hellenic Health Foundation, where she currently serves as President. Throughout her career, she has contributed to the work of the National Organization for Medicines, the National Centre for Public Administration, “Elena Venizelou” Hospital, where she served as Chair of the Board, and various committees of the Ministry of Health. Internationally, she has served on important committees of the World Health Organization and the European Union.

Her scientific, research and academic work focuses on public health, particularly the epidemiology of chronic diseases and the development of health databases that have supported research into health promotion and disease prevention, with a particular focus on the Greek population and public health.

Seventy-four of her research projects have received funding, primarily from the European Union (54) and Greek sources (20), including 17 during the last decade. Her work, conducted primarily in Greece, has received international recognition and numerous distinctions, including the award of the Federation of European Nutrition Societies (FENS). She has also been honoured by the President of the Hellenic Republic with the Gold Cross for her contribution to medical science.

Since the early 1980s, Dr Trichopoulou has played a leading role in the revival of global interest in the traditional Mediterranean diet, particularly the traditional Greek dietary model. Through influential publications in leading medical journals, as well as lectures and presentations to both the medical community and the wider public, she has highlighted the importance of traditional dietary habits and foods.

She has mentored numerous physicians and health professionals, many of whom have gone on to distinguished careers in Greece and abroad. Her scientific impact has been recognised through inclusion in major international researcher citation rankings, including Thomson Reuters, Clarivate Analytics and the Webometrics list of highly influential researchers.