History

The Romanian-Hellenic Surgery Society HEROES, the name of which comes from the abbreviations HEllenic, ROmanian Surgery has its origins in the love that Prof. Dr. Konstantinos Sapalidis has for the University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Craiova, for Craiova, for Romania and in the long lasting friendship he has with Conf. Dr. Marian Munteanu.

During a holiday that Assoc. Prof. Dr. Marian Munteanu was spending in Greece in 2014, one evening, when they were nostalgically spinning memories from the time Prof. Dr. Konstantinos Sapalidis was a student in Craiova, he conveyed to him his desire he had long nurtured, that of materializing his gratitude for UMF Craiova, which he graduated in 1990, the place where he trained up as a doctor and where he spent the most beautiful years of his youth, by setting up a professional association of Greek and Romanian surgeons who would share experiences, innovative techniques, elements of Greek and Romanian culture and civilization, which would ultimately be a spiritual bridge between Greece and Romania, his first and second homeland.

Conf. Dr. Marian Munteanu, at that time the head of the 3rd Surgery Clinic SCJU Craiova, immediately embraced the idea and on his return to Romania he already started discussions with his fellow surgeons with regard to the possibility of establishing such an association, discussions that were later deepened and the circle of those involved widened in 2016 on the occasion of one of the many visits to Craiova of Prof. Dr. Konstantinos Sapalidis, when several meetings and exchanges of ideas took place between those who would later on become founding members of the association.

In the meantime, Prof. Dr. Konstantinos Sapalidis became a visiting professor as well as Doctor Honoris Causa of UMF Craiova, which gave him the opportunity for several visits, his bond with Craiova becoming even stronger.

An unconditional support offered with much discretion, love and friendship came from Prof. Dr. Ion Rogoveanu, former group colleague of Prof. Dr. Konstantinos Sapalidis, the rector of UMF Craiova at that time, who made an important contribution to the establishment of this association, among others, organizing several events with a wide participation.

Thus, several professional meetings were organized with Greek and Romanian participants, now bveing involved in the setting up of the association the heads of the 3 surgery clinics Prof. Dr. Valeriu Șurlin, Prof. Dr. Daniel Vîlcea, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Marian Munteanu, other surgeons as Assist. Prof. Dr. Alexandru Munteanu, Lecturer Dr. Dan Cartu, Assistant Prof. Dr. Stefan Patrascu, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Stelian Mogoanta, Lecturer Dr. Alin Stoica – Clinic of Pediatric Surgery and the Clinic of Plastic Surgery – Prof. Dr. Marius Ciurea, the association aiming at having members from all surgical specialties as well as from other medical specialties that interfere with surgery.

However, the association was actually established only in November 2019 at the same time with the generous and decisive involvement of Prof. Dr. Tudorel Ciurea, President of the Senate of UMF Craiova, who took measures to quickly draw up the documents for setting up the association and provided the logistical support of the university, including the association’s headquarters, which is right in the UMF Craiova building. It was also in November 2019, when the first conference organized by HEROES entitled “TUMOR PATHOLOGY OF THE BREAST” took place.
Given the large number of Greek surgeons, graduates of UMF Craiova, they joined the initiative becoming founding members of the association: Prof. Dr. Konstantinos Romanidis- Alexandropolis University Hospital, Dr. Nikolaos Roukounakis – Head of Surgery, Evangelismos Athens Hospital, Dr. Athanasios Katsaounis – Ahepa Thessaloniki Hospital together with Romanian colleagues from General Surgery Clinics 1, 2, 3 and Plastic Surgery Clinic. Also, surgeons from other university centers were co-opted, big names in Romanian surgery such as Prof. Dr. Mircea Beuran – Floreasca Emergency Hospital, Prof. Dr. Traian Patrascu – Clinical Hospital „Dr. I. Cantacuzino, Prof. Dr. Victor Strambu -“ Carol Davila ”Clinical Nephrology Hospital Bucharest, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Stelian Pantea, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Cristian Nica – Timisoara Emergency Clinical Hospital.

The members of the association decided that the first president would be Prof. Dr. Konstantinos Sapalidis and vice president, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Marian Munteanu, those who were the initiators of this association and Assistant Professor Dr. Alexandru Munteanu – secretary, the latter being the one who dealt with the legal steps of setting up the association.

This is the history of the establishment of the Hellenic-Romanian Surgery Association HEROES, spread over several years, which we hope will be followed by many, many years of existence.