My mother was a scientist. Her profession was not just her job, it was her life. Her students were like her children and her research was her Holy Grail. I grew up playing with test tubes in her lab and listening to her lectures in the University. She had a huge admiration for women in science and she believed that Greek women had a huge potential in making important breakthroughs in their fields of study.She passed away in 2016 leaving a huge legacy in Pharmacology. One of her beloved students was Christina Dalla, who accepted with joy my invitation to have this conversation and celebrate all the young women who dedicate their lives into helping mankind.

Tell me a little bit about yourself 

I am an identical twin, I am 46 years old and I have an amazing daughter Dione who is 14 years old. I raise my daughter with my ex-husband with shared parenting. I was raised by two wonderful parents  who were lawyers and have already passed away. I have two sisters that I am very close with, one older and a twin one, as well as a big family of cousins and other relatives. I live in the center of Athens close to the Acropolis, but I have also lived in Belgium at Liege and in New Jersey in the USA for three years.  

I am currently an Associate Professor of Pharmacology at the Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. I have studied Pharmacy and I have a PhD in Psychopharmacology, but I have also studied neuroscience as part of my post-doctoral studies at Rutgers University, where I went with a Marie -Curie fellowship. I have won awards, such as the L’Oreal-Unesco award for young Greek Women in Science and I have served in several scientific societies, organizations and committees, such as at the Ministry of Health, the National Medicines Association of Greece, the Gender Equality committee of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology, the Federation for Neuroscience Societies and others. Nowadays, I am president-elect of the Mediterranean Neuroscience Society, temporary-President of the newly founded Hellenic Brain Council and member of the board of directors of the European Brain Foundation. I also run a research lab focusing on sex differences in antidepressant response and drug discovery and I have clinical duties at the University hospital. 

So, I am busy with different roles and positions that I enjoy and I try to serve in the best possible way. 

What inspired you to study the human brain? Did you have a role model that influenced your decision to work in science? 

My first role model was my mother who had studied law, but had a PhD in bioethics and served as an Assistant Professor at the Medical School of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. Later, when I was a third year student in the School of Pharmacy, I met my mentor Prof. Zeta Papadopouloou-Daifoti,  a remarkable woman and scientist. She taught us Psychopharmacology with so much passion and wisdom that inspired me to follow her path about brain research. I conducted my PhD under her supervision on the topic of sex differences in models of depression and she helped me become the scientist I am today. Thanks to her, I found my interest in women’s health issues and sex differences in neuropsychopharmacology. She was a unique person , an amazing mentor and an ideal role model that gave generously  her advice and mentoring, but at the same time she showed me the way of becoming an independent researcher with autonomous scientific thought and career. Unfortunately, she passed away soon after she retired and the academic world of Greece, but also our lives are poorer since then; I really miss her guidance, her passion and her company. 

In ten years, what do you hope to have accomplished in terms of your work?

I hope that in 10 years I will already be a full Professor and that I will run a successful interdisciplinary research team with European and international funding. I hope that I will be responsible for preclinical and clinical projects that will bring us closer to new neuropsychiatric treatments for all. I also plan to continue teaching young Medical Doctors and other scientists in Greece and abroad and hope to contribute to the amelioration of their educational program. Finally, I hope that I will actively contribute in the acquisition of a Equality, Diversity and Inclusion action plan for our University. 

What is a typical day like for you?

My days and my schedule are rather complex, as I have many different roles and positions and I travel a lot. So it’s kind of difficult to describe a “typical” day, but usually when I am in Athens, I wake up around 8:00, I drink coffee and then I go to my office or at the lab or at the hospital. Sometimes, I teach in the morning or in the afternoon and I usually have one or more virtual meetings in between. Teaching is about neuropsychopharmacology or neuroscience topics and meetings are usually about national or international committees or scientific collaborations. I finish around 18:00 and if I do not have any events or dinners related to work, I spend half of the evenings with my partner and the other half with my daughter (she is with her dad half days of the week). Those days that I am with my daughter, we usually go to the gym or go shopping. Then, I usually read, work a bit more, watch movies or go out and try to sleep early. During the weekends, if I am not traveling for work, I finish up some work, read and try to visit museums, go to the theater, go to the sea or to the mountains or go out with friends and family. 

If you had the option to give advice to a younger version of yourself, what would that be?

Not to get stressed, because things usually work out sooner or later. Just be patient. Also, I would try to “protect” myself from some people that caused me problems in my work environment. 

What were the biggest obstacles you had to overcome? Did you ever have the impression that it would be easier/harder if you were male scientist in Greece? 

In the past, I thought that the biggest problems in academia in Greece is bureaucracy and lack of funding and organization. Indeed these are big problems, but lately I have realized that my biggest obstacles at work are humans and professional relationships…I am still struggling to overcome these obstacles and I am not sure if my gender has played a role or not… In some aspects maybe it would have been easier if I was a male, as I would have probably had a different way of handling and resolving difficult situations.

On the other hand, as mentioned above early in my career, I won awards for Women in Science and I was supported by female mentors. In any case, I am happy that I am a woman and I proudly represent Women in Science! 

Besides your scientific interests, what are your personal interests?

I care a lot about social issues and I advocate for equality between men and women in all areas including children’s care. I am very much in favor of shared parenting after divorce or separation and I show that in my everyday life. 

I also have an interest in bioethics and science communication about the brain. In this respect, I give talks and interviews for the general public usually related to women’s issues and neuroscience and I participate in writing or translating scientific books for the general public. 

I am also interested in art, theatre, books and traveling, which occasionally includes skiing, diving and tourism. In general, I try to live my life in full with the company of my daughter, my partner, my sisters, cousins and friends.