The conference focused on topics related to the environment, planetary health, and child health. The purpose of the conference was to inform about the environment and the child, and the impacts of planetary health on human health.
Speakers analyzed interdisciplinary topics related to the environment and its effects on the onset of various diseases, the socio-economic phenomena that adversely affect human health, and modern health problems. Postgraduate students were given the opportunity to present their research work and engage in constructive discussions with professors and the public.
The number of admissions per year is set at a maximum of fifty (50) postgraduate students.
The selection criteria for the admitted students include:
a. An application accompanied by a brief statement of interest.
b. A detailed curriculum vitae.
c. A copy of the degree or diploma.
d. A transcript with detailed grades of undergraduate and/or postgraduate studies.
e. A certificate of sufficient knowledge of a foreign language (level B2). If the candidate does not have a language diploma, they will be assessed by an IPP committee on their understanding and rendering of a text. If a second foreign language is known, the corresponding certificate should also be submitted.
f. Proof of any research and writing activity, as well as professional experience related to the field of specialization (if applicable).
g. A photocopy of the Police ID or Passport.
The scoring of candidates for admission to the IPP is indicative as follows:
a) General degree grade, multiplied by a coefficient of two and a half (2.5), with a maximum of twenty-five (25) points.
b) Previous research activity: from one (1) to five (5) points.
c) Any professional experience: from one (1) to five (5) points.
d) Other relevant degrees: from zero (0) to ten (10) points.
e) Foreign language titles, beyond the first foreign language: from one (1) to five (5) points.
f) An oral interview with a grading scale from zero (0) to ten (10). The oral interview grade is multiplied by a coefficient of two (2), meaning the interview receives a maximum of twenty (20) points.
After the completion of the process, based on the evaluation of the file of supporting documents and the interview, the final list of successful candidates is compiled.
Total points: 70
In case of a tie, all tied candidates are admitted as extra students.
Personal Interview:
In the interview, candidates are assessed on the relevance of their studies to the IPP’s subject matter, previous relevant research, writing and professional experience, and the personality traits they demonstrate during the interview.
In the event of a tie, all tied candidates are accepted.
Five (5) compulsory core courses, as listed below:
This course covers basic environmental concepts involving the atmosphere, water, and soil. Topics include air pollution, climate change, solar radiation, extreme weather events, water environments, drinking water, soil, and pollution from human activities. Introductory elements from Atmospheric Sciences (Meteorology, Climatology, Atmospheric Environment), Hydrology (Water Cycle, Water Pollution), Agricultural (Soil, soil burden from pesticide use), and Biological Sciences (Ecological models, pollen) are developed. The goal is for the student to become familiar with the terminology of Environmental Sciences and understand key mechanisms related to environmental processes and tools for studying the environment. Emphasis will be placed on accessing open environmental data.
Understanding the impact of environmental factors on health requires knowledge and comprehension of the exposure and metabolism pathways of the human body. The course will cover the basic morphological characteristics of various tissues, organs, and systems, emphasizing the texture and function of body tissues and their significance in building and operating organs. Basic metabolic pathways of the human body, metabolic diseases, biochemical and molecular bases of tissue and system functions and corresponding diseases, and the basic principles of pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics, along with drug effects, will be analyzed. Finally, the course includes studying morphological alterations in tissues and organs by systems, epidemiological data, pathogenesis mechanisms, predictive and prognostic factors for pathological conditions, and neoplasms.
This course covers the impacts of radiation and chemical emissions from certain natural and artificial structural materials on the human body, found in indoor environments of homes and workplaces. The role of various natural and artificial structural materials, such as rocks, concrete, cement, bricks, plasters, tiles, paints, metals, chemically treated wood elements (like floors, furniture, etc.), the effects of natural radioactivity, and chemical emissions, the “sick building syndrome,” and the assessment of risk from radiological and chemical emissions will be analyzed. Methods for controlling, preventing, and addressing these effects through interactive teaching, laboratory measurements, field measurements, and application of computational tools will be taught.
The course aims to introduce environmental parameters that can affect human tissues and, consequently, human health. Environmental factors may refer to atmospheric (like atmospheric composition, pollutants, natural emissions), climatic (e.g., temperature, precipitation), or water parameters. The histological effects of these elements can be of different types and affect various systems of the body simultaneously (e.g., skin cancer, infectious diseases, respiratory diseases, etc.). Emphasis will be placed on analyzing healthy histological structures of various organs, the alterations that can be observed, and their correlation with environmental factors.
This course addresses managing natural resources for health benefits in environmental disaster scenarios. Disasters can disrupt the balance of materials and elements in air, soil, and water, necessitating the proper management of financial resources to restore them to their previous state and address the changes caused. Health is one of the main areas affected by environmental disasters. Poor organization by the state in managing financial resources to address diseases and conditions arising from such crises can perpetuate the problem without achieving a definitive solution. This course analyzes the economics and policies of fishing, mineral extraction, oil and natural gas, forest resources, agriculture, and the environment, focusing on managing these resources for public health benefits.
Five (5) compulsory core courses, as listed below:
This course includes detailed teaching of pathogenic agents, potential and known mutagenic and toxic environmental factors, their formation and accumulation, their danger levels, and the damages they can cause at the cellular level, in tissues, organs, and entire plant and animal organisms affected in soil, water, and air. Methods for controlling these factors through interactive teaching and laboratory exercises will be taught. The concepts of teratogenesis and carcinogenesis, especially related to the modern lifestyle of industrialized countries, and the ways of their formation, prevention, management, neutralization, and destruction with minimal environmental burden will be analyzed.
This course analyzes the dependence of diseases on environmental parameters over different time and geographical scales and the statistical correlation of environmental parameters (air, water, soil) with disease occurrence. It covers extreme meteorological phenomena (floods, heatwaves) and their impact on vulnerable population groups, the concentration of pollutants, toxic and allergenic substances in the atmosphere, water, and soil, and their corresponding health impacts, and climate changes (solar radiation, “ozone hole,” etc.) related to infectious, cardiovascular/respiratory diseases, neoplasms, dietary changes, and vitamin deficiencies.
The Central and Peripheral Nervous System of humans is subject to the harmful effects of numerous environmental factors. Specific areas of the nervous system, along the “cortex-peripheral nerves” axis, are selectively vulnerable to toxic agents, causing particular clinical entities with symptoms from both the neurological and psychiatric spheres. The course will present the pathophysiological mechanisms and clinical manifestations of environmental toxin effects on the nervous system. It will also cover the neurological impacts of toxins from social use (e.g., alcohol) and iatrogenic causes. Finally, diagnostic approach algorithms and therapeutic management of this significant medical-social problem will be proposed.
This course examines basic concepts related to human metabolism and the body’s nutritional needs and various conditions in which nutritional issues are involved in their etiology. It also examines different types of diets and eating habits, emphasizing their impact on tissues and, consequently, human health. Special feeding conditions, such as feeding groups with increased needs (pregnant women, infants, children), elderly feeding, and individuals with metabolic diseases, will also be analyzed. Finally, modern developments in food science and some basic principles of nutrition concerning different countries or cultures will be discussed.
The course aims to develop skills in experimental design and experimental data management to safely draw conclusions on environmental impacts on human health.
Subunits to be developed include:
In the first and second semesters, courses are conducted on weekends, with options for distance learning and hybrid formats.
In the third semester, students work on their thesis in collaboration with a three-member supervisory and examination committee.
In the Interdepartmental Postgraduate Program (DIPMS), tuition fees are set at two thousand seven hundred euros (€2700) per study cycle. Payment is made by the student (or by a third party on the student’s behalf) to an account of the Special Account for Research Funds (E.L.K.E.).
Students who meet certain financial or social criteria and have demonstrated excellence during their first study cycle, achieving a minimum grade of 7.5/10, are eligible for free tuition. The specific terms and conditions for free tuition are outlined in the relevant legislation and the decision of the Minister of Education and Religious Affairs. Students exempt from tuition fees should not exceed 30% of the total number of students admitted to the DIPMS, and this exemption applies to participation in only one postgraduate program. If the number of eligible students exceeds this percentage, selection is based on a ranking starting with those with the lowest income.
The application for tuition fee exemption must be submitted by the interested party to the Department after the student selection process for the DIPMS is completed. The possibility of exemption from tuition fees is provided exclusively for attendance in one postgraduate program organized by a domestic Higher Education Institution (HEI). The necessary procedures for the successful completion of the right to free tuition are defined in the Postgraduate Studies Regulations.
Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTH) may grant compensatory scholarships to postgraduate students with the obligation to support the educational process and provide auxiliary teaching work. The DIPMS determines the maximum amount of the compensatory scholarship per student, the maximum number of weekly working hours, and other details regarding the granting of scholarships. Postgraduate students are informed following a relevant announcement from the DIPMS Secretariat.
The DIPMS also facilitates student exchanges through the Erasmus and Erasmus+ programs. The Senate of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTH), in its session no. 2980/20 & 21-2-2019, decided to approve the adoption of best practices for the proper implementation of the ERASMUS+ program, which apply proportionally to all study cycles of AUTH, in accordance with the applicable legislation and the regulations of each postgraduate program.
Additionally, since then, procedures are updated and specified according to the directions of the State Scholarships Foundation and are published accordingly by the Department of European and Educational Programs on its website: https://eurep.auth.gr/el/students/studies.
The Departments of Medicine (School of Health Sciences, AUTH), Geology (School of Sciences, AUTH), Medicine (School of Health Sciences, DUTH), and Environmental Engineering are offering fifty (50) positions for postgraduate students for the academic year 2024-2025 in the Inter-Institutional Postgraduate Program (DIPMS) “Health and Environmental Factors.”
The program lasts for two semesters of coursework and one semester for the completion of a thesis. Successful completion leads to the award of a Master’s Degree in Specialization (MDE). Attendance of courses, seminars, and other program activities is mandatory.
Graduates from the following departments are eligible to apply:
Graduates from other departments or higher education schools may also apply upon decision of the Special Inter-Institutional Committee (SIC). Final-year undergraduate students who will complete their studies before the end of the registration period and meet the requirements are also eligible.
The annual number of admissions to the DIPMS is set at fifty (50).
Candidates must submit their applications to the DIPMS Secretariat from June 15, 2024, to September 25, 2024, electronically at msc.auth@gmail.com. If the number of applications is insufficient, the submission period may be extended.
Details about the oral interview date will be provided during the application submission period and posted on the announcements page of the Medical Department’s website https://www.med.auth.gr -> Postgraduate Programs Announcements.
For more information and updates, please visit the program’s webpage.
Content template generated by the Quality Assurance Unit (MODIP) of AUTh
