Tryfinopoulou Kyriaki

Biopathologist – Microbiologist in Public Health, Head of Central Public Health Laboratory, National Public Health Organization

 Dr. Kyriaki Tryfinopoulou is Medical Microbiologist, Head of the Central Public Health Laboratory (CPHL) of the National Public Health Organization. Since September 2016, Kyriaki has the title of Public Health Microbiologist, after a 2-year fellowship in the European Public Health Microbiology Training Program (EUPHEM) of the European Center for Disease Control (ECDC). Since 2017, she is EUPHEM co-supervisor of the Greek training site. Since November 2016 she has been appointed as National Focal Point for Microbiology at ECDC and additionally, since March 2020, as Operational focal point for COVID-19 (Laboratory).

Her interests focus on clinical and public health microbiology. Since 2009, she has been working on multi-drug resistance of Gram-negative bacteria and mainly on β-lactam resistance mechanisms of clinical Enterobacteriaceae and non-fermenter isolates. In addition, on multidisciplinary collaborations regarding antimicrobial resistance in the frame of the One Health approach. Furthermore, on molecular typing of Gram-negative isolates for outbreak investigation and surveillance purposes. Since 2020, her interests expanded to the molecular diagnosis and genomic surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 and the systematic use of molecular biology techniques in clinical microbiology for diagnostic purposes.

She has participated as facilitator in several training programs (ECDC Training Program EUPHEM/EPIET, MedEPIET, postgraduate programs of the Department of Public Health policies, School of Public Health, University of West Attica, as well as of the Medical Schools of the National & Kapodistrian University of Athens and the Democritus University of Alexandroupolis) and as invited lecturer in several clinical seminars, lab workshops and national conferences. Additionally, she is a trainer on Biorisk management, after her participation as the Greek representative in «WHO Biorisk Management Advanced Trainer Programme, Training trainers in Biorisk assessment, biorisk mitigation, performance and adult learning techniques: designing & delivering learning programmes”.

She received her B.Sc. (Medicine) from Aristotle University of Thessaloniki on 1998 and her specialty in Medical Microbiology/Laboratory Medicine at Tzanio General Hospital of Piraeus during 2000-2005. She possessed the title of Medical Microbiologist since May 2005 and a Master of Science in Public Health since 2007. She completed her PhD Thesis on “Risk factors, impact on outcome and molecular basis of multidrug resistance in Enterobacteriaceae bloodstream infections-the role of integrons” from the Department of Hygiene, Epidemiology and Medical Statistics of Medical School of the National & Kapodistrian University of Athens on 2013.

Dr. Tryfinopoulou has participated in many research programs, she has 30 publications in peer reviewed international journals, with 1441 and 1285 citations (Google Scholar and Scopus respectively) and h-index 12 (Scopus), 3 publications in Greek ones and has participated as co-author in 49 scientific presentations in international and 85 in national conferences.

She is elected General Secretary of the Administrative Board of the Hellenic Society for Clinical Microbiology & Laboratory Diagnosis, General Secretary of the Administrative Board of the Hellenic Biosafety Society  and Member of the Greek Microbiology Society.