Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, School of Health Sciences & Education, Harokopio University of Athens
Harokopio University of Athens is, according to the chronological order of its foundation, the 18th University of Greece. It was established with article 9 of Greek Law 1894/90, as amended by article 17 of Greek Law 1966/91, on the initiative of Professor Georgios Karabatzos († 2011). Harokopio University is named after the national benefactor Panagi Harokopou, a cosmopolitan Greek from abroad with a European orientation, who envisioned an educational institution with excellent building infrastructure and equipment, in harmony with the natural environment, that would offer the most modern scientific expressions.
Harokopio University has three Faculties and five Postgraduate Programs. The research developed at the University contributes to the promotion of scientific knowledge and public health, as well as to the improvement of the economic and social development of Greece. The University has developed several collaborations through various Memoranda of Cooperation, bilateral agreements of the ERASMUS action, as well as research programs in cooperation with Universities in Greece and abroad.
The Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, School of Health Sciences & Education, Harokopio University of Athens, was founded in 1992 under the name of “Dietology Department”. It became operational in 1994 with the introduction of its first students, while in 1999 it was renamed in “Department of Nutrition and Dietetics”. In 2013, the Department joined the School of Health Sciences & Education, Harokopio University of Athens.
The Department of Nutrition and Dietetics consists of the oldest University Department in the field of diet & nutrition in Greece. Along with the students’ education, research programs are developed, many of them with international collaborations, the results of which rank the Department among the top in Europe. From the Academic Year 2000-01 and on, the Department also provides a Postgraduate Program, with full and part time options, which leads to a postgraduate and doctoral degree.
The Department aims to train scientists, who will apply the Science of Dietetics and Nutrition to improve the eating habits and nutritional status of both individuals and groups of the population, either healthy or with health problems, infants, children, adolescents, athletes and people with disabilities.
The training provided in the Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, covers the widest range of subjects in Nutrition, Metabolism, Pathophysiology, Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Food Science, combining theoretical teaching with laboratory and practical exercises, and monitors current scientific developments in nutrition and health.
The Department also runs high level research programs, contributing to the promotion of scientific knowledge and public health, as well as the economic and social development of the country.