Prof. Afksendiyos Kalangos in a few words...

Afksendiyos Kalangos (born on September 11th 1960) is a Greek-Swiss cardiovascular surgeon. He currently serves as Director of the Center for Congenital Heart and Tracheal Diseases at Euroclinic Hospital in Athens, Greece. He is full Professor of Cardiovascular Surgery at Koc University in Istanbul and former full professor of Geneva University in Switzerland. [1] [2]

He is the President and founder of the Kalangos Foundation, the President and founder of the Global Forum on Humanitarian Medicine in Cardiology and Cardiac Surgery and the President and co- founder of Global Heart Network. [3] He was the former President of the World Society of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgeons in 2014-2015 and is currently the treasurer of the society. He published more than 300 articles mainly in different journals of cardiovascular surgery and cardiology. He is the editor-in-chief of the JHCVM and JPCHD. He is also the inventor of the Kalangos biodegradable annuloplasty Ring. This device is being used in the repair of mitral and tricuspid valves especially in children [4]

He is also the inventor of the Kalangos biodegradable annuloplasty Ring. This device is being used in the repair of mitral and tricuspid valves especially in children [4]

Kalangos was born in Yesilkoy (Aghios Stephanos), Istanbul. His family originates from old Phanariote families of Constantinople linked to Alexandre Karatheodori pasha and Xenophon Zographos pasha.  His father, Konstantin Kalangos, physician specialized in Internal Medicine, was well-known for providing his medical services to the under privileged residents in his hometown, free of charge. Dr Konstantin Kalangos passed away in 2004 and in 2008, a street in Yesilkoy has been named “Dr Kalangos Street” to honor his name. [5]

He completed his secondary education at Saint Benoit French College in Istanbul in 1978 and he studied medicine at Istanbul University, Cerrahpasa Medical School and graduated in 1984. He later completed his specialization in cardiovascular surgery at Dr Siyami Ersek Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery Training and Research Hospital. Afterwards he has been trained more in London by Maghdi Yacoub between 1987-1988 and then in Paris by Alain Carpentier between 1991-1993 and Yves Lecompte between 2000- 2001 [6] [7].

In 1993, he started working at Geneva University Hospital where he became the Chairman of the Clinic for Cardiovascular Surgery in 2001 and Director of Cardiovascular Center in 2011. He was nominated full professor at the University of Geneva and served here until the end of 2015.

Between 2016 and 2019, he served as Chairman of the Department of Pediatric and congenital Cardiovascular Surgery at Mitera Hospital in Athens Greece.

He also serves as a Professor of Pediatric Cardiovascular Surgery at Koc University Hospital in Istanbul, Turkey.

He holds a mini-MBA degree from University of Geneva in Health Management.

In 1998, Dr Kalangos founded the charity institution “Coeurs Pour Tous (Hearts for All)”, in 2002, the “Kalangos foundation” in Geneva and in 2011 he co-founded the “Global Heart Network Foundation” in Delaware, USA. Traveling across the globe with his voluntary medical team, he provides surgical care for children who do not have access to adequate local healthcare in low and middle income countries. So far, he and his team have treated over 17.000 children with congenital heart defects in over 20 countries including Georgia, Erythrea, Mozambique, Lebanon, Mauritius, India, Vietnam, China, Serbia, Moldova, Cyprus, Egypt, Algeria, Syria, Nigeria, Cameroun, Marocco, Malaysia, Comoros islands, Madagascar, Kyrgyztan, Azerbaijan, Greece, Turkey, Ukraine, Belarus [8]

Kalangos Foundation is headquartered in Geneva Switzerland and has chapters in Greece and Turkey.

Founded by Dr Kalangos in 2003 in Geneva, Switzerland, the Global Forum on Humanitarian Medicine in Cardiology and Cardiac Surgery aims to share global expertise and the latest technological developments of modern cardiology and cardiovascular techniques by bringing together experts from different parts of the globe. [9]

The Kalangos Ring is a surgical device used in valve repair for annuloplasty. The ring achieves the surgical correction of the dilated annulus of mitral and tricuspid heart valves and maintains the growth potential of these valves in children by inducing the creation of an autologous fibrous tissue. [4]

• [1] https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Afksendiyos_Kalangos
• [2] https://kuh.ku.edu.tr/en/doctor/afksendiyos-kalangos_1493
• [3] https://www.hygeia.gr/en/press-release/12th-global-forum-on-humanitarian-medicine-in-cardiology-and-cardiac-surgery-3rd-euro-asian-symposium-on-paediatric-cardiology-and-cardiac-surgery/
• [4] https://www.heart-valve-surgery.com/kalangos-ring.php
• [5] http://t24.com.tr/haber/dr-kostantin-kalangos-sokagi,21988
• [6] https://www.ctsnet.org/home/akalangos
• [7] https://kuh.ku.edu.tr/en/doctor/afksendiyos-kalangos_1493
• [8] https://www.ellines.com/en/famous-greeks/763-the-golden-hands-of-pediatric-cardiac-surgery/
• [9] http://www.gfhm.ch/about.php

If you like a copy of Prof. Afksendiyos Kalangos' CV please send an email to info@kalangosfoundation.org with your personal details (Name, Surname, phone number, organization, email address) and we will provide you access to the file.