Vana Sypsa

Academic Appointment 
Professor of Epidemiology and Medical Statistics,
Dept. of Hygiene, Epidemiology and Medical Statistics,
Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece
http://dehems.med.uoa.gr/

Interests
  • Epidemiology of infectious diseases; COVID-19, HCV, HIV, HBV, influenza, hospital acquired infections
  • Mathematical modelling of infectious diseases
  • Interventions  for infectious diseases in key populations (people who inject drugs, prisoners, MSM)
  • Serobehavioural surveys using Respondent-Driven Sampling (RDS)
  • Social networks 
Research projects
Current projects (Principal Investigator)
  • Estimating all-cause and cause-specific mortality in the population of people who inject drugs in Greece
  • A project assessing social contacts and the age mixing of the population during the COVID-19 pandemic in Greece
  • A seek-test-treat community-based program for infectious diseases (HIV, HCV, HBV) among people who inject drugs in Thessaloniki (ALEXANDROS)
  • A seek-test-treat community-based program for infectious diseases (HIV, HCV, HBV) among people who inject drugs in Athens (ARISTOTLE HCV-HIV) 
  • A project aiming to investigate the HIV and hepatitis C epidemics in the population of people who inject drugs in Greece (funded by the Partnership Agreement for the Development Framework 2014-2020)
  • A project aiming to assess HIV incidence among people who inject drugs in Athens during the  period following the HIV outbreak (2014-2019)
  • A project assessing injection networks of people who inject drugs in Athens
Current European/International collaborative projects
  • Working group on HIV outbreaks among people who use drugs in Europe and North America

  • Working group on the  European Questionnaire on Drug Use among People living in prison (EQDP)


Other past projects 
  • Principal investigator of a program for screening and linkage to care for HIV, HCV, HBV & TB in a Greek prison
  • Co-PI of ARISTOTLE program during the HIV outbreak among people who inject drugs in Athens, Greece
  • Co-investigator in multiple projects on infectious diseases in key populations, health examination surveys etc
  • Co-investigator in NIH funded projects on HIV among key populations
Professional and Scientific Societies/Committees:
  • Member of the the national committee of experts for COVID-19.
  • President (2019-2020), Vice-President (2017-2018) and Secretary (2013-2016) of the International Society for Clinical Biostatistics (http://www.iscb.info/)
  • Member of the Scientific Committee of the National Public Health Organisation (EODY)
  • Member of the Steering Committee for the implementation of the Hellenic National Plan for hepatitis C elimination 
  • Member of the Advisory Group for the development of the Hellenic National Plan for hepatitis C elimination 
  • Chair of the working group on people who inject drugs and prisoners for the National Strategic Plan for HIV/AIDS
Teaching
  • Biostatistics in undergraduate students (Medical School, School of Dentistry, Department of Biology)
  • Epidemiology in undergraduate students (Medical School)
  • Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Mathematical Modeling of Infectious Diseases in postgraduate students 
  • Seminars in Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Clinical Trials for professionals
Professional Education
  • PhD in Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece (2005)
  • MSc in Biometry, University of Reading, UK (1994)
  • BSc in Mathematics, Dept. of Mathematics, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece (1993)

  • Short course on “Epidemiology and Control of Infectious Diseases”, Imperial College, UK (2007)
Expert meetings

I have participated as expert in expert panels/meetings/workshops organised by CDC, EMCDDA, WHO/Europe and ECDC