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About
Panagiotis (Panos) Giannios, PhD
Genetic counsellor in hereditary cancer and biomedical researcher, working between Athens and Barcelona.
I am a genetic counsellor specialising in hereditary cancer, and a researcher in molecular biology. I trained in genetic counselling through the MSc in Genética Asistencial at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, with clinical placements in Spain: in hereditary cancer services and multidisciplinary oncology teams at the Catalan Institute of Oncology (ICO), and in genetics at Germans Trias i Pujol University Hospital. I now counsel patients in Greece and work with clinicians and teams in Greece and Spain.
Genetic counselling is not limited to interpreting genetic results. It is a process of dialogue in which we explore together what genetic information means for the person and their family, what options exist, and how these relate to their own needs, values and priorities.
I hold a PhD in Biological Sciences from the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens and have more than 15 years of research experience in Greece and Spain, at institutions including the University of West Attica, the Institute for Research in Biomedicine in Barcelona, and the Institute of Molecular Biology of Barcelona of the Spanish National Research Council. I was a Marie Skłodowska-Curie postdoctoral fellow, and my research in molecular and cell biology has been published in international scientific journals including Nature Communications, Science Advances and PLOS Genetics. My research also examines the integration of genetic counselling into oncology care across Europe, in collaboration with the Vall d’Hebron Institute of Oncology and the Catalan Institute of Oncology.
I work in Greek, Spanish and English.
Training
- PhD
- Biological Sciences, Section of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Department of Biology, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens
- MSc
- Postgraduate specialisation in genetic counselling within the Genética Asistencial programme (MSc in Healthcare Genetics), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB). Programme accredited by the European Board of Medical Genetics (EBMG).
- Clinical placements
- Genetic counselling in clinical hereditary cancer services and multidisciplinary oncology teams, Catalan Institute of Oncology (ICO); genetics, Germans Trias i Pujol University Hospital. Spain
- Postdoctoral fellowship
- Marie Skłodowska-Curie, European Commission
Memberships
- SEAGEN
- Spanish Society of Genetic Counselling (Sociedad Española de Asesoramiento Genético)
- COBCAT
- Col·legi de Biòlegs de Catalunya, registration no. 23307-C
- MCAA
- Marie Curie Alumni Association
Current work
- Genetic counselling
- Sessions online and in person in Athens (appointments available from December 2026). External collaborator, Breast Center, Metropolitan Hospital, Athens.
- Research
- Researcher at the Institute of Evolutionary Biology (IBE, CSIC–UPF), Barcelona.
Teaching and service
My teaching experience at Greek universities includes genetic counselling, as well as courses in genetics, cell, molecular and developmental biology and experimental methods, at undergraduate and postgraduate level. I have supervised the research of undergraduate, master’s and doctoral students. I evaluate research proposals as an external expert for European Commission programmes and international calls, review for international scientific journals, and write for preLights, the preprint-highlighting platform of The Company of Biologists. For several years I also designed and ran science communication programmes with SciCo Greece.