2018-2019 Executive Board Members:
President:
Maria Limberis, PhD
Maria is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. She completed her undergraduate degree with honours in Biochemistry at Liverpool John Moores University in the UK. She conducted doctoral studies at the University of Adelaide, Australia in Molecular Biology having been awarded the inaugural Ms McLeod PhD scholarship. During 2003-2007 she completed postdoctoral research studies with Dr. James M. Wilson at the Gene Therapy Program at the UPenn with an emphasis on gene therapy for cystic fibrosis (CF). In 2008, Maria joined the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine as an Assistant Professor. Her current research is focused on developing gene transfer vectors for lung-gene therapy of genetic diseases that include CF as well as developing genetic vaccines for infectious diseases that include pandemic influenza. She is an active member of the American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy (ASGCT) and the Thoracic Society of Australia and New Zealand. She is an ad hoc reviewer for various journals, chair of the organizing committee of the biannual CF research retreat at UPenn and is a member of the New Investigator committee of the ASGCT.
Vice President:
Gus Orfanos, BS
Gus Orfanos is an Institutional Specialist, representing the cystic fibrosis division of GILEAD SCIENCES Inc., in Pennsylvania, Upper West Virginia, Southern New Jersey. With sixteen years in the pharmaceutical industry, Gus spent four years in international marketing at Merck; the remaining twelve with promotional responsibility in various therapeutic areas for MERCK and Novartis in addition to his current capacity with GILEAD. He studied at Fordham University, where he attained two concentrations in business; finance and marketing. The son of immigrants from Errikousa, Greece, he was born and raised in the Bronx and Westchester in New York.
Secretary:
Alexia Tsikouras, PharmD
Alexia Tsikouras was born in Philadelphia on July 27th 1984.
Every summer of her childhood she would visit Ioannina, Greece from where both of her parents hail. After attending High School at John W. Hallahan in Center City Philadelphia she went on to the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia. In 2008 she graduated with a Doctor of Pharmacy degree. Since graduation she has worked for CVS Pharmacy in the Fairmount section of Center City Philadelphia. In the fall of 2011 she also joined University of the Sciences in Philadelphia Department of Pharmacy as a part-time adjunct instructor. She belongs to Saint George Greek Orthodox Cathedral.
Treasurer:
Elias Iliadis, MD
Elias is a founding member of the HMS Philadelphia as well as its Past president 2008-2011. He currently sits on the Scholarship committee of the HMS New York. He completed his medical education at Robert Wood Johnson medical school in New Jersey. His medical training occurred at Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia, Rush Presbyterian St Lukes in Chicago and University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan. He is currently Associate Director, Cardiac cath lab at Cooper University Hospital and Director of Vascular Medicine. He is currently a member of the Parish Council of St Thomas Greek Orthodox Church. He is married to Katherine Dedes Iliadis RPh and has 3 children; Sophia, Nicholas and Elena.
Assistant Secretary:
Roxane Hionis, MD
Members at large:
Chrysoula Komis, PhD
Fran Zappalla, DO
Fran isa Pediatric Cardiologist at the Nemours Cardiac Center at AI du Pont Hospital for Children. I primarily see patients in the Philadelphia suburbs (Collegeville and Newtown Square) and in Voorhees New Jersey. My area of interest is Preventive Cardiology, Hyperlipidemia, and Nutrition. I recently completed the Integrative Medicine Fellowship at the University of Arizona under Andrew Weil.I am originally from Long Island New York. I am married with two children. My mother’s father, Christos Ralidis, was from Constantinople.
Paul Mastoridis PhD
Ellie Keleporis, MD
Greek American Chamber of Commerce delegate:
Stavros Antonakakis
Board of Advisors
Sandy Tzaferos, PharmD
Sandy Tzaferos, PharmD is President of MediLink Homecare, Inc. located in Hammonton, NJ. Opening her business in 1994, MediLink has thrived over the past 17 years growing into a multi-million dollar business. MediLink is a highly diversified company and has expanded into other areas of healthcare including: Home Infusion, PICC teams, CE courses for nurses, Specialty Pharmacy, and Retail Pharmacy servicing the HIV population. Sandy has held various committee positions with the National Home Infusion Association and now sits on its Board of Directors. In 2005, Sandy was appointed to the Board of Trustees of Shore Memorial Hospital in Somers Point, NJ and currently chairs the Quality Committee. She is also a Senior Fellow of the Jefferson School of Population Health. Sandy Tzaferos received her BS in Pharmacy in 1991 and Doctor of Pharmacy from University of the Sciences in Philadelphia, PA in 2003. Sandy resides in Hammonton, NJ with her husband George and has two children, Nikoleta and Alexa.
Denis Hadjiliadis, MD