The Greek and international medical community lost one of its greats on June 22 with the too-soon passing of Prof. Dimitrios Tsetis at the age of 62. A dear colleague and friend to so many, he dedicated his life to interventional radiology for the benefit of countless patients.
Always ready to share his knowledge, Prof. Tsetis was a beloved mentor and had friends throughout our community, in Greece and abroad. For so many, he was a source of knowledge, expertise in science, a beacon of moral integrity, and a true friend in good times and bad.
His passing has left a big void in the lives of many. It is impossible to describe the personality of Dimitrios in a few lines, which is why we will limit ourselves to a few words about his contribution to medicine.
Prof. Tsetis led the Interventional Radiology Unit of the University Hospital of Heraklion from 2008 until his passing, working non-stop on a regular and emergency basis together with his few but excellent colleagues. He strongly contributed to the consolidation of interventional radiology at the local, regional, and international levels, essentially introducing and developing vascular interventional radiology to Crete, so that interventional radiology at the Heraklion General Hospital PAGNI is on par with the best centres around the world.
Prof. Tsetis’ impressive academic activity becomes even more remarkable when remembering that it was carried out in parallel with demanding clinical responsibilities. He gave more than 230 invited lectures in 21 countries and was an active member of numerous societies, contributing to many national and international congresses. He authored 169 publications in PubMed (4,887 citations in Google Scholar, H index 37) and 17 book chapters, while also participating in the writing groups for 13 CIRSE Standards of Practice guidelines.
He was a member of the CIRSE Executive Committee, Chairman of the Standards of Practice Committee and of the Membership Committee, and as a member of the Examination Council for the European Board of Interventional Radiology (EBIR). He was also the representative of CIRSE in the EU funded project MEDRAPET (Medical Radiation Protection Education and Training).
Just last year, Prof. Tsetis organized and conducted with great success the 13th Panhellenic Conference on Interventional Radiology in Heraklion. At the same time, he was the President of the Balkan Society of Radiology and the ECR (European Congress of Radiology) Vascular Subcommittee, a member of the Programme Planning Committee of the European Society of Radiology (ESR) for ECR 2015 and 2016, and a member of the Imaging Accreditation Board – European Specialty Accreditation Board / UEMS.
For his tireless work to further develop the scope of interventional radiology and its recognition within the medical community, Prof. Tsetis will be honoured with Distinguished CIRSE Fellowship posthumously at the CIRSE 2024 opening ceremony.
