O Professor of Medicine believed that excellence is not the goal for success, but the daily effort and practice. The excellent person offers a valuable example to his fellow man
In the context of the Panhellenic Conference of Medicine Society of Athens, the memory of the academic was honored professor of Medicine D. Trichopoulos, whose life and work were intertwined with excellence. He believed that excellence is less a product of intelligence, but mainly the result of effort, dedication, perseverance and patience, as well as resistance to failure. He believed that excellence is not the goal of success, but the daily effort and action. The excellent person offers a valuable example to his fellow man.
Excellence, according to D. Trichopoulos, was closely linked to the classical antiquity's perception of the education of young people. In ancient Greece, excellence (είεν άριστευειν) was an attitude of life, which aimed at the manifestation of human moral, spiritual and physical abilities, to the highest degree and always in harmony with moderation. It was associated with valor and in the Homeric model, excellence was identified with heroic virtue and kleos, while in the classical period it shifted from simple martial ability to moral virtue, as the ability of man to realize his abilities to the maximum extent. Socrates and Plato linked excellence with mental cultivation and sobriety. The excellent emerge through struggle, competition and are rewarded. In ancient times, "Excellence" were the awards given to the best, encouraging others to pursue distinction rather than mediocrity.
These were the principles of the unforgettable D. Trichopoulos for excellence, as well as those of his colleague and life partner, Professor of Medicine Antonia Trichopoulos, who inspired their students. Graduates with distinction from the Medical School ECDC, of the last 20 years, who followed their example, participated in the event and their speeches moved those of us who remembered the past with the values, ideals and the expression of gratitude of students to the teacher. Today, unfortunately, the motivations and goals of excellence are considered anachronistic phenomena, meritocracy… is frightening and respect for the teacher has disappeared.
The Medical School of the National University of Athens sets the example of excellence, but also the message that it is not individual but collective. The School's indicators prove it: 19218 points is the average admission score (2020-2026), and the average graduate score (2020-2025): 8,1. The institution of excellence keeps excellence alive in practice, and excellence in medical education will always remind us of the teacher Dimitris Trichopoulos, who embodied the concept of excellence, taught it and established it.
Published in VIMA
Photo By NikolaosF – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=37143092, https://el.wikipedia.org/wiki/
