Ορθοδοντικός Θεσσαλονίκη, Dr Αλεξάνδρα Παπαδοπούλου

AKP short CV

Dr Alexandra K. Papadopoulou decided to become a professional Dental Surgeon because creating a beautiful smile for patients contributes invaluably to increasing their face aesthetics, self-confidence, and self-esteem.

Undergraduate studies

She was admitted to the School of Dentistry of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTH) after national exams, achieving 5th place in the overall general ranking throughout Greece. She obtained her Degree in Dental Surgery (DDS) and the title of Dental Surgeon within the prescribed 5-year course with the grade “Very Good”.

Postgraduate studies

She was selected after candidacy competition and continued her studies by completing a 3-year full-time postgraduate program at the Department of Dentoalveolar Surgery, Implantology and Dental Radiology (School of Dentistry, AUTH). She obtained the Degree of Specialization in Oral Surgery and Implantology with the grade “Distinction-Excellent” as well as the title of Specialist Oral Surgeon through the required procedures of the Hellenic Ministry of Health. In her Master of Science Thesis of this qualification, she investigated the effect of various surgical techniques and orthodontics on the treatment of impacted teeth associated with dentigerous cysts.

She also completed a 2-year Research Fellowship in the Department of Histology and Embryology (Faculty of Medicine, AUTH), where she investigated how certain medications affect craniofacial formation, development, and growth during embryogenesis by using experimental models, a work that led to a series of publications and conference presentations.

Her commitment to excellence in comprehensive patient care has driven her to compete and be successfully selected to study in the 40-month, full-time and accredited by the “Network of Erasmus Based European Orthodontic Postgraduate Programs-NEBEOP” postgraduate program of the Department of Orthodontics (School of Dentistry, AUTH). She obtained the Degree of Specialization in Orthodontics with the grade “Distinction-Excellent” as well as the title of Specialist Orthodontist after successfully fulfilling the required exams of the Hellenic Ministry of Health. In her Master of Science Thesis of this qualification, which was conducted in collaboration with the Medical Schools of Ioannina and Athens as well as with the School of Dentistry of the University of Oulu, Finland, she investigated the response of the mandibular condylar chondroblasts and chondrocytes to different loading conditions using an experimental animal model and molecular biology methods. This original research was selected by the European Orthodontic Society (EOS) as one of the three best research projects by young researchers for the year of 2006 and was presented as an oral presentation of the WJB Houston Research Awards during the annual EOS congress, an achievement accomplished for the first time by a young researcher coming from a Hellenic University.

The extensive knowledge that Dr Alexandra K. Papadopoulou has acquired through the two highly sought dental specialties was combined in her PhD, which was awarded by the examination committee with a unanimous “Distinction-Excellent” score and she was then awarded the title of “Doctorate in Dentistry”.  This clinical trial shed light on how orthodontic forces serve as conservative means of Guided bone and soft Tissue Regeneration (GTR), eliminating the need for additional surgeries for dental implant site development in the profoundly demanding from the point of esthetics anterior maxillary area. This was the first original research, clinical trial that used 3D technology for investigating the response of bone subjected to this GTR method and it was published and presented in several national and international conferences.

Her extensive academic experience in teaching made her realize that each person has a unique way of learning, a factor that has to be acknowledged by educators so that they inform their practice accordingly. As a result of her passion to teach the latest evidence-based knowledge and clinical cutting-edge methods to the next generation of orthodontic residents by using the most effective pedagogical learning methods, she pursued and completed a Graduate Certificate in Educational Studies (Higher Education) at the University of Sydney.

Academic work

Her belief is that part of our commitment to the profession, the science, and the society in general for the privilege of receiving free public education through the Hellenic National Education System is to also teach the next generations. This sense of duty has driven her to serve her Alma Mater university (AUTH) on a weekly basis for 8 years as a volunteer guest lecturer and clinical instructor to the undergraduates and postgraduates within the departments she previously served as a student.

In 2014 and after succeeding in a highly competitive international selection process, she was appointed as a Senior Lecturer/Assistant Professor in the Discipline of Orthodontics of the Dental School in the University of Sydney and relocated to Australia. She served in this role for seven years by teaching several aspects of orthodontic theory, instructing future orthodontic specialists in the clinic, coordinating Continuing Education courses in Orthodontics and supervising research projects at all levels of Higher Research Degrees, including numerous Master’s in Philosophy (MPhil), Doctorates in Clinical Dentistry (DrClinDent) Orthodontics Theses and PhDs. This dedication to high quality research resulted in several publications in peer-reviewed scientific journals of high impact factor, national and international awards, and invitations to present as a speaker in scientific congresses.

Dr Papadopoulou΄s input in academia was further recognized through her appointment as a Senior Lecturer/Assistant Professor in the Division of Orthodontics of the Dental School in the University of Geneva (Switzerland), a school that is constantly ranked in the highest positions of global academic ranking. Since October 2021, she continues her teaching (theoretic and clinical) and research activities there and serves as academic coordinator of the Continuing Education courses in Orthodontics.  Due to her significant scientific and clinical experience regarding the impact of orthodontic treatment on the upper airways, she was assigned to found, coordinates and directs within the postgraduate clinic of the Department of Orthodontics the section where patients with Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) are treated using orthodontic methods.

As an accreditation of her teaching skills and a recognition of her contribution to tertiary education, she was awarded a Fellowship in Higher Education Academy (UK).

She also serves as an external examiner in universities internationally and participates as an expert in academic and professional advisory committees and boards that provide guidance and set the standards for high quality education in the orthodontic specialty.

Research expertise

Her main research interests and expertise focus on the:

As an internationally recognized expert in the above fields, she serves as a reviewer in all orthodontic specialty and other dental scientific journals of high impact factor.

Clinical expertise

Simultaneously to her postgraduate and research activities, she owned a private practice in Thessaloniki from 1996 to 2014.

During her stay in Australia (2014-2021), she was practicing orthodontics in Sydney Dental Hospital, where she treated an extensively broad spectrum of severe orthodontic cases and participated in multidisciplinary teams with Paediatric Dentists, Periodontologists, Prosthodontists, Restorative and Aesthetic Dentists, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons, Ear Nose and Throat specialists, Pediatricians, Plastic Surgeons, Sleep Medicine Physicians, and other dental and medical specialists as well as other professionals such as Speech Therapists and Dietologists-Nutritionists.

Simultaneously to her academic responsibilities in Australia, she successfully completed the required examinations and assessments in theoretical and practical-clinical level of General Dentistry and Specialty of Orthodontics, according to the standards set by the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) and the Dental Board of Australia (DBA) for overseas trained dentists. She obtained her professional license, which is an accreditation of her excellent theoretical knowledge and clinical skills based on international and strict evaluation criteria for quality control. She became a fully registered Specialist Orthodontist and practiced privately in some of the most famous orthodontic clinics in Sydney.

Membership in professional and scientific organizations

She is a member of the following professional and scientific organizations:

  1. Higher Education Academy-UK
  2. Australian Dental Association (ADA)
  3. Australian Society of Orthodontists (ASO)
  4. World Federation of Orthodontists (WFO)
  5. American Association of Orthodontists (AAO)
  6. European Orthodontic Society (EOS)
  7. Greek Orthodontic Society
  8. Orthodontic Society of Northern Greece
  9. Italian Society of Orthodontics (SIDO)
  10. Stomatological Society of Northern Greece

Registered as Specialist Orthodontist

She holds a professional license to practice and is registered as a Specialist Orthodontist in the following regulation authorities:

Hobbies

Outside of the academic classes and clinical premises you will most often find her spending her free time between cooking (especially her beloved Greek traditional recipes), practicing mindfulness, and keeping in shape with pilates, listening to all kinds of music (from rock to classic opera and Greek traditional folkloric). She also enjoys visiting art spaces (equally attracted by famous museums exhibitions and art gems hidden in niches), reading, attending performances of Greek ancient drama, travelling and sailing.

She speaks Greek, English, French and Italian.

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