ADOLESCENT MEDICINE/HEALTH UNIT (AMHU)
Second Dpt of Pediatrics-Medical School
National and Kapodistrian University of Athens
“P. & A. Kyriakou” Children’s Hospital
Scientific Head : As. Professor NKUA MD, PhD  Artemis K. Tsitsika
 www.youth-health.gr

The Adolescent Medicine/Health Unit (AMHU), Second Dpt of Pediatrics, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens Medical School has been functioning since 2006 offering services to preadolescents, adolescents and youth from approximately 8 to 18+ years old. Over 11.000 adolescents have been treated for various health issues within the spectrum of Pediatrics-Adolescent Medicine health domain.

Some of the reasons for visiting AHMU are:

• Puberty development, endocrinology, gynaecology and andrology demands
• Neurodevelopmental challenges (ADHD, Autism, Learning difficulties, school refusal etc)
• Nutrition and disordered eating (anorexia, boulimia, orthorexia, obesity etc)
• Internet addiction, gambling, use of inappropriate content, GDPR policy etc
• Bullying, violence control in the natural or internet environment, hate speech
• High risk and addictive behaviour  (smoking, alcohol consumption etc )
• Obesity, overweight and reduced physical activity
• Sexual Education and health, sexual orientation, gender incompatibility, sexually transmitted diseases
• Sports medicine and physical activity
• Chronic disease (social emotional empowerment, resilience and wellbeing interventions)
• Mental Health (anxiety, depression feelings, emotional stress, anger issues etc)
• Prevention and wellbeing – vaccination
• Family dysfunction-positive parenting, counseling and support
• Transition program to adult services

Adolescents with chronic disease are treated in a multidisciplinary basis, in collaboration with the main group of experts on their specific condition.  If hospitalization is needed, patients are admitted to the 2^nd Dpt of Pediatrics or referred to other specialized units of hospitalization

Since 2013, the Adolescent Medicine/Health Unit (AMHU) has been officially assessing developmental difficulties, learning disorders and school refusal cases, among other institutions collaborating with the Ministries of Health and Education.

CERTIFICATION –DISTINCTION and AWARDS

The Adolescent Medicine/Health Unit (AMHU) has been certified in April 2018 as a  “youth friendly”service functioning based on the guidelines of the World Health Organization (WHO)-ΦΕΚ 2466, 19-5-2022. In 2024 AHMU received the Award of the Ionian University/Institute of Digital Biomedicine as service offering social emotional empowerement and implementing social skills/digital literacy programs. In March 2025 AMHU was awarded by UNESCO Chair of Global Health and Education (GHE) and has been collaborating since as a best practice implementing  lifestyle medicine protocols having excellent quantitative and qualitative results aiming to the wellbeing of children and adolescents.

EDUCATION and  RESEARCH

AMHU is an authorized institutional Unit providing official training and research on Adolescent Medicine/Health.

MD doctors, nurses, health professionals, psychologists, social workers, educators and other scientists and professionals have been trained over the years. Material and programs in collaboration with the Ministry of Health have been produced, promoting health education in schools, youth and parents. MOUs with Ministries of Health, Education and Justice have been signed aiming  to the promotion of health in children and adolescents in a holistic way, based on modern guidelines for wellbeing  and social/emotional empowerment. Creditated NKUA training programs on relevant topics have been successfully running, while over 11.000 preadolescents, adolescents and youth and their families have been treated with emergency or scheduled health demands.

All students of the MSc “Strategies of Developmental and Adolescent Health”  www.youth-msc.gr are trained in AMHU aiming to a specialization degree and also a two year fellowship for MDs  on Adolescent Medine has been recently approved.

All materials and tools needed for the goals of AMHU have been provided by the “P. & A. Kyriakou” Children’s Hospital and the NKUA.

Numerous research programs have been running and over 500 Master’s thesis have been presented. PhD students have completed successfully their protocols, under the supervision of As.Professor NKUA Artemis K. Tsitsika.   

Numerous research and public health works have been published in the literature and research awards have been attributed, There are strong collaborations of AMHU with Greek and global entities (W.H.O, UNESCO GHE and ITE. ISSOP and others), the “Greek Society for Adolescent Medicine” www.youth-med.gr and the Scientific Organization  “FOR Adolescent Health” www.youth-life.gr

PERSONEL:

The group of AMHU consists of 1  NKUA Professor,  2 PhDs scientific collaboratora,  2 pre PhDs with clinical work,  1 special educator, 1 psychologist, 1 dietician , two Administrative executives, two trainees and two researchers of the MSc  “Strategies of Developmental and Adolescent Health”.

There is also a group of consultants from the National Health System of the Hospital on various specialties.

 Tel : 210 7710824, 213 2009532, 80011 80015
e mail : info@youth-health.gr