About the Hellenic Society of Medical Biochemistry

The Hellenic Society of Medical Biochemistry is a non-profit organization, founded in October 1980 in Athens. The Hellenic Society of Medical Biochemistry is managed by a Board of Directors consisting of 7 members, which is renewed every three years, following a secret ballot of its members.

The purpose of the Society is to promote scientific research in Medical Biochemistry,  education and training of medical doctors in subjects related to Medical Biochemistry, Applied Medical Biochemistry and Clinical Chemistry, Preventive Medicine as well as in subjects related to the environment that may affect Public Health.

The Clinical Pathology (Biopathology) Laboratory and especially the Laboratory of Clinical Biochemistry (Clinical Chemistry) contributes to clinical practice in issues related to the screening for potential diseases, the diagnosis and monitoring of diseases as well as the selection and monitoring of appropriate treatments. Moreover, the majority of epidemiological studies in the field of Medicine and Public Health are based on biomarkers determined by the Laboratory of Clinical Biochemistry. Biomarkers, broadly defined as markers of a biological process or disease state, are often used in research studies and clinical practice, providing usefulinformation about screening, diagnosis, differential diagnosis, and prognosis of disease. Predictive biomarkers are used to help optimize ideal treatments, and often indicate the likelihood of benefiting from a specific therapy.

Clinical pathologists (medical doctors specialized in Biopathology-Laboratory Medicine) are able to provide clinical interpretation not only of the laboratory results but also of the clinical aspects and pathogenesis of disease. The training in Internal Medicine during residency aims to provide additional skills for combined laboratory and clinical practice.

In the last decade, the explosive progress in biomedical technology, the automation in the execution of a large number of diagnostic tests and the accreditation of laboratories have given the required space and time to Clinical Pathologists to deal mainly with post-analytical laboratory evaluation and the assessment of medical procedures.

The responsibilities of the Clinical Pathologist are multifaceted being related with the formation of the general direction of each laboratory in relation to the clinical specialties it serves; the development and validation of laboratory tests; the continuous quality assurance through the organization of the internal and external quality control of laboratory tests; the clinical interpretation of the laboratory results; the participation in interdisciplinary medical meetings; the determination of usefulness and updating of biomarkers in relation to the disease diagnosis, monitoring and prognosis as well as the effectiveness of therapeutic approaches.

Nowadays, the importance of biochemical tests as an integral part of daily medical practice is widely accepted. About 70% of the diagnoses are mainly based on the results provided by the Clinical Pathology (Biopathology) Laboratory. Biochemical tests make up more than 60% of the tests carried out in the Biopathology Laboratories. Clinical Pathology (Medical Biopathology-Laboratory Medicine) clearly provides an invaluable service necessary to offer high quality and evidence-based medical care for the benefit of medicine and public health.