SURGEON TO EXAMINE MUMMIES: Call him the Indiana Jones of Medicine. Dr. Dino Samartzis, MD normally operates on living humans but the renowned spine researcher, professor, author, and staff member in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago will be spearheading a research project in conjunction with the Field Museum that “bridges ancient history and modern medicine,” he wrote. The team will be “examining the largest collection ever of Egyptian mummies with full-body imaging to study their musculoskeletal structures and early signs of disease.” Some of the mummies date to Dynastic Egypt. Perhaps one day Dr. Dino will turn his scope on dino-saurs. On another note, Dr. Dino recently co-authored “the largest musculoskeletal study to date, involving nearly 2 Million people across the globe” that was published in the prestigious journal Nature. The landmark study focused on osteoarthritis across the hip, knee, hand, and spine and involved over 150 institutions worldwide. Both bits of news are headliners each in their own right!
SCIENCE CURATOR: Dr. Voula Saridakis, Ph.D. is head curator of collections and archives at the Griffin Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago, one of the world’s foremost science institutions. She oversees 35,000-plus artifacts. Most recently, she curated the 007 Bond exhibit that garnered critical acclaim. Dr. Voula also curated the U-505 Submarine: 75 Stories, an anniversary exhibit commemorating the 1944 capture of the German U-505 submarine that’s now part of the museum’s permanent collection.
$1B VALUATION: Teamwork makes the dream work, they say, and for Glenview, IL native Zach Maurides, CEO of North Carolina-based TeamWorks, that’s taken literally in the brand. The athlete empowerment company attained a billion-dollar valuation after a June capital raise brought in a $235 million inflow to “accelerate AI innovation.” TeamWorks has been on an M&A spree of late and this latest round means more in the pipeline. Maurides starred for Duke University football and is familiar with the challenges facing student-athletes. In the age of NIL, his company is well-positioned to continue its upward trajectory.
$11.7M VERDICT: Attorney Athena Farmakis, president of the Hellenic Bar Association of Illinois, recently represented a client in a negligent security case who was the victim of a shooting and suffered a spinal cord injury and paralysis. The jury returned a $11.7 million verdict, later reduced by 17.5% after comparative negligence was calculated, according to an online post. During the Chicago Bulls’ 6-peat NBA title run, Athena was a Luvabulls dance performer at home games. She was also her high school’s class Valedictorian.
PAPAL RECORDS: Chicago-area residents have been buzzing ever since Dolton, IL native Pope Leo ascended to the Papacy. Cook County Circuit Court Clerk Mariyana Spyropoulos was featured on the local ABC7 news, in the Chicago Tribune, and on WGN9 and FOX32 where she addressed an “exciting document linked to Pope Leo XIV’s grandfather.”
VATICAN COVERAGE: Chicago Tribune reporter Angie Leventis was bestowed the great honor of attending and covering the inaugural mass of Pope Leo in Vatican City. Her article was the May 18 front-page feature.
FED APPOINTMENT: Prominent Philhellene Manuel “Manny” Flores, CEO of SBA lender SomerCor, was recently appointed to the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago advisory board. Manny is also a former Chicago alderman and chairman of the Illinois Commerce Commission, among other posts. He’s married to marketing executive Georgina Karas Flores. The couple’s son, Teddy Flores, is a freshman wrestler at the U. of Michigan.
BOYS & GIRLS CEO: The Boys & Girls Club of Chicago in mid-June named Susanna Stergianis Wickham CEO. She’s been CEO of Chicago-based PAWS (Pets Are Worth Saving) for the past decade. Prior to that, she was editor of Chicago Magazine and an entertainment reporter for the Chicago Sun-Times.
CHILD AUTHOR: Seven-year old Stella Katsoulis, a student at the Hellenic American Academy in Deerfield, IL, is hearing challenged. She parlayed that experience to write an empowering children’s book meant to teach kids of all types about sensory sensitivities and how they can turn lemons into avgolemono. Stella is inspiring and her story is one of creating superpowers, not limitations! She authored the novel “Super Princess Stella And Her Journey to Hearing.” In May, Stella and her mother Eleni Katsoulis appeared on the WGN9 news to talk about the book and Stella’s can-do mantra of life. Science is showing that sensory deprivation in one area can enhance sense perception in others, creating a kind of `superpower.’
UAL ACCESSIBLE BOARD: Chicagoan Kostas Zografopoulos, a bilateral below-knee amputee who founded the Kostas Z Foundation with the slogan “Just Say Hi,” has again been selected to serve on United Airlines’ accessible travel advisory board. Kostas is charged with taking flight to pinpoint areas of improvement for airlines that might ease the experience of travelers with physical and other challenges.
CRAIN’S PHILANTHROPY LIST: Business and civic leader Eleni Palivos Bousis was listed as a top 78 philanthropist by Crain’s Chicago Business. She’s a founder and board chair of the Hippocratic Cancer Research Foundation, served as chair of the Greek American Rehabilitation & Care Centre, and has partnered to raise funds for a number of area charities. In 2024, she released her debut novel “Bold Resilient Women.”
MANTIS SIGNS W/ GREEK PRO TEAM: Northwest Indiana native Chris Mantis, a sharpshooting 6’7 basketball guard/forward who recently played at the U. of Maine, signed to play pro ball with AO Trikala in Greece. His father, Angelo Mantis, was a college star and his grandfather, Nick Mantis, played for the NBA’s Minneapolis Lakers.
TARIFF TIPS: Chicago wedding consultant/event planner Frank J. Andonoplas made two recent appearances on the WGN9 morning news in May to talk about his craft and address how newly-enacted trade tariffs might impact wedding plans. And just in time for Chicago’s famous Summer outdoor Greek festival season.
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