UNIWA's role in promoting Migrants' Sexual Health Education in the ICEX Project

26.9.2023

The University of West Attica (UNIWA) is the third largest university in Greece in regards to the number of undergraduate students whereas it hosts over 57,800 students in total. UNIWA is located on 3 campuses, with 3 academic libraries and 3 conference centres.

UNIWA is a dynamic and constantly evolving institution that offers contemporary undergraduate and postgraduate study programmes, Doctoral studies and Lifelong learning and vocational training programmes.

At UNIWA, twenty-seven departments are operating under the academic umbrella of five Schools, covering a wide range of scientific fields, such as social, administrative and economic sciences, engineering sciences, health and welfare sciences, as well as food sciences and applied art and culture studies.

The Department of Public and Community Health offers undergraduate and postgraduate education of high quality in the scientific field of public and community health. Its curriculum provides graduates with the necessary scientific knowledge and skills that enable them to comprehend the complex nature of public and community health issues, make scientifically sound decisions and undertake coordinated action to protect, preserve and promote health, the individual, the family, the community and the population.

The UNIWA team got involved in this project because they share a common interest in health promotion in the community with a special focus on empowering vulnerable populations with the ultimate goal of tackling health inequalities. Therefore, as in recent years, an enormous number of refugees, asylum seekers and migrants are on the move worldwide looking for a destination country they may have to face cultural differences, language barriers and limited knowledge of sexual health and access to services in a new country. The need to protect and promote their sexual health is imperative. In the ICEX project, among others, the UNIWA team will lead the WP3 (work package) which includes the creation of the ICEX eHandbook, a guide for the professionals working with adult migrants, refugees and asylum seekers on how to utilize the material of ICEX Toolbox.

The UNIWA team:

Evanthia Sakellari (UNIWA’s team lead and scientific coordinator) is an Associate Professor in Community Health. She is a member of the Research Laboratory of Hygiene and Epidemiology of the Department of Public and Community Health where she leads the special academic unit of Health Promotion. She is teaching at undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in Greece and Europe. She has long research experience nationally and internationally which has led to several publications in peer-reviewed journals. Evanthia Sakellari has big experience in Erasmus+ -funded projects. She works closely with the Greek Ministry of Health in the development and evaluation of health education interventions.

Prof. Areti Lagiou is a Professor of Epidemiology, Disease Prevention and Public Health and a member of the board of trustees of UNIWA. She is the Director of the Laboratory of Hygiene and Epidemiology with extensive research experience, both as a principal investigator as well a core research group member in several national and international research projects. She has extensive teaching experience in the fields of Epidemiology, Public and Community Health, as well as chronic non-communicable disease prevention.

Christos Prapas is a Lecturer and member of the Laboratory of Hygiene and Epidemiology of the Department of Public and Community Health. He has a Master’s degree in Social Psychiatry – Child Psychiatry and he has obtained his PhD from the Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ioannina. He also holds a Degree in Psychology from the Department of Psychology, National and Kapodistrian University Athens. He has published articles in peer-reviewed journals, and chapters in books and has presented his work at conferences. He also participates in several Erasmus+ projects.

Eleni Konstantinou is a Lecturer and member of the Laboratory of Hygiene and Epidemiology of the Department of Public and Community Health. She has a Master’s degree in Occupational and Environmental Health from Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens and she is a PhD candidate in UNIWA. Her research experience is in the fields of Health Promotion and disease prevention. She has teaching experience in Prevention and Health Promotion in the Community, School Health Promotion and First Aid. She has participated in many national and international conferences and many Erasmus+ projects.

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