The Award ceremony was held on Friday, February 12th, 2016, at the Auditorium of «Errikos Dynan» Hospital, within the context of the official commencement of EXE's 2016 Further Training Courses. The ceremony began with Mr. Papalois' speech, which was inspired by the phrase of Odysseas Elytis (1976): "If you decompose Greece, you will end up with an olive tree, a grapevine and a fishing boat." Forty years later, what do the olive tree, grapevine and fishing boat represent?
Upon receiving all 3 awards from Professor Mr. Ioannis Bramis, President of EXE, and Mr. Ioannis Paraskevopoulos, President of the Educational Council, Mr. Papalois noted:
"ELPEN will continue to strongly support any research and scientific effort, which aims at contributing to the improvement of our fellow men's life quality and yielding important benefits for patients and society. For 50 years now, it is our commitment to collaborate with all those – Greek and foreign – entities, such as the Hellenic Surgical Society, with whom we share common ideals and a passion for science, establishing long-lasting partnerships of high scientific level, which contribute to lifelong medical training."
The ceremony was graced with the presence of prominent members from the academic and medical community.