NEW YORK – The Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) has given a grant of $925,000 over three years to the Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS), in New York in support of professional development programs for Greece’s orthopedic surgeons.

SNF has had a decade-long collaboration with HSS, during which more than 75 surgeons from Greece have come to New York to attend educational programs that help advance their medical expertise.

HSS is the first Orthopedic Hospital in US, and is world-renowned for its outstanding care.

“With SNF’s support, Greek orthopedic surgeons have access to one of the world’s top orthopedic hospitals and its best practices in surgery and clinical care, research, and academic medicine,” said Panagiotis Koulouvaris, MD PhD, International Ambassador of the HSS and the key liaison between Hospital for Special Surgery and the orthopedic community in Greece. He added, “This partnership has facilitated connections between HSS experts and surgeons in Greece, positively influencing orthopedic surgical practice across the country.”

The new grant builds on the last decade of programming to better meet the evolving professional education needs of orthopedic surgeons in Greece.  It will fund seminar and academic visitor programs, through which surgeons at various points in their careers will be fully immersed in the HSS environment, taking part in activities such as courses and lectures, research, live surgery observation and hands-on cadaveric training. About 60 surgeons will benefit directly from this support.

“HSS greatly values its relationship with the Stavros Niarchos Foundation, and is thrilled to continue this partnership over the next three years,” said Thomas P. Sculco, MD, Professor of Orthopedic Surgery and Director of the Program at HSS. “HSS Faculty are honored to share best practices and exchange knowledge with Greek orthopedic surgeons, as well as establish an ongoing, mutually beneficial dialogue,” he noted.

“The Stavros Niarchos Foundation remains committed to help improving healthcare in Greece…Professional development programs such as this one with Hospital for Special Surgery deliver high and long-term impact for physicians and surgeons, and ultimately the people they care for,” said Roula Siklas, Program Coordinator for Health & Sports at the Foundation.

SNF is one of the world’s leading private international philanthropic organizations, making grants in the areas of arts and culture, education, health and sports, and social welfare.

This year is the twentieth of the SNF’s global philanthropic activity. Since 1996, the SNF has made grant commitments of $1.8 billion through 3,316 grants to nonprofit organizations in 111 nations around the world.

In June of 2015, the Foundation announced a new grant initiative of $112 million, in addition to its standard grant-making activities, to help address the deepening crisis in Greece by providing immediate relief support to the most vulnerable members of Greek society. The new initiative follows on the heels of two earlier initiatives in 2012 and 2013 of 130 million each.

The Foundation’s largest single gift is the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center (SNFCC), in Athens, to be completed in 2016. The project’s total budget of $831million includes two grants of $6 million each to the National Library of Greece and the Greek National Opera respectively, aiming to support the organizations’ transition to their new facilities at the Center.