Written by Prof. Jawed Fareed
Our beloved colleague, Evi Kalodiki passed away peacefully on December 31, 2018 in London, England, her adopted country of residence where she excelled in her educational and professional career. Evi was a unique individual, possessing extraordinary qualities as a great human being and surgeon / scientist and being a most wonderful friend to so many of us throughout the world. Evi has left a legacy of facilitating personal and professional interactions to foster education and research programs which will be remembered by all of her friends and professional colleagues throughout the world.
Evi shared the birthplace of Aphrodite – Larnaca, Cyprus. However, she differed in that she worked with foam rather than being born out of the foam. From a mother and father of eminent personages in law she studied medicine in Athens and made a name in venous disease through her position at St. Mary’s Hospital, Paddington, London. She held the title of Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons since 2009 as well as an MA in English literature (1984) and a PhD in venous disease (1996) from Imperial College, London. Her academic achievements are well known and can be obtained through a simple search on the Internet. This includes over 100 publications listed on Pubmed, membership in 21 societies, co-editor of 5 books, scientific secretary of 14 consensus statements, reviewer for 5 academic journals with membership onthe editorial committee of 4 others. She achieved recognition through her international presentations, earning 12 prizes. Highlights include the Mauro Bartolo Lifetime Achievement Award in 2016 in recognition of her outstanding scientific contribution to the understanding of vascular disease and her visiting professor status at Loyola University Chicago.
Her contributions to the International Union of Angiology were innumerable and have impacted its evolution into the lead professional organization dealing with vascular diseases. As the secretary of the IUA Scientific Committee she has played an important role in the development of educational and research programs within this organization. She has served in various other capacities within the IUA and contributed to the development of educational programs such as the yearly Course for Young Vascular Specialists in Prague, Czech Republic. She also fostered academia / industry interactions and established interactive projects with lead companies involved in the development of drugs and devices related to vascular medicine and surgery.
In research she was the pioneer in the use of air-plethysmography to quantify reflux, obstruction and venous tone in patients with venous disease. Her legacy will be the incorporation of this simple, non-invasive, practical test into the outpatient setting to benefit everyone with a venous disorder. In culture she supported Ghiorgos Sarandaris, an eminent scholar, for his life and works in the field of poetry.
Evi had impact. In her younger years she was a match for the most beautiful people in the world. She shook hands with the King of Sweden, the Archbishop of Melbourne, the Sultan of Malaysia and many others. She gave generously to charities and was an Executive Board member of the Hellenic Society in London for decades. She was responsible, in part, for Greek culture in the UK. Her only true mentors in life with directional influence were prominent vascular specialists such as Professor P. Balas, Professor B.B. Lee, Professor A. Strano, Professor P.L. Antignani, Professor K. Roztocil and Professor S. Novo.
Evi will be remembered for her unique individual personality and her generosity in time and money for friends and complete strangers. She always valued people above possessions and added to life in hope and purpose, with her smiles and unending dedication to research. She held an open house in Paddington with endless parties, meetings, reunions and celebrations all year round.
Evi developed an admirable relationship with the faculty of the Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood, Illinois. At Loyola she was a consultant to the Hemostasis Research Group and a visiting Professor in the Departments of Pathology and Pharmacology. She participated in various educational and research programs and contributed to the training of medical students, graduate students, fellows and residents. Together with Loyola faculty she organized several national and international programs over the years which have impacted drug and device development, consensus and guidelines and established numerous projects related to vascular medicine and surgery. She was the most considerate and giving individual with unconditional approaches to help whenever she was needed. She will be remembered by all of us in the years to come.
Her contributions to the educational research and clinical programs at Loyola University Medical Center are nationally and internationally recognized. She was well-liked by students, faculty and staff and treated them equally with great cordiality and affection. Within professional organizations such as the International Union of Angiology, Southeast Asian Society of Atherosclerosis and Thrombosis and the American Venous Forum she developed major networks on focused projects and facilitated collaboration among so many of us. Evi was an exceptionally brilliant clinical scientist with a passion for advances in vascular sciences. She reached out all over the world finding talented colleagues and students and provided them outstanding advice in developing programs. As a Senior Editor of the Journal of Clinical and Applied Thrombosis and Hemostasis she helped in advancing the journal and provided editorial support in an outstanding fashion. As a selfless individual she was always willing to help and support wherever the need would arise and often used her own personal resources to help others.
Evi rests in the family tomb (second shelf on the right) in the First Cemetery of Athens next to her mother. She leaves behind her husband Christopher Lattimer, sister Maria Karamanoli, cousin Pavlos, special nephew Phaedon and her nieces Veroniki and Eva.