George Kassianos

George Kassianos is Cypriot, trained in Poland with a scholarship from the International Union of Students, where he graduated with a Medical Degree with Honours. He then moved to Britain and trained as a General Practitioner at the Hammersmith and St. Mary's Hospitals in London.

Dr Kassianos was Editor-in-Chief of the international journal Drugs in Context for 10 years (now the Associate Editor), past Medical Editor of the journals Audit in General Practice, Care of the Elderly, Managing Heart Failure in General Practice. He is Editorial Board member of journals The British Journal of Cardiology, Geriatric Medicine, Primary Care Cardiovascular Journal, The British Journal of Family Medicine, the Bulgarian journal Preventive Medicine, The Journal of Travel Medicine of the International Society of Travel Medicine. Guest Editor of VACCINES Special Issue 2022 on ‘Advances in Influenza Vaccines’, and the GP editorial consultant for the journal Guidelines in Practice. Also, reviewer for The Lancet and VACCINE journals.
He is currently preparing the 5th edition of his book 'Immunisation Childhood and Travel Health' and is member of the International Society of Travel Medicine, and President of the British Global & Travel Health Association (BGTHA) as well as on the Organising Committee of the Northern European Conference in Travel Medicine (NECTM). Dr Kassianos has edited and contributed to a number of medical books for clinicians as well as patients and has lectured worldwide in over 30 countries.
He has published and lectured on various subjects including research papers on influenza, on willingness of European healthcare workers to undergo Influenza vaccination, Pneumococcal Infection in Europe, Herpes Zoster, Vaccination of older adults, the impact of vaccinating healthy children against influenza, atrial fibrillation, hypertension, lipid management in Primary Care. He has participated in clinical research including international cardiology research such as REACH & CLARIFY and has chaired the Guidelines Panel on Myalgia in Patients Who Are Taking Statins as well as the panel for the first in the UK Angina Guidelines for General Practitioners.
In ten of around 100 scientific papers Dr Kassianos was the first author and principal investigator. He has written over 200 articles in medical magazines, recorded a number of educational videos for UK and worldwide medical education on MEDSCAPE, participated on the experts’ committees in 10 UK national guidelines, two of which he chaired, and has given over 400 interviews to Media, Radio & TV stations. Since March 2020, he has been appearing weekly on BBC Radio Berkshire answering questions on COVID-19 and influenza.
George Kassianos has been the National Immunisation Lead for the Royal College of General Practitioners since 1996, of which he is a Fellow. He is also Fellow of the Faculty of Travel Medicine Royal College of Physicians & Surgeons of Glasgow, Higher Education Academy, Academy of Medical Educators, British & Irish Hypertension Society, the British Global & Travel Health Association, the European Society of Cardiology, and The International Society of Travel Medicine. He chairs the Pan-European Group on influenza RAISE (Raise Awareness of Influenza Strategies in Europe – 19 European countries and Israel) and is Board Member of the European Working Group on Influenza (ESWI).
Dr Kassianos has served in the past as GP Tutor, GP Trainer, Chair of the Professional Executive Committee of his local Primary Care Trust (PCT) and is currently a GP Appraiser as well as an Expert Witness for the General Medical Council. He represents the Royal College of GPs on the British Polio Fellowship (a charity) Expert Panel and serves on the NICE GP Reference Panel, and the Public Health England UK Advisory Panel on Healthcare Workers Infected with Bloodborne Viruses.
He is the 36th recipient of the Royal College of General Practitioners’ Foundation Council Award (2018), the most prestigious award for services to the College and General Practice.
In October 2020, Her Majesty the Queen appointed Dr Kassianos Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (CBE) in Her Birthday 2020 Honours List for his services to General Practice and Travel Medicine. The investiture took place at Windsor Castle on 17 November 2021.

Qualifications:
MD (Hons), FRCGP, FBIHS, FESC, FHEA, FAcadMEd, FISTM, FFTM RCPS Glasg

Recent Publications and Projects – 2018 to 2021