Editorial

32
relevant department, the setting up of
which Dr. Spanos oversaw.
In 1980, he suggested and was instrumental
in the creation of the Paraplegic Wing. Dr.
Spanos’ medical activities have earned him a
plethora of distinctions, including his appointment
as Corresponding Member of the Society
of British Neurological Surgeons in 1972.
In 1976, he was elected a member of the International
Medical Society of Paraplegia and
made a member of its board in 1987.
He is also an active member of the Cyprus
Medical Association (CMA). As Chairman of
the CMA’ s Scientific Committee he has organised
significant international medical conferences
and seminars. He carries out research
and has published his articles in scientific magazines
or presented them at international conferences.
In 2004, Nicos Spanos set up the Cyprus Neurosurgery
Society of which he is the first Chairman.
Chrysostomos Nikias
Academic Chrysostomos Nikias is internationally
recognized for his research into integrated
media systems, digital communication
and signal processing and biomedicine. He is
also a passionate advocate of the arts and
humanities.
Born in 1952 at Komi Kepir, in the occupied
Karpas peninsula, Chrysostomos Nikias attended
the Secondary School in Famagusta.
After graduating the National Metsovio Polytechnic
in Athens, he continued his post graduate
studies in the US where he obtained a PhD
Degree at the New York University in Buffalo.
In 1991 he joined the University of California
where since June, 2005 he is senior vicepresident
for academic affairs. He is also director
of the University’s Integrated Media Systems
Centre (IMSC) which is the National
Science Foundation’s Multimedia Research
Centre. Through this, Nikias has made important
inroads into the field of digital signal processing,
earning his international recognition
and the title of Fellow of the Institute of Electric
and Electronic Engineers.
Chr. Nikias has authored more than 1,000
peer-reviewed journal articles, 180 refereed
conference papers, three text books and eight
patents.
Several of his publications and patents are in
the field of translational medicine, including
invasive and non-invasive methods for the
detection and classification of myocardial
ischemia, on which he worked in collaboration
with the University of Maryland Hospital
and Buffalo General Hospital.
He has consulted extensively for the US
government and high-tech industry and has
also testified before the California legislature
on the impact of digital technologies and communications
on the entertainment industry.
Among the numerous awards he has received