University of Athens Awards Honorary Doctorate To George D. Behrakis

The National and Kapodistrian University of Athens awarded an honorary doctorate from its Medical Faculty to George D. Behrakis, Chairman Emeritus of Leadership 100, for his contributions to science, pharmaceuticals and medicine, and for his humanitarian endeavors, on December 11, 2015.

In a ceremony of academics and other dignitaries, University Chancellor Napoleon Maravegias praised Behrakis for his “contribution to people’s health and quality of daily life”, noting his recognition by leading academic and scientific organizations in the United States and worldwide.

Behrakis, a noted philanthropist to the arts and culture and well as science and medicine, has funded training in the United States for many Greek doctors. His cousin, Dr. Panagiotis Behrakis, a professor to the University’s Medical School said that Behrakis, after graduation from Boston’s Northeastern University with a degree in pharmacy, “immediately dedicated himself to the field of research and science, developing new methods of packaging, administering, circulating and technologically utilizing pharmaceuticals, which made life easier for millions of people.”

Behrakis, in extensive remarks, thanked the University for the honor and distinction, recalled his upbringing that instilled in him Greek principles and Greek Orthodoxy, and related his early experiences in the U.S. Army, in Washington DC, and in the pharmaceutical industry. He summarized his philosophy with an expression from his family physician that “knowledge is power” and the lesson that “you must help those in need”, from his father. He said further that he was proud that he received great positive feedback about the young Greek doctors he brought for training to the United Sates. “They have ethics and values,” he said. He received a standing ovation.