Maria Delivoria-Papadopoulos was born in Athens, Greece. The hard times before, during and after World War 2, followed by the Greek civil war, severely affected her leftist family. However, hardships did not prevent her from receiving a scholarship and finishing with distinction her secondary education in the Greek-French School “Saint Josef”; from studying philosophy at the Greek section of the Sorbonne University; from occupying herself with literature, poetry, arts and theater, attending -despite her very limited resources- numerous theatrical performances; from receiving her medical degree from the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Medical School. Upon graduation Maria was trained in Pediatrics in “Aghia Sophia” Children’s University Hospital in Athens, where she gained great experience in using the iron lung in children with polio. Later, in Canada and the US, she will be the first clinician worldwide to apply mechanical respiratory support to another category of children: premature neonates.
A special feature of young Maria was her enthusiastic involvement with Girl Guiding, the principles of which, especially the offer to fellow human beings and society as a whole, Maria not only deeply embraced, but applied throughout her life. She quickly gained a high degree and educated a large number of children (me included) and adolescents, among them Princess Sophia, the later queen of Spain.
Her desire to participate to the latest developments in Pediatrics, urged her to move to the US. Nevertheless, the political history of her family was an insurmountable obstacle in getting a visa. Help will come from the highest possible level: the then Head of the body of Greek Girl Guides, Princess Sophia, signifying Maria’s incredible ability to unite opposite ends! Thus, with her husband, physician Christos Papadopoulos, Maria departs from Greece in 1959 to spend 61 years, the rest of her life, in the US, Canada and again the US, becoming a naturalized U.S. citizen in 1970, but always keeping with pride, deep in her heart, her beloved country of origin and her characteristic double Greek name. Extremely arduous, yet so productive years will follow, leading her soon to international recognition.
In the US and Canada, she completed residencies and fellowships in several state and University hospitals, training in Pediatrics, Neonatology, Obstetrics/Gynecology, Physiology and Embryology, thus, in all fields of Perinatal Medicine. She received a post-doctorate degree in Physiology from the University of Pennsylvania, where she spent the next 29 years as a faculty member. Further, she held numerous faculty and hospital appointments in the Philadelphia area. In 2006 she was awarded the Ralph W. Brenner Chair in Pediatrics at St. Christopher’s Foundation for Children.
Maria has given Grand Rounds several times per year at Universities and Medical Centers throughout the U.S, and functioned as Visiting Professor and keynote speaker in innumerous countries in South America, Europe and Asia for over 50 years. She has received a great number of prestigious awards, starting in 1961, e.g. “Teacher of the Year Award” for 1962, 1964, 1973, 1974, 1978, 1992, 1993, 1996, 2004, 2006, “NIH Special Research Fellowship Award 1966”, “NIH Young Investigator Award 1968”, “NIH Career Development Award 1968”, “American Academy of Pediatrics Lifetime Achievement Award”, “National Lifetime Achievement Award from Castle Connolly”, “Legends in Neonatology Award” (2007) together with Mildred Stahlman and Mary-Helen Avery. She was named “Top Doctor" by Philadelphia magazine (2012–2016). She had served several terms for the National Institutes of Health, as well as for many academic and hospital committees; she was a member of numerous scientific societies; had received honorary degrees from three universities (Nancy, Thessaloniki and Athens); was a reviewer for top scientific journals, including the New England Journal of Medicine. Her publications are over a thousand, mostly focusing on neonatal care, neonatal brain injury and neonatal physiology.
Maria’s clinical work was marked by two innovations. The implementation for the first-ever time of mechanical respiratory support to premature neonates in 1963, and a bit later of parenteral fluids to preterms, saving hundreds of thousands of lives. Her pioneering scientific work focused besides respiratory distress syndrome and physiology of pulmonary fluid, on oxygen-hemoglobin binding in adults and fetuses/newborns, cerebral blood flow, mechanisms of hypoxic/ischemic encephalopathy in the fetus and neonate, as well as the mechanisms of cerebral cells apoptosis.
Maria had generously mentored countless young doctors from countries all over the world, devoting them endless time, care and love. Despite her phantastic achievements, she remained a person of exemplary modesty, contemptuous for material goods, with huge charitable activity not only for children but also for any adult in need. She used to spend every summer a month in her favorite Greek island Ithaca, fishing, donating her “catch” to the poor and gratis examining each evening consecutively all children of the island.
This homage to Maria will close with spontaneous words by colleagues, when informed on her passing: “so impressed by her sweetness, smartness and profound culture, but also her firm capability to teach and to carry on research, she as a woman in times when the most was run by men!” (Gian Carlo Di Renzo), “a true trailblazer in our field, a kind, gentle care giver” (Helen Christou), “a unique, wonderful, exemplary, inspiring woman” (Umberto Simeoni), “Maria leaves a great legacy” (Neena Modi), “really impressed by her legacy” (Hugo Lagercrantz), “Maria is an example for all of us” (Vassilios Fanos), “we will strive to honour her” (Mark Hanson).
May she rest in peace!
Above text was based on information provided by Maria Delivoria-Papadopoulos to A. M-P for the formal address by the latter at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, awarding Maria with the “Doctor Honoris Causa” title.
Professor of Pediatrics, Physiology and Obstetrics/Gynecology at Drexel University College of Medicine and Director of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children
Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, 3rd Department of Pediatrics, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece