As I mentioned in my previous blog post, I was invited to attend lectures hosted by the Performing Arts Medicine Clinic in Athens. I attended three lectures about voice, all touching on the concept of acoustic feedback whether with our own ears or represented by a new technology. Additionally, I got to connect with Dr. Eleftheria Iliadou, one of the otolaryngologists who helps run both the hearing and voice clinics. 

She explained to me that similar to many voice clinics in the US, they see a wide range of patients from the general population to actors and singers. She told me how she was particularly caught off guard when one of her patients asked her how much it was going to cost when given a recommendation of surgery and voice therapy. Dr. Iliadou was surprised by this question because unlike in the US, healthcare is a public institution in Greece and completely free. 

I spoke to one of my Greek professors at the American College of Greece about my experiences participating in these lectures, and she told me that the Athens Medical School has been making efforts to attract foreign students in recent years. While the medical school does cost money to Greek citizens, most higher education from public universities is another thing that is completely free to Greeks. My professor told me that before the medical school’s attempt to attract foreign students, it was generally only Greek students who attended the school and then left the country to practice medicine elsewhere. 

After meeting Dr. Iliadou and speaking with my Greek professor, another thing I noticed about education in Greece is that many Greeks seem to value cross-cultural educational experiences. Dr. Iliadou was a laryngology fellow in the UK, and my professor also went to the UK to do research. Since learning about all of the voice education opportunities in both Greece and the UK from Dr. Iliadou, I gained a more open mind about where I can continue my studies after finishing in the US.