Dr. Stefanis obtained his MD from the University of Athens Medical School in 1987. He subsequently obtained his PhD from the same University in 1992, with work related to the molecular basis of thalassemia.

In 1991, he moved to the US, where he trained as Resident in Neurology at Columbia University in New York. In 1995, he embarked on a post-doctoral fellowship in the laboratory of Dr. Lloyd Greene, in the Dept. of Pathology, while in parallel he completed a two-year fellowship on Neurobehaviour, in the Dept. of Neurology at Columbia University.

His work during this time centered on mechanisms of neuronal cell death. In 1998 he was appointed Assistant Professor of Neurology in the Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases in the Dept. of Neurology at Columbia University, position which he held up till 2003. During this time, he focused his interest more on the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative disorders, with an emphasis on Parkinson’s Disease (PD).

In 2003 he moved back to Greece as Researcher Level B at the Biomedical Research Foundation of the Academy of Athens (BRFAA), and set up a laboratory focusing on mechanisms of neurodegeneration, in particular in relation to protein degradation systems, alpha-synuclein and PD.

In 2006 he assumed the appointment of Associate Professor in the University of Athens Medical School, while he continued his work at BRFAA as an affiliated investigator.

In 2012 he was appointed Director of the Second Department of Neurology at «Attikon» Hospital and was elected to the position of Professor of Neurology and Neurobiology at the University of Athens Medical School.

Currently, Dr. Stefanis is investigating various areas of PD pathogenesis, ranging from the bench to the bedside. He is examining the genetic underpinnings of the disease in the Greek population, not only in the rare familial, but also in sporadic cases. He is involved in studies that aim to examine the utility of using alpha-synuclein as a disease biomarker. He is examining pathways of neurotoxicity induced by aberrant alpha-synuclein, with an emphasis on the involvement of protein degradation pathways, such as Chaperone-Mediated Autophagy. He is also investigating the molecular underpinnings of the link of other genetic alterations linked to PD, such as those in UCH-L1, LRRK2 and GBA. He is using a wide array of approaches, ranging from cellular and animal models to studies of patients’ biological material.