Barbara Kondyli is a trainer, mental health counsellor, and researcher. She began her professional career in the mental health field in the mid-1990s with individuals, groups and families. She worked for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention within the Public Health Prevention Service, working on both infectious and chronic diseases. She later worked with chronic disease in the state of Rhode Island, pioneering many health communication initiatives, and served as the Chronic Care Collaborative Coordinator. She is a recipient of the Marie Curie Reintegration Grant (2006-2009) and founded the first Toastmasters group in Greece (HAU Athens Toastmasters) to build public speaking and leadership skills among its members and the general public. She has trained several groups on topics such as smoking and alcohol use, bullying prevention, healthy relationships, health communication, volunteerism, successful public presentation, effectiveness, among others. She is currently completing her PhD in Language and Communication, holds two master’s degrees (Public Health, Clinical Social Worker) and an undergraduate degree in Psychology. Her blog is: healthliteracyweb.com.
Varvara Kondyli
B.A., M.A.
- A.B.D. – Applied Linguistics (Professional and Intercultural Communication), Hellenic American University, Athens Campus
- Master of Social Work (MSW), 1998; Master of Public Health (MPH), Boston University (Boston, MA)
- Bachelor of Arts (Psychology), minor in English and Communication, Simmons College (Boston, MA)
- Health Psychology
- Psychosocial issues
- Applied Linguistics
- Social Work
Research Interests: Health literacy, diversity, volunteerism, chronic and communicable diseases, environmental psychology, leadership and communication.
Publications (indicative)
Sorensen K., Levin-Zamir, D., Kondilis, B. & Okran, O. (2021). Rebranding social distancing to physical distancing: calling for a change in the health promotion vocabulary to enhance clear communication during a pandemic, Global Health Promotion Journal.
Kondilis, B. (2019). A Life-span Perspective on Health Literacy: Aging and End-of-Life Issues. In: Okan, O., Bauer, U., Levin-Zamir, D., Pinheiro, P., Sørensen, K. (Εds.) International Handbook of Health Literacy. Research, Practice and Policy Across the Lifespan. Bristol: The Policy Press, University of Bristol, U.K.
Zarcadoolas. C., Kondilis, B. (2018). Health Literacy in Non-Communicable Diseases: Contexts and Cases. In Optimizing Health Literacy for Improved Clinical Practice. (Eds.) Papalois, Vassilios E. & Theodosopoulou, Maria. Hershey PA: IGI Global.
Sorensen, K, et al. (2015). Health Literacy in Europe: Comparative Results of the European Health Literacy Survey (HLS-EU), European J of Public Health, December 25(6): 1053-8. DOI:10.1093/eurpub/ckv043 Epub Apr 5
Sorensen K, Van den Broucke S, Pelikan JM, Fullam J, Doyle G, Slonska Z, Kondilis B, Stoffels V, Osborne R, Brand H. (2013). Measuring health literacy in populations: Illuminating the design and the development process of the European Health Literacy Survey Questionnaire (HLS-EU-Q), BMC Public Health, 13(1), 1-22.
Goel G, Nandan S, Rishi M, Liasides J, & Kondilis B. (2011). India, Female Immigrant Entrepreneurship in Utta Pradesh. In D. Halkias, P. Thurman, N. Harkiolakis, S.M. Caracatsanis (Eds.). Female Immigrant Entrepreneurs: The Economic and Social Impact of a Global Phenomenon (pp. 11-24). London: Gower Publishing Ltd., Gower House, Aldershot, Hampshire, GU11 3HR, England. ISBN 978-0-566-08913-8.
Kondilis B, Akrivos P, Sardi T, Soteriades E, Falagas M. (2010). Readability levels of health pamphlets distributed in Athens hospitals & health centers. Public Health, 124(10):547-52.