Georgios Bouchouras, PhD

Connecting Research, Education, and Disability Services within the Municipality of Thessaloniki

Posted on January 20, 2026

Today I had the pleasure of meeting with Sofia Skampardoni, Special Advisor to the Mayor of Thessaloniki on Disability Issues. Our discussion focused on disability inclusion and on exploring meaningful avenues of collaboration between the Municipality of Thessaloniki and our Center for Interdisciplinary Education and Research in Rehabilitation , which offers free services for educational purposes.

We exchanged ideas on how evidence-based rehabilitation, interdisciplinary practice, and innovation can strengthen municipal disability services while also creating real-world learning opportunities. In the near future, this collaboration is expected to become highly impactful—both by enhancing the Municipality’s existing support structures and by offering high-quality clinical placements for our students, directly linking academic training with community needs.

I am particularly encouraged by the shared vision for inclusive, sustainable actions that place people with disabilities at the center of policy, practice, and education. This is an important step toward building stronger bridges between local governance, research, and professional training in rehabilitation.