Dr Dimitra Mela, MD
Pediatrician · International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC)
The doctor was born in Heraklion and grew up in Agios Nikolaos, where she now lives with her husband and their two children. Practising pediatrics in her hometown was a deliberate choice: to offer families in Lasithi care at the standard of major centres, without them having to travel for it.
She entered the University of Crete School of Medicine ranked 6th in her admission year and graduated with distinction (8.79), placing 4th in her graduating class.
Education & distinctions
- Medical Degree (MD), School of Medicine, University of Crete (2011–2017) — graduated with distinction (8.79), 4th in class; ranked 6th at national admission (2011)
- Bronze Medal (3rd place), 20th Medical Knowledge Olympiad, Patras 2016
- Merit scholarship for clinical training at Boston University School of Medicine, USA (2017)
Clinical experience
- Attending pediatrician (Consultant), Pediatric Department, Venizeleio General Hospital of Heraklion
- Pediatric residency, Venizeleio General Hospital of Heraklion
- Pediatric residency, General Hospital of Agios Nikolaos
- Rural service physician, General Hospital–Health Centre of Ierapetra
International clinical training
Working within different health systems, alongside internationally recognised academics, shaped a rounded, contemporary view of pediatrics.
- USA — Boston Medical Center (2017): clinical training in the Department of Ophthalmology and the Pediatric Ophthalmology Clinic, on a merit scholarship from Boston University School of Medicine
- Germany — University Medical Center Freiburg (2016–2017): clinical training at the Centre for Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine (Zentrum für Kinder- und Jugendmedizin)
- Switzerland — Hochgebirgsklinik Davos (2016): training at the Pediatric Allergy Clinic
Specialisations & certifications
- International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC), 2026
- Certified Breastfeeding Counsellor, Institute of Child Health "Alkyoni"
- Specialised training in breastfeeding counselling and support (university CPD programme)
- Postgraduate Program in Pediatric Nutrition (PGPN), Boston University School of Medicine
- "Early Nutrition Specialist", Ludwig Maximilian University Hospital, Munich
- Certified Infant Massage Instructor, International Association of Infant Massage (IAIM)
- Screening for child mental-health problems, Child Mind Institute, New York
- Advanced Paediatric Life Support (APLS) · Basic Life Support (BLS)
Scientific societies
- Member, European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (EAACI)
- Member, Association of IBCLC Lactation Consultants of Greece & Cyprus "Galaxias"
Scientific work
She has presented a series of papers and posters at national and regional conferences. A selection:
- Exercise-induced purpura in a 7-year-old boy — Panhellenic Pediatric Congress 2025
- Troponinaemia, repolarisation abnormalities and myocarditis — Panhellenic Pediatric Congress 2025
- Persistent transaminasaemia in a 12-month-old infant — Panhellenic Pediatric Gastroenterology Congress 2024
- Bell's palsy associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection in a 10-year-old — 60th Panhellenic Pediatric Congress 2022
- Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C) associated with SARS-CoV-2 — Cretan Pediatric Congress 2022
- Ustekinumab therapy in an adolescent with fistulising Crohn's disease — Panhellenic Pediatric Gastroenterology Congress 2021
- Intermittent Exotropia — Boston Medical Center 2017
Undergraduate research experience in rheumatology, ESBL infections and SARS-CoV-2 at the University of Crete School of Medicine.