Professor John D. Ioannovich was born in Athens in October 1939 and graduated from the American College of Athens in 1957. He studied medicine at the University of Innsbruck in Austria, graduated and accomplished his medical thesis in 1964. He served in the Greek navy as a medical officer for 2 years and then moved back to Innsbruck where he accomplished his training in Plastic Surgery, under the supervision of Professor Wilfingsender, in 1971. He worked as a registrar in the same department until October 1972, when he moved back to Athens to take up the position of Αssistant Professor of the 1st Surgical Clinic of Athens Medical School.

Three years later (April 1975) he had been included among the PhDs of medicine with the grade “excellent”. He worked in the 1st Surgical Clinic of Athens Medical School as a registrar for 11 years until 1982 when he was elected Associated Professor in surgery. He was the Head Director of the Plastic Surgery-Microsurgery and Burns Center in the General State Hospital of Athens “G. Gennimatas” from 1986 until his death. He was devoted to the progress of plastic surgery as President of the Hellenic Association of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery from 1984 to 1990 and was President of the European Board of Plastic Surgeons from 1992 to 1995.

John organized the first Pan-Hellenic Congress of Plastic Surgery in 1993 and the 13th Annual Meeting of European Association of Plastic Surgeons and was a founding member of the Hellenic Association of Reconstructive Microsurgery and the Hellenic Association of Treatment and Melanoma Research. He was announced as an honorary member of the British Association of Plastic Surgeons (1995) and Romanian Association of Plastic Surgeons (2000).

John supervised 40 PhD theses and 30 research protocols, was the author of 10 medical books, 110 publications, with 41 citations in Greek, and international medical journals as well as making 450 presentations and lectures at congresses.

He married Alexandra in 1972 and was the father of two children. His passion for medicine, especially plastic surgery, has been the inspiration of many young physicians and he was a fighter till the sunset of his life for knowledge and for the patient. On 6 October 2003, he suddenly passed away.