Constantine Psimopoulos

In the news (New Activity):

Artificial Intelligence: Playing God? with MIT Prof. Costis Daskalakis

Huffington AI and Bioethics Event - Kosti generative AI creation

​​​​​​​NEW appointment to the Board of Directors and Strategic Planning Committee of Harvard Alumni Disability Alliance (HADA)

Innovation with Responsibility: Ethics and the Applied Uses of AI - Ethics Roundtable from APPE

Constantine included in People of Harvard Medical School

Appointment - Co-chair for Literature & Medicine at American Society for Bioethics and Humanities

Harvard Magazine article - Reference & comment on Disability & Bioethics

Harvard Medical School Students Advance Science at Research Symposium

Aristotle Medical Forum - Bioethics - CNN interview

CNN Greece - Constantine Psimopoulos interview

Biographical Sketch:

Constantine or 'Kosti' is a Kinesiologist by training and a bioethicist. He holds an academic teaching position in the Department of Systems Biology at HMS, Scientific Citizenship Initiative, funded by the NIH (National Institutes of Health), tasked with developing ethics training modules and a new curriculum employing simulation-based pedagogy for genetics researchers and future scientists at the Medical School. He also has an appointment as a Course Developer (Course Development Fellow) in a new joint HMS/HSPH (Harvard Medical School and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health) Initiative on Racism in Health and Scientific Research.

As a guest Lecturer, he joined a teaching team of three Harvard Instructors introducing this module taught to all Doctoral students (many in the MD/PhD programs), as part of the Responsible Conduct in Science MED SCI 300 course.

In 2024, Kosti was invited to serve as Director on the Board of the newly established Harvard Alumni Disability Alliance (HADA), and was assigned to its Strategic Planning Committee, spearheading a comprehensive plan, alongside wonderful colleagues under the motto "Nihil Sine Nobis" (Nothing About Us Without Us). HADA's mission "as a community is to provide a forum for Harvard alumni, faculty, and others to promote opportunities, participation, inclusion, and civil and human rights for people with disabilities".

Last academic year, Constantine also received a joint appointment, as a Visiting (Doctoral) grad student (researcher) in Global Health and Social Medicine, in the Department of Global Health and Social Medicine of Harvard Medical School, conducting research in bioethics. It is important to note that this is the department that was Chaired by the late Kolokotrones University Professor at Harvard, Paul Farmer

He has previously served as a Faculty Coordinator at the Center on Causes and Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health (HSPH) and at the Department of Cell Bio at Harvard Medical School from 2019-2022. Constantine also served by appointment on the Dean’s Advisory Committee on Diversity and Inclusion (DACDI) (Dean of HSPH, Angelopoulos Professor Michelle Williams), where he had been assigned to the Strategic Planning and Implementation working group(s). 

An alumnus of Harvard Medical School, he received graduate training in Bioethics, pursuing an MBE degree at the Center for Bioethics of Harvard Medical School, having been awarded the Inaugural HMS Dean's Scholarship based on "academic excellence, persistence, resilience, and a commitment to advancing the position of the underserved and the underrepresented in the biomedical sciences". At Harvard Medical School, Kosti has also served by appointment as Director of Policy and Advocacy (2021-2022) and in 2022-2023 was elected President of Harvard Medical School's MS Council, and asked to serve on the Harvard Graduate Council Advocacy Committee. Constantine was selected by the Dean of Harvard Medical School (Graduate Education) to give the student (valedictorian) address at the HMS graduation entitled: “In pursuit of A Moral Awakening in Medicine & Healthcare: An ethics of Sympraxis.” An article with an excerpt from his speech, including words inspired by the late and great Paul Farmer, was published under news and research at an HMS article. 

Harvard Medical School Graduation - Valedictorian Kosti

Constantine's new theological bioethics book project is the translation of Therese Lysaught's edited book on Paul Farmer's praxis and theological ethics, entitled: "A Prophet to the Peoples: Paul Farmer's Witness and Theological Ethics." into Greek. 

Kosti conducted his capstone research project on disability bioethics at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, investigating clinical and organizational ethics parameters within rehabilitation in Adaptive Sport Medicine and the Adaptive Sports Clinics (SASC). He also served on the Ethics Advisory Committee of the Hospital and SRN. 

He has matriculated in a Doctor of Bioethics degree, at the Stritch School of Medicine, Loyola University of Chicago, Neiswanger Institute for Bioethics and Healthcare Leadership, specializing in Moral Theology (Theological Bioethics) and Public Health and Systems Ethics.

Constantine has recently accepted a new role as Director of the Division of Bioethics, Research Institute, Orthodox Academy of Crete, which is under the auspices of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. Under that role, he inaugurated a conversation on Bioethics and Orthodoxy on Thanksgiving Day 2023, featuring Prof. Manolis Kellis from MIT. This first dialogue was on the theme of AI, Bioethics and Orthodoxy. 

He is especially interested in the intersection of AI and Bioethics, and was recently asked to be a panelist at the new Ethics Roundtable series from the American Association for Practical Ethics (APPE), entitled: Innovation with Responsibility: Ethics and the Applied Uses of AI - Ethics Roundtable from APPE 

At Johns Hopkins University Constantine started teaching a new course, of bioethics nature, (since the Summer of 2023) entitled "Playing God: The Ethics of Human Subjects Research".  

Kosti returned to Harvard after having served as an Administrative and Lab Coordinator at the Harvard-MIT program in Health Sciences and Technology based at MIT, and the Institute for Medical Engineering and Science (IMES), running all administrative aspects of the labs of Alex Shalek and Jim Collins. Through that role, he has been affiliated with the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard as an associated staff member, as well as the Ragon Institute of Mass General Hospital (MGH), and the Wyss Institute of Harvard Medical School. In August of 2019, he was appointed as Broad Institute Campus Ambassador and more recently an I.D.E.A (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Allyship) Ambassador.

Although he is an American since he was born a United States citizen (at the time of his birth in Thessaloniki, both his father and mother were US citizens of Greek origin who emigrated to this country for graduate studies), Constantine has always identified as a proud Greek. Heeding the call to duty and always eager to serve his motherland, Constantine took an administrative position working as a Consular Officer for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Hellenic Republic at the Consulate General of Greece in Boston, mostly around cultural, science and sport diplomacy, before returning to his academic life at MIT. 

Constantine Psimopoulos has previously been employed by the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at Harvard University, having served as a Research Assistant to the George Seferis Chair of Modern Greek Studies in the Classics Department. In Fall of 2015, he was asked to teach a fall session on Ethics in Sport / Sport Philosophy by fellow Harvard cyclist, Professor Bernhard Nickel in the Philosophy Department. 

Constantine has been the Fitness Manager and Instructor at the historic Hemenway Gymnasium of Harvard University Athletics / Recreation. Founder of the Modern Olympic Movement Baron Pierre de Coubertin visited this site in 1889, and saw the Discobolus, famous statue (roman replica) of an Ancient Greek Olympic athlete that President Everett of Harvard ordered to be erected on its grounds in 1865. In that role as Hemenway Fitness Manager, Constantine was charged with supervising the personal training program and the instructional physical activity classes that were taught in the facility, along with the hiring, leadership and guidance of the instructors and fitness staff. He also served as a community adviser for wellness in the Harvard Graduate Commons program and is married to a Harvard Classics Faculty member and PhD in the Classics departmentCalliope Dourou-Psimopoulos. 

Constantine has previously served on the Community advisory committee to Harvard's School of Public Health Prevention Research Center, overseeing nutrition and physical activity policy research projects funded by the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of the United States Federal Government). 

He formerly worked as the Assistant Director of the Zesiger Sports & Fitness Center at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and continues to be an affiliated faculty member at MIT as a Co-Instructor for the Writing about Sports course as well as a research affiliate of the MIT ArchiMedia Lab.

Kosti also held an Adjunct Professor position at Lesley University in Exercise Science and Olympic Studies. Prior to Harvard and MIT, he had been a tenure-track Assistant Professor of Physical Education and Sport in New York, and before that a Lecturer at The Ohio State University (OSU). He has completed all PhD coursework and research in Kinesiology and Physical Education at The Ohio State University; he also holds an M.A. degree in Kinesiology from the former institution (OSU) and an M.Ed. in Sport & Recreation Management from Springfield College, Massachusetts. Constantine or Professor Psi (Ψ) as his students know him, received his Bachelor of Science in Physical Education and Sport Science from Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece.

Constantine received a certificate in Exercise Prescription (Lifestyle Medicine program) from Harvard Medical School, as well as a certificate in Breast Cancer Survivors' Fitness Plan Training (Quality of Life program) from Brigham and Women's Hospital. 

Constantine Psimopoulos' research interests lie in the nexus of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion; Social Justice and Racism in Health; Applied Ethics, Practical Ethics; Theological Bioethics; Health Equity, Health Law, Health Policy, Health Education Policy; Social Determinants of Health and Social JusticeDisability Ethics, Disability Sports Law and Medicine, Applied Sport Medicine; Adaptive Sport Medicine; and Bioethics and Doping in the Olympics and Paralympics, situated within an interdisciplinary approach. Previously, his research interest has been within the ethical dimensions of medicine and public health (medical ethics or clinical bioethics) and the fight against doping in the Olympics and the Paralympics, which is what he calls the 'Olympic epidemic'. 

Employing qualitative methodologies, his scholarly pursuits have delved into Health Education policy, Pedagogy, and specifically the public health implications of 'Sport for All' and the notion of 'Exercise as Medicine' towards a healthier, more peaceful and more physically active society.

Constantine Psimopoulos is President Emeritus of the Massachusetts Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (MAHPERD / ma-hperd.org), and has previously been elected President of the New York State Council for the Professional Preparation of Physical Education teachers. Constantine has served and continues to serve the national association SHAPE America (Formerly known as AAHPERD) by appointment to the Nominations Committee, the National Public Policy Advisory Committee and the National Committee on Social Justice and Diversity, and in 2011 was nominated for a National Outstanding Mentor of the Year Award (National Association of Sport and Physical Education of the USA) for student engagement, advice and service.

His research has been published in peer reviewed journals and proceedings, and his work presented at local, state, national and international conferences, with over 25 publications and 40 presentations overall including chapters on Olympism in the USA in two edited books, Olympism, Olympic Legacies and Olympic Education  (2014) and Olympic Education: An International Review (2017). Constantine's work has been recognized with two leadership awards, three awards for teaching excellence, distinguished service awards, a research award, a sports facility design award as well as a student-athlete scholar award. He has recently been one of only four Americans to receive the National Speak Out Award by SHAPE America (2017) for his 10 year commitment to serving as an advocate in Washington DC, talking to members in Congress about quality health and physical education on Capitol Hill.

In 2022, Kosti was awarded the International Emerging Scholar Award, for his paper that was selected to be presented and published at the 13th International Conference on Sport in Society in Aarhus, Denmark June 30-July 1. The specially themed conference was entitled: "Whose Body Is It? Sport And The Problem of Autonomy". 

Constantine has traveled to international conferences and symposia around the world, and has been invited as a visiting lecturer in Ireland, Austria, Scotland, England, Spain, Greece, Cyprus and universities in the USA. He has been a keynote speaker at the 28th Session of the National Olympic Academy of Cyprus at the Cyprus Olympic Committee in Nicosia (Lefkosia) in 2016, and the keynote speaker at the Annual Session of the Cyprus Physical Educators' Association in 2017. In 2018, he was a a guest lecturer at the American Farm School of Thessaloniki. 

Constantine Psimopoulos worked for Team USA during the London 2012 Olympic & Paralympic Games, the Organizing Committee of the 1st Winter Youth Olympic Games Innsbruck 2012 in the sports operations area, and the 2nd Winter Youth Olympic Games Lillehammer 2016 and gave six lectures in five different Olympic Symposia, including the ICSEMIS World Congress on Sport Sciences. He has also worked as a Director of Health & Fitness for the Boston YMCA, a team leader and coordinator for the Organizing Committee of the ATHENS 2004 Olympic Games, and as competition manager for World Cups, World Games, and other Mega Sports events. In 2015 and with the prospect of seeing the Olympic Games come to his second home Boston in 2024 as not merely a dream but a significant likelihood, Constantine was thrilled about what this could imply for his future involvement with seeing the Olympic spirit blend in with the 'Spirit of America', Massachusetts, and specifically his academic home, Harvard University. This dream did not come to fruition. He was also entrusted with being a Delegation Liaison for Team Cyprus during the 2015 Special Olympics World Summer Games in Los Angeles, California. 

He has been a National Champion and a member of the Pre-Olympic team of Greece for Mountain Biking training for the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games. Upon the request of MIT's Cycling Team, he has been 'wearing the hat' of 'Coach Psi' since 2013 and recently led the team to the 2014 ECCC Championship and the 2016 USA National Championship (Check the trophy!) and continues proudly to train the mountain bikers of MIT and Harvard. Constantine Psimopoulos was invited to give a presentation and attend the 9th Session for Educators and Officials of Higher Institutes of Physical Education and be a supervising professor at the Postgraduate seminar at the International Olympic Academy in Olympia, Greece and has been appointed an associate, special advisor and liaison for American Universities relations with the International Olympic Academy, the educational branch of the IOC (International Olympic Committee).

Since 2013, Constantine has been appointed as a Faculty Mentor for the Olympism4Humanity Alliance and has taught as a professor at the Summer Praxis program at the International Olympic Academy in Olympia. Furthermore, he has organized the annual Symposium on the Boston Marathon and Olympism at Harvard and MIT, as well as USOC's Olympic Day celebration in 2015, 2016 and 2017. 

Constantine’s friends and family remember him on a bicycle for as long as they can remember him. In a career spanning 10 years of competitive cycling, he has traveled the equivalent to the distance of five times the earth’s circumference on his bicycle, which is approximately three quarters of the distance from here to the moon. Although Constantine also played competitive tennis for four years even before he started competing in cycling, he was never thought of as the strong, athletic type while he was a kid growing up. Rather, he enjoyed sleeping, dreaming, playing with LEGO and eating honey. He is, therefore, a living proof of the transformational power of the mind, and the significance of sustained effort, faith, discipline and passion for pursuing one’s dream (and achieving it!).

His hobbies include learning new foreign languages (Constantine can communicate in English, Greek, German, French and Italian), playing piano and guitar, traveling around the world together with Calliopi and his son Spyro (a prospective zoologist) and daughter Erato (an artist and prospective veterinarian), and dreaming endlessly. 

 

Quotes:

"The void from spaces in between can fill the margins and out of kenosis, may become whole" Psimopoulos, C.S. 2024 (Reflections on Paul Farmer's theological praxis, who promoted coherence in healing from structural racism and oppression) 

“The advancement of technology is bringing us to the brink of this unbiological, or un-bio-ethical approach to winning”  - Psimopoulos, C.S. 2023

“What is legal is not always ethical but what is ethical should/could/ought to also be legal” - Psimopoulos, C.S. 2022

"It might not always be morally right to do what is rational but it is always rational to do what is morally right" - Psimopoulos, C.S. 2021

"Only when you dream of something and envision how it would be like in your ideal world then, through praxis, you might actually have the chance to see it come true”  - Psimopoulos, C.S. 2009 

“Movement is the threshold to learning” - Psimopoulos, C.S. 2009 

"There is nothing healthier and more sane than being 'crazy' or passionate about an idea"  - Psimopoulos, C.S. 2010

                                                                    ΑΙΕΝ ΑΡΙΣΤΕΥΕΙN

                         CARPE DIEM!                     SEIZE THE DAY!                EY ZHN

 

Harvard Medical School Graduation Constantine Ethics

 

 

Past news (2013-2020):

International Emerging Scholar Award 2022

Bioethics and the Winter Olympics at Harvard Medical School

HSPH Dean's Advisory Committee on Diversity and Inclusion (DACDI) 

Olympic Day at Harvard by Olympism4Humanity 

Keynote Address at the Cyprus Olympic Academy - "Physical Activity as Prevention of Disease"

New book on Olympism from Routledge

Let's MOVE to MOVE America Forward: Advocacy in Action for SHAPE America 

 

Videos: Speeches & Interviews

shape_america_speak_out_day_on_capitol_hill_.mov43.22 MB