Professor Niki Karavitaki

• Elected Fellow of the Association of Physicians of Great Britain and Ireland, 2021
• Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians, 2011
• PhD, Department of Experimental Physiology, Medical School, National University of Athens, Greece, 2006
• CCT Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, 2002
• MSc (Neuroendocrinology), University of London, UK, 1999
• MBBS, National University of Athens, Greece, 1991

Niki Karavitaki completed her training in endocrinology, diabetes and metabolism in Athens in 2002. She had been previously awarded a Master’s degree in neuroendocrinology with distinction under Professor Julia Buckingham at the Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine (University of London). In 2003, she moved to the Oxford Centre for Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism supported by grants from the Greek Endocrine Society and the University of Athens, where she worked as a Research Fellow in Clinical Neuroendocrinology under Professor John Wass for 3 years. 

Between 2006 and 2015, she was a Consultant Endocrinologist at the Oxford Centre for Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism; during this period, she expanded her research portfolio on hypothalamo-pituitary disease (particularly tumours and hypopituitarism) covering the areas of pathogenesis, management and long-term outcomes. In 2013, she became an Honorary Senior Clinical Lecturer in Endocrinology at the University of Oxford.

In 2015, she moved to the current Department of Metabolism and Systems Science at the University of Birmingham where she leads the Pituitary theme.  She has established national and international collaborations and she is actively involved with patient support groups and with national/international bodies and societies. She is the Lead of the Academic Clinical Training in Endocrinology and Diabetes at the University of Birmingham and the Lead for Continuous Professional Development in the Department of Metabolism and Systems Science. Since 2021, she is the Research and Education Lead at the Centre for Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism (CEDAM).

• MBChB Year 1 (Endocrinology)
• BMedSc Year 3 (Molecular Medicine)
• MSc Clinical Science (Blood Science)
• MBChB1 module Cell communications, Endocrinology and Pharmacology
• Intercalated BMedSc Clinical Sciences Course (Endocrinology)
• Lead for Endocrinology MBChB Year 3

Clinical Research Fellows, Clinical Post-graduate Trainees

Niki is interested in supervising doctoral research students in the following areas:

• Pituitary tumours
• Hypopituitarism

If you are interested in studying any of these subject areas please contact Niki on the details above.

Current areas of research activity:

• Long-term morbidities and mortality in pituitary disease
• Aggressive pituitary tumours
• Pathogenesis and biomarkers in pituitary tumours
• Outcomes of patients with cranial diabetes insipidus (vasopressin deficiency)
• Non-functioning pituitary adenoma UK consortium
• Growth hormone deficiency in adults
• Medical treatment in acromegaly
• Impulse control disorders and dopamine agonist treatment

• Member of the Undergraduate Medical School Curriculum Task Force, Society for Endocrinology, UK
• European Neuroendocrine Association Young Researchers Committee (EYRC) (2012-2013)
• Member of the Clinical Committee, Society for Endocrinology, UK (2014-2017)
• Member of Endocrine Society’s Clinical Practice Guideline Task Force on Hormone Replacement Therapy on Hypopituitarism (2016)
• Member of Pituitary Society’s Guidance on Pituitary Centres of Excellence (2017)
• Member of Professional Education Committee of the Pituitary Society (2017-2019)
• Member of Workshop and Study Committee, European Neuroendocrine Association (ENEA) (2017-2021)
• Member of Expert Panel of the European Society of Endocrinology’s Focus Area on Pituitary and Neuroendocrinology (2018-2020)
• Lead for Rare Adult Pituitary disease for Birmingham Health Partners, European Reference Network for Rare Endocrine diseases (2017-2020)
• Member of Steering Committee of the Pituitary Main Thematic Group, European Reference Network on Rare Endocrine Conditions (ENDO-ERN) (2017-2020)
• Elected member of the Board of Directors of the Pituitary Society (2017-2021)
• Section co-Head (Neuro-endocrinology and Pituitary) Faculty of 1000 Medicine
• Member (current or previous) of Editorial Board of the journals Pituitary, Faculty of 1000 Medicine (Neuro-endocrinology and Pituitary), BMC Endocrine Disorders, Journal of Endocrinological Investigation, Frontiers in Endocrinology, Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, Journal of the Endocrine Society, Journal of Neuroendocrinology
• Associate Editor, Hormones (2016-), Endocrine (2020-2022), European Journal of Endocrinology (2021-)
• Member of Programme Organizing Committee for International Pituitary Pathology Meeting 2011, European Congress of Endocrinology 2014, 15th International Pituitary Congress 2017, 16th International Pituitary Congress 2019, European Congress of Endocrinology 2023
• Co-lead of Pituitary Service and Pituitary MDT, Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham, University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust (2015-)
• Director of the annual Birmingham International Pituitary Preceptorship meeting and chair of the Birmingham Pituitary Academy (2016-)
• Member of the International Pituitary Pathology Club
• Member of the Early Career Investigator Mentorship programme by Pituitary Society
• Member of the Medical Committee of the Pituitary Foundation, UK (2018-)
• Member of Endocrine Society’s Annual Meeting Steering Committee (2019-2022)
• Chair of the Programme Organising Committee of European Neuroendocrine Association (ENEA) 2020 meeting, Porto, Portugal
• Chair of European Neuroendocrine Association (ENEA), Workshop and Study Committee (2021-)
• Member of the European Society of Endocrinology, Congress Committee (2021-)
• Clinical Lead, European Society of Endocrinology, Expert Panel of the European Society of Endocrinology’s Focus Area on Pituitary and Neuroendocrinology (2020-)
• Member of the European Neuroendocrine Association (ENEA) Executive Committee (2020-)
• Co-Chair of the European Society of Endocrinology, Rare Disease Pituitary COVID-19 study Group (2020-2022)
• Co-chair of Steering Group, Endocrine Society, USA, Adrenal & Pituitary Special Interest Group (2019-2021)
• Lead of Birmingham Pituitary Academy (2019-)
• Member of the Research Ethics Committee, University of Birmingham (2022-)
• Chair of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism Research Facilitation Group, Centre for Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism (2021-)
• Member, International Consensus Group on Acromegaly

• Danish Diabetes and Endocrine Academy Advisory Board (2023-)  

• Clinical Research Chair for ENDO 2024 meeting