Dr. Ioanna Athanassaki, MD

Media Releases

Get to know Pediatric Endocrinologist Dr. Ioanna Athanassaki, who serves patients in Houston, Texas.

Dr. Athanassaki is a board-certified pediatric endocrinologist at the Diabetes and Endocrine Care Center at Texas Children’s Hospital.

A leader in the research and treatment of children with diabetes and endocrine disorders, the Diabetes and Endocrine Care Center provides diagnosis, treatment and follow-up of endocrine dysfunctions, including: congenital adrenal hyperplasia, cushing syndrome, gender dysphoria, growth hormone deficiency, hyper/hypocalcemia, hypo/hyperthyroidism, polycystic ovarian syndrome, pre-diabetes, precocious puberty, rickets, type 1 diabetes, and type 2 diabetes.

Texas Children’s Hospital is a nationally ranked freestanding 973-bed, acute care women’s and children’s hospital located in Houston, Texas. It is affiliated with the Baylor College of Medicine and is located within the Texas Medical Center.

Back in 1996, Dr. Athanassaki graduated with her medical degree from Ioannina Medical School in Greece. Upon relocating to the United States, she performed her internship in family medicine, her residency in pediatrics, and her fellowship in pediatric endocrinology at Baylor College of Medicine in Texas, completing her training in 2007.

Passionate about her profession, the doctor is board-certified in pediatric endocrinology by the American Board of Pediatrics (ABP). The mission of the ABP is to advance child health by certifying pediatricians who meet standards of excellence and are committed to continuous learning and improvement.

Alongside her clinical role, Dr. Athanassaki serves as an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics-Endo and Metabolism at Baylor College of Medicine.

Her clinical research interests focus on pediatric thyroid disease and the genetic factors which are associated with cancer, hyperthyroidism, and congenital hypothyroidism in infants and children. She is also investigating the safety of radioactive iodine treatment in children with Graves’ disease.

Continuously advancing her professional efforts, Dr. Athanassaki is an active member of the American Academy of Clinical Endocrinologists, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Diabetes Association, the Endocrine Society, and the Lawson Wilkins Pediatric Endocrine Society.

Pediatric endocrinology is a medical subspecialty dealing with disorders of the endocrine glands, such as variations of physical growth and sexual development in childhood, diabetes and many more. A pediatric endocrinologist is a doctor who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of children with diseases of the endocrine system such as diabetes and growth disorders. 

On a more personal note, Dr. Athanassaki speaks multiple languages, including English, Spanish, German, and Greek.

Recommended Articles

• Teenagers with Type 1 Diabetes May Face Body Image Problems

  Diabetes is a disease that affects an estimated one million people or more in the United states alone. It’s a disease that’s characterized by the body’s inability to make, process or use insulin sufficiently. Diabetes can affect just about anyone but there are risk factors that make some more...

• Hypothyroidism: Why Am I Always Exhausted?

  Hypothyroidism is a common condition in which the thyroid gland is underactive and does not produce enough hormones. These hormones are very important in maintaining the metabolism of the body. Metabolism refers to the process by which cells produce and utilize energy from food. A reduction in the...

• Pre-digested Formula May Reduce the Risk of Type 1 Diabetes in Infants

  A new study has shown that pre-digested formula may reduce the risk of Type 1 diabetes in infants who have a high risk for developing this condition. The study reports that babies who were fed on pre-digested formula had a 50% lower chance of developing the kind of antibodies that predict diabetes,...

• Link Found Between Hormone Therapies and Diabetes Among Transgender Patients

  Transgender Patients and Recent Studies Relating to DiabetesThose who are having issues with diabetes already know what issues can be faced, in the present and down the road. Knowing when to seek help for these issues is challenging enough, but those who are transgender already face many more...

• What Is Pituitary Dwarfism?

  IntroductionPituitary dwarfism, also called growth hormone deficiency, is a medical condition wherein the pituitary gland does not produce sufficient amounts of growth hormone. This deficiency often results in children’s slow growth or short stature.An adult with pituitary dwarfism has an average...

• What Is Metabolism?

  IntroductionMetabolism is a complex biochemical process that is needed to maintain life. Availability of nutrients and nutrition are closely associated with metabolism since metabolism is a process that involves the conversion of food into energy, which is used to fuel the body's cells. The basal...