Ioannis Gardikiotis, MD, PhD, board certified plastic surgeon, is a research scientist at the Grigore T. Popa University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Iasi (UMF) since 2017. He has a FELASA international accredited certificate covering functions A, B, C and D for care and use of laboratory animals: mice, rats and zebrafish obtained in Greece. He also participated at the 1st International Course on Recognition of pain, suffering and distress and its application in the evaluation of severity of the procedures (species specific: mice and rats). His research activity is almost always combined with educational endeavor. He has been involved with research since studency at the Center for Simulation and Training in Surgery (CSTC) of UMF. Dr. Gardikiotis has experience in managing projects and instructional courses from participating as trainee or trainer since he was in medical school and later as a resident as well as a volunteer in charitable organizations. Research expertise: experimental disease models development and evaluation, wound healing and regenerative medicine, microsurgery, flaps, burns.