Editing Georgios Papanikolaou

{{Short description|Greek pathologist (1883–1962)}}
{{other uses|George Papanicolaou (disambiguation)|Papanikolaou}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2015}}
{{Infobox scientist
| name              = Georgios Papanikolaou
| image             = Gnpapanikolaou.jpg
| image_size        = 
| caption           = 
| birth_date        = 13 May 1883
| birth_place       = [[Kymi, Greece|Kymi]], [[Euboea]], [[Kingdom of Greece|Greece]]
| death_date        = {{death date and age|df=yes|1962|2|19|1883|5|13}}
| death_place       = [[Miami|Miami, Florida]], U.S.
| nationality       = [[Greeks|Greek]]
| alma_mater        = [[University of Athens]]<br/>[[University of Munich]]
| doctoral_advisor  = 
| doctoral_students = 
| known_for         = [[Cytopathology]]<br/>[[Pap smear]]
| author_abbrev_bot = 
| author_abbrev_zoo = 
| footnotes         = 
| field             = [[Zoology]], [[Pathology]], [[Biology]], [[Microscopy]]
| work_institutions = [[Cornell University]]<br/>[[Weill Medical Center|New York Hospital]]
| prizes            = [[Lasker-DeBakey Clinical Medical Research Award]] (1950)
| spouse            = {{marriage|[[Andromachi Papanikolaou|Andromachi Mavrogeni]]|1910}}
}}

'''Georgios Nikolaou Papanikolaou''' (or '''George Papanicolaou''' {{IPAc-en|ˌ|p|æ|p|ə|ˈ|n|ɪ|k|ə|l|aʊ}}; {{langx|el|Γεώργιος Ν. Παπανικολάου}} {{IPA|el|papanikoˈlau|}}; 13 May 1883 – 19 February 1962) was a [[Greeks|Greek]] [[physician]], [[Zoology|zoologist]] and [[Microscopy|microscopist]] who was a pioneer in [[cytopathology]] and early cancer detection, and inventor of the [[Pap test|pap smear]] for detection of [[cervical cancer]].

After studying medicine in Greece and Germany, in 1913 he emigrated to the United States and was on the faculty at [[Cornell Medical College]]. He first reported that uterine cancer cells could be detected in vaginal smears in 1928, but his work was not widely recognized until the 1940s. An extensive trial of his techniques was carried out in the early 1950s. In 1961 he was invited to the [[University of Miami]] to lead and develop there the Papanicolaou Cancer Research Institute.

==Early life and education==
[[File:George Papanikolaou house in Kymi.jpg|thumb|Papanikolaou's house in [[Kymi, Greece]]]]
Papanikolaou was born in [[Kymi, Greece]], on 13 May 1883. He attended the [[University of Athens]], where he studied literature, philosophy, languages and music. Urged by his physician father, he pursued a medical degree, which he received in 1904. He was then conscripted into military service. When his military obligation ended in 1906, he returned to Kymi to practice medicine with his father. 

In 1907 he began studying in [[Germany]] under [[Ernst Haeckel]] at the [[University of Jena]] for one semester before moving to the [[University of Freiburg]], where he was supervised by [[August Weismann]]. He then attended the [[University of Munich]], where in 1910 he received a [[Doctor of Science|PhD]] degree in [[zoology]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.healio.com/hematology-oncology/gynecologic-cancer/news/print/hemonc-today/%7B0cf77692-00ab-40ea-9085-eacc638a63cf%7D/george-nicholas-papanicolaou--1883-1962|title=George Nicholas Papanicolaou 1883-1962|date=25 February 2008|website=www.healio.com|language=en|access-date=2019-07-21}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Elgert|first1=Paul A.|last2=Gill|first2=Gary W.|date=1 April 2009|title=George N. Papanicolaou, MD, PhD: Cytopathology|journal=Laboratory Medicine|language=en|volume=40|issue=4|pages=245–246|doi=10.1309/LMRRG5P22JMRRLCT|issn=0007-5027|doi-access=free}}</ref>

==Career==
Papanikolaou then returned to [[Athens]], where he married [[Andromachi Papanikolaou|Andromachi Mavrogeni]], who would later become his laboratory assistant and research subject.<ref name=vilos>{{Cite journal|last=Vilos|first=George A.|date=March 1998|title=The history of the Papanicolaou smear and the odyssey of George and Andromache Papanicolaou|journal=[[Obstetrics and Gynecology (journal)|Obstetrics and Gynecology]]|volume=91|issue=3|pages=479–483|doi=10.1016/s0029-7844(97)00695-9|issn=0029-7844|pmid=9491881}}</ref><ref name=chatziantoniou>{{cite journal|url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2213294514002178|journal=Journal of the American Society of Cytopathology|volume=3|issue=6|date=November–December 2014|pages=319–326|title=Lady Andromache (Mary) Papanicolaou: The Soul of Gynecological Cytopathology|author1=Nikolaos Chatziantoniou|author-link=Nikolaos Chatziantoniou|doi=10.1016/j.jasc.2014.08.004|pmid=31051722|access-date=2020-06-10}}</ref><ref name=medhistory>{{Cite web|url=http://medicalhistory.blogspot.com/2012/08/mrs-papanicolaou.html|title=Medical History: Mrs. Papanicolaou|last=Crazedturkey|date=2012-08-08|website=Medical History|access-date=2019-09-07}}</ref> He next departed for [[Monaco]], where he worked for the [[Oceanographic Museum of Monaco|Oceanographic Institute of Monaco]] and participated in the Oceanographic Exploration Team of Prince [[Albert I of Monaco]] in 1911.<ref>Marketos Spyros "Georgios Papanikolaou, History of Medicine of the 20th Century, Greek Pioneers". Zeta Publishers, Athens 2000</ref>

===Cornell University===
Two years later, in 1913, along with his wife, he immigrated to [[New York City]] in order to work in the [[pathology]] department at [[Weill Cornell Medical Center|New York Hospital]] and the Department of Anatomy at [[Cornell University]]'s [[Cornell Medical College|Medical College]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Patil |first=Popat N. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PVG6CgAAQBAJ&pg=PA483 |title=Discoveries in Pharmacological Sciences |date=2012 |publisher=World Scientific |isbn=978-981-4355-08-7 |pages=483 |language=en}}</ref>

Papanikolaou was also inspired by the philosophy of [[Immanuel Kant]] and [[Friedrich Nietzsche]], [[Arthur Schopenhauer]] and [[Johann Wolfgang von Goethe]],<ref name=":0">Tzavella, Foteini & Tolis, Georgios. (2015). [https://www.mednet.gr/archives/2015-6/pdf/789.pdf From Hippocrates to George N. Papanicolaou: A medical journey in time]. ''Archives of Hellenic Medicine''. 32. 789-793.</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=Βιογραφικό του Γεωργίου Παπανικολάου |url=https://gpapanikolaou.gr/biografiko-gpapanikolaou.html |access-date=2023-01-01 |website=Γενικό Νοσοκομείο Θεσσαλονίκης "Γ. Παπανικολάου" |language=el}}</ref> writing papers on philosophical matters for an Athenian literary quarterly.<ref name=":0" /> [[Philosophy of Friedrich Nietzsche|Nietzsche's philosophical thought]] was particularly crucial in shaping his character.<ref name=":1" />

The importance of his work was recognized in 1942 with publication, along with Herbert F. Traut (1894–1963), of ''Diagnosis of Uterine Cancer by the Vaginal Smear''. The book discusses the preparation of vaginal and cervical smears, physiologic cytologic changes during the [[menstrual cycle]], the effects of various pathological conditions, and the changes seen in the presence of cancer of the [[cervix]] and of the [[endometrium]] of the [[uterus]]. He thus became known for his invention of the Papanicolaou test, commonly known as the [[Pap smear]] or [[Pap test]], which is used worldwide for the detection and prevention of [[cervical cancer]] and other cytologic diseases of the female [[reproductive system]].

===University of Miami===
In 1961, he moved to [[Miami]], Florida, to develop the Papanicolaou Cancer Research Institute<ref>{{cite web|url=https://thepapcorps.org/who-we-are/history/|title=The Pap Corps' History}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://worldcat.org/identities/lccn-n79090114/ |title=Director's report |publisher=Worldcat.org |access-date=2019-05-13 |archive-date=21 May 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180521021856/https://worldcat.org/identities/lccn-n79090114/ |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://umiamihealth.org/sylvester-comprehensive-cancer-center|title=Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center|website=umiamihealth.org}}</ref> at the [[University of Miami]], but died there on 19 February 1962<ref>{{cite news|title=Famed Cancer Researcher Dies |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/1624576/georgios_papanikolaou_18831962/|newspaper=The Times Record|date=20 February 1962|page=9|via = [[Newspapers.com]]|access-date = 22 January 2015 }} {{Open access}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Famed 'Dr. Pap' Taken by Death |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/1624575/georgios_papanikolaou_18831962/|newspaper=Traverse City Record-Eagle|date=20 February 1962|page=6|via = [[Newspapers.com]]|access-date = 22 January 2015 }} {{Open access}}</ref> due to a [[myocardial infarction]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Tan |first1=S.Y. |last2=Tatsumura |first2=Y. |date=2015 |title=George Papanicolaou (1883–1962): Discoverer of the Pap smear |url=http://www.smj.org.sg/article/george-papanicolaou-1883-1962-discoverer-pap-smear |journal=Singapore Medical Journal |volume=56 |issue=10 |pages=586–587 |doi=10.11622/smedj.2015155 |pmc=4613936 |pmid=26512152}}</ref> His wife [[Andromachi Papanikolaou]], known as Mary, continued his work at the Papanicolaou Cancer Research Institute after his death; she died in Miami on 13 October 1982.

==Discoveries==
[[File:Pap test abnormal.JPG|thumb|An abnormal [[pap test]]]]
In 1914, Papanikolaou and his wife worked at the Department of Anatomy at the [[Cornell Medical College]] of [[Cornell University]] and contributed to the [[Histology|histological]] and [[Physiology|physiological]] changes associated with the [[oestrus cycle]] in the [[guinea pig]].<ref name=":2">{{Cite book |last=Minetor |first=Randi |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yUqyDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA247 |title=Medical Tests in Context: Innovations and Insights |date=2019 |publisher=ABC-CLIO |isbn=978-1-4408-6098-0 |pages=247 |language=en}}</ref> In 1917, Papanikolaou along with [[Charles R. Stockard]] demonstrated that, in the guinea pig, the histologic cyclic changes that occur in the reproductive tract during the estrus cycle also occur in the [[vaginal mucosa]] and can be detected by [[cytologic]] examination of [[vaginal smears]].<ref name=":3">{{Cite book |last=Josimovich |first=J. B. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9vv2BwAAQBAJ&pg=PA7 |title=Gynecologic Endocrinology |date=2013-11-11 |publisher=Springer Science & Business Media |isbn=978-1-4613-2157-6 |pages=7 |language=en}}</ref> This technique (termed the ''Papanicolaou technique''<ref name=":3" />) was groundbreaking and also facilitated the discovery of an [[Ovarian hormones|ovarian hormone]].<ref name=":3" />

Papanikolaou then began examining the human reproductive system. His wife Mary, was a crucial partner in this research. She was working in the same laboratory as an unpaid laboratory technician. Every day Mary provided a vaginal sample for the research. She also prepared her own samples in the laboratory for further analysis. She provided daily samples for twenty-one years, eventually encouraging her friends to also provide samples for the research.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/health/2023-07-08/andromache-mary-papanicolaou-pap-smear-test-cervical-cancer/102484690 | title=Every day for 21 years, Mary got a vaginal test. Her 'generosity' helped save 'millions of lives' | newspaper=ABC News | date=7 July 2023 }}</ref>

In 1920, Georgios Papanikolaou realized that he could tell the difference between normal and malignant cells on the cervix by viewing smears on a slide under a microscope.<ref name=":2" /> In 1925, with funds from the [[National Research Council (United States)|National Research Council]] and the Maternal Health Committee, Papanikolaou recruited 12 hospital staff volunteers, together with a number of pregnant [[gynecological]] and surgical patients, for a systematic study of cervical cell morphology. The participants were regularly tested to determine normal hormonal changes and to diagnose early pregnancy.<ref name=":4">{{Cite book |last=Fabbri |first=Christiane Nockels |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PWhoDQAAQBAJ&pg=PA85 |title=From Anesthesia to X-Rays: Innovations and Discoveries That Changed Medicine Forever: Innovations That Changed Medicine Forever |date=2016 |publisher=ABC-CLIO |isbn=978-1-61069-574-9 |pages=85 |language=en}}</ref> Upon examination of a slide made from a smear of one of the participant's [[vaginal fluid]], Papanikolaou discovered that abnormal cancer cells could be plainly observed under a microscope. "The first observation of cancer cells in the smear of the uterine cervix," he later wrote, "gave me one of the greatest thrills I ever experienced during my scientific career."<ref name=":4" />

In 1928, Papanikolaou told an incredulous audience of physicians about the noninvasive technique of gathering cellular debris from the lining of the vaginal tract and smearing it on a glass slide for microscopic examination as a way to identify cervical cancer. That year, he had undertaken a study of vaginal fluid in women, in hopes of observing cellular changes over the course of a menstrual cycle. In female guinea pigs, Papanicolaou had already noticed cell transformation and wanted to corroborate the phenomenon in human females. It happened that one of Papanikolaou's human subjects was suffering from uterine cancer.

At a 1928 medical conference in [[Battle Creek, Michigan]], Papanikolaou introduced his low-cost, easily performed screening test for early detection of cancerous and precancerous cells. However, this potential medical breakthrough was initially met with skepticism and resistance from the medical community. Papanicolaou's next communication on the subject did not appear until 1941 when, with gynecologist Herbert Traut, he published a paper on the diagnostic value of vaginal smears in [[uterine cancer|carcinoma of the uterus]].<ref>Papanicolaou GN, Traut HF. "The diagnostic value of vaginal smears in carcinoma of the uterus". ''American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology''. 1941; 42:193.</ref> This was followed two years later by an illustrated monograph based on a study of over 3,000 cases. In 1954, he published another memorable work, the ''Atlas of Exfoliative Cytology'', thus creating the foundation of the modern medical specialty of [[cytopathology]].<ref name=":5">{{Cite journal |last1=Chandrasekhar |first1=Vijayalakshmi |last2=Krishnamurti |first2=Chandrasekhar |date=2018 |title=George Papanicolaou (1883–1962): Discoverer of the Pap Smear |journal=The Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology of India |language=en |volume=68 |issue=3 |pages=232–235 |doi=10.1007/s13224-018-1102-z |issn=0971-9202 |pmc=5972093 |pmid=29896006}}</ref> The complete works of Papanicolaou as the founder of exfoliative cytology include 5 books and 158 original articles, all of which are summarised in his [[monograph]]s.<ref name=":1" /><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Diamantis |first1=Aristidis |last2=Magiorkinis |first2=Emmanouil |last3=Koutselini |first3=Helen |date=2014 |title=50 Years After The Death Of George Nicholas Papanicolaou (1883-1962): Evaluation Of His Scientific Work |url=https://hrcak.srce.hr/ojs/index.php/amha/article/view/19347 |journal=Acta medico-historica Adriatica |language=en |volume=12 |issue=1 |pages=181–188 |pmid=25310617 |issn=1334-6253}}</ref>

===Controversy===
Romanian physician [[Aurel Babeș]] made similar discoveries in the cytologic diagnosis of [[cervical cancer]].<ref name="ReferenceA">[[Michael O'Dowd|O'Dowd Michael J.]], [[Elliot Philipp|Philipp Elliot E.]] ''The History of Obstetrics & Gynaecology''. London: Parthenon Publishing Group; 1994: 547</ref> He discovered that if a [[platinum]] loop (rather than a [[cotton swab]], as used by Papanikolaou and by modern doctors<ref name=":2" />) was used to collect cells from a woman's cervix, and the cells were then dried on a slide and stained, it could be determined if cancer cells were present. This was the first screening test to diagnose cervical and uterine cancer. 

Babeș presented his findings to the Romanian Society of Gynaecology in [[Bucharest]] on 23 January 1927. His method of cancer diagnosis was published in a French medical journal, ''[[La Presse Médicale]]'', on 11 April 1928,<ref>{{cite journal|first=Aurel|last= Babeș |author-link=Aurel Babeș| title=Diagnostic du cancer du col utérin par les frottis| journal=[[La Presse Médicale]] |volume=29 |year=1928|pages= 451–454}}</ref> but Papanicolaou was not aware of Babeș's research.<ref name=":6">{{Cite journal |last=Spriggs |first=A I |date=1977-12-01 |title=History of cytodiagnosis. |journal=Journal of Clinical Pathology |language=en |volume=30 |issue=12 |pages=1091–1102 |doi=10.1136/jcp.30.12.1091 |issn=0021-9746 |pmc=476689 |pmid=604355}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Koss |first=Leopold G. |date=1989 |title=The Papanicolaou Test for Cervical Cancer Detection: A Triumph and a Tragedy |url=http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?doi=10.1001/jama.1989.03420050087046 |journal=Journal of the American Medical Association |language=en |volume=261 |issue=5 |pages=737–743 |doi=10.1001/jama.1989.03420050087046 |pmid=2642983 |issn=0098-7484}}</ref> On the other hand, Babes was aware of Papanikolaou's studies.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Meisels |first1=Alexander |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IpRsAAAAMAAJ |title=Cytopathology of the Uterus |last2=Morin |first2=Carol |date=1997 |publisher=ASCP Press |isbn=978-0-89189-383-7 |pages=10 |language=en}}</ref> Moreover, the [[medical community]] has established that the two techniques are different in their design.<ref name=":2" /> Babeș's technique of preparing, staining and examining [[vaginal smears]] was substantially different from Papanicolaou's and would never have lent itself to mass [[Screening (medicine)|screening]] for cervical cancer without modification.<ref>{{Citation |last1=Ramzy |first1=Ibrahim |title=CHAPTER 1 - Cytopathology: the history, the present and the future direction |date=2010-01-01 |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780702031540000016 |work=Diagnostic Cytopathology (Third Edition) |pages=3–13 |editor-last=Gray |editor-first=Winifred |place=Edinburgh |publisher=Churchill Livingstone |language=en |doi=10.1016/b978-0-7020-3154-0.00001-6 |isbn=978-0-7020-3154-0 |access-date=2023-01-01 |last2=Herbert |first2=Amanda |editor2-last=Kocjan |editor2-first=Gabrijela}}</ref>

Recent scientific papers have analyzed the ways that Babeș's method differed from Papanikolaou's and note that the paternity of the Pap test belongs solely to Papanicolaou.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Diamantis |first1=Aristidis |last2=Magiorkinis |first2=Emmanouil |last3=Androutsos |first3=George |date=2009 |title=What's in a name? Evidence that Papanicolaou, not Babes, deserves credit for the PAP test |url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/dc.21226 |journal=Diagnostic Cytopathology |language=en |volume=38 |issue=7 |pages=473–476 |doi=10.1002/dc.21226|pmid=19813255 |s2cid=37757448 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Diamantis |first1=Aristidis |last2=Magiorkinis |first2=Emmanouil |last3=Androutsos |first3=George |date=2010 |title=Different strokes: Pap-test and Babes method are not one and the same |url=https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20973044/ |journal=Diagnostic Cytopathology |volume=38 |issue=11 |pages=857–859 |doi=10.1002/dc.21347 |issn=1097-0339 |pmid=20973044|s2cid=823546 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last1=Zheng |first1=Wenxin |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hRegDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA572 |title=Gynecologic and Obstetric Pathology, Volume 2 |last2=Fadare |first2=Oluwole |last3=Quick |first3=Charles Matthew |last4=Shen |first4=Danhua |last5=Guo |first5=Donghui |date=2019 |publisher=Springer |isbn=978-981-13-3019-3 |pages=572 |language=en |chapter=History of Pap Test |quote=The method by Babes was radically different from that by Papanicolaou. Dr. Papanicolaou should receive the credit for the use of exfoliative cytology, the wet fixation, the staining technique, the systematic classification of cells with intermediate stages between the normal and the cancerous cell, and the envisioning that the method could be applied to large numbers of women in the cancer-bearing period of life to detect cervical cancer in its early stages, i.e., the "Pap test" as is commonly employed.}}</ref>

Although a few scholars believe that Babeș was the true pioneer in the cytologic diagnosis of cervical cancer,<ref name="ReferenceA" /> Papanikolaou is still widely considered the pioneer in the field by mainstream scholarship.<ref name=":6" /><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Virtej |first1=P. |last2=Vasiliu |first2=C. |date=2003 |title=Cytodiagnosis in cervical neoplasia: from the Babes/Papanicolaou smear to the actual Bethesda System |url=https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/14664403/ |journal=Clinical and Experimental Obstetrics & Gynecology |volume=30 |issue=4 |pages=173–177 |issn=0390-6663 |pmid=14664403}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Gardner |first=Kirsten E. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tiZ8O__3bDUC&pg=PA242 |title=Early Detection: Women, Cancer, and Awareness Campaigns in the Twentieth-Century United States |date=2006 |publisher=University of North Carolina Press |isbn=978-0-8078-7712-8 |pages=242 |language=en}}</ref> In [[Romania]], cervical testing is referred to as the ''Méthode Babeș-Papanicolaou'' in honor of both scientists.<ref>{{cite journal |last1= Naylor|first1=Bernard |last2=Tasca |first2= Luminița|last3=Bartziota|first3=Evangelina|last4=Schneider|first4=Volker|date=2001 |title=Cytopathology History: In Romania it's the Méthode Babeș-Papanicolaou |url=https://www.karger.com/Article/Abstract/326708 |journal=Acta Cytologica |volume=46 |issue=1 |pages=1–12 |doi=10.1159/000326708 |pmid=11843552 |s2cid=5580222 |access-date=13 May 2019 }}</ref>

==Awards and honors==
Papanikolaou was nominated five times for the [[Nobel Prize]], but never won. This was likely because the prize is rarely awarded for diagnostic tools, as well as because a death of one of Papanikolaou's great admirers, who was a member of the [[Nobel Prize Committee]], occurred around that time and also due to the committee's reluctance to award a Nobel Prize for another cancer discovery following a former embarrassing award in 1926 to [[Johannes Fibiger]], who claimed that worms caused cancer.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Koprowska |first=Irena |date=1985 |title=Concurrent discoveries of the value of vaginal smears for diagnosis of uterine cancer |url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/dc.2840010315 |journal=Diagnostic Cytopathology |language=en |volume=1 |issue=3 |pages=245–248 |doi=10.1002/dc.2840010315|pmid=3915249 |s2cid=479692 }}</ref> Nevertheless, Papanikolaou received many other prestigious prizes and awards for his discoveries,<ref name=":2" /> such as the [[Albert Lasker Award for Clinical Medical Research]] (the American equivalent to the [[Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine|Nobel Prize in Physiology]]<ref name=":0" />), which he received in 1950.<ref name="Lasker Award">{{cite web |title=Albert Lasker Clinical Medical Research Award – 1950 Winners |url=http://www.laskerfoundation.org/awards/1950clinical.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090106173156/http://www.laskerfoundation.org/awards/1950clinical.htm |archive-date=6 January 2009 |access-date=19 May 2009 |work=[[Lasker Foundation]] |publisher=laskerfoundation.org |df=dmy}}</ref> In total, he received hundreds of honorary awards.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Awards |url=https://www.dr-pap.com/en/?page_id=350 |access-date=2023-01-01 |website=Dr. Pap |language=en-US}}</ref>

These include honorary awards by the [[American Academy of Arts and Sciences]], the [[Association of American Medical Colleges]] and the [[American Cancer Society]].<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":5" /> In 1949, the Medical School of the [[University of Athens]] named Papanikolaou an honorary doctorate, while the [[Academy of Athens (modern)|Academy of Athens]] in November 1957 proclaimed him an honorary member. In 1962, he was also posthumously given an award by the [[United Nations]], after being nominated by the [[World Health Organization]].<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":5" /><ref>{{Cite book |last=Alexakis |first=Vassilis |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JGtoAAAAMAAJ |title=Greeks Around the World |date=1999 |publisher=Apopsē Cultural Centre |isbn=978-960-85139-3-8 |pages=55 |language=en}}</ref>

==Commemorations==
In 1958 the [[Papanicolaou Award]], the highest award given by the [[American Society of Cytopathology]], was established in  Papanikolaou's honor, and it has since been awarded annually.<ref>[https://cytopathology.org/page/PapanicolaouAward Papanicolaou Award]</ref>

In 1978 Papanikolaou's work was honored by the [[United States Postal Service|U.S. Postal Service]] with a 13-cent stamp for early cancer detection.<ref name=":2" />

Between 1995 and 2001, his portrait appeared on the [[Obverse and reverse|obverse]] of the Greek [[Modern drachma|₯]]10,000 [[banknote]], until its replacement by the [[euro]].<ref>[http://www.bankofgreece.gr/en Bank of Greece] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090328051044/http://www.bankofgreece.gr/en |date=28 March 2009 }}. Drachma Banknotes & Coins: [http://www.bankofgreece.gr/en/Banknotes/banknote_selection.asp?Value=10.000 10,000 drachmas] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071005003331/http://www.bankofgreece.gr/en/banknotes/banknote_selection.asp?Value=10.000 |date=5 October 2007 }} – Retrieved on 27 March 2009.</ref>

In 2011 ''A Man of Science'', a statue portraying Papanicolaou, was permanently installed in [[Weill Cornell Medicine]]'s main lobby at 1300 York Avenue, in [[New York City]].

On 13 May 2019, the 136th anniversary of his birth, a [[Google Doodle]] featuring Papanikolaou was shown in North America, parts of South America, and parts of Europe and Israel.<ref>{{cite web |title=Georgios Papanikolaou's 136th Birthday |url=https://doodles.google/doodle/georgios-papanikolaous-136th-birthday/ |website=Google |access-date=13 May 2019}}</ref> His and his wife Andromachi's efforts in the fight against [[cervical cancer]], along with those of [[Helen Octavia Dickens]] and [[Hashime Murayama]], featured in the [[documentary film]] ''The Cancer Detectives'', which first aired on ''[[American Experience]]'' on 26 March 2024.<ref>[https://www.kpbs.org/news/2024/02/27/american-experience-the-cancer-detectives Robinson, Jennifer. "''American Experience'': ''The Cancer Detectives''," KPBS.org, Tuesday, February 27, 2024.] Retrieved March 26, 2024.</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
*{{cite web|url=http://weill.cornell.edu/archives/pdf/personal_aids/Papanicolaou.pdf|title=Guide to collection of Dr. Papanikolaou's Papers|website=Weill Cornell Medical Center Archives}}.

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Papanikolaou, Georgios}}
[[Category:1883 births]]
[[Category:1962 deaths]]
[[Category:People from Euboea (regional unit)]]
[[Category:Greek oncologists]]
[[Category:Greek pathologists]]
[[Category:Cytopathologists]]
[[Category:Greek inventors]]
[[Category:Members of the Academy of Athens (modern)]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Lasker–DeBakey Clinical Medical Research Award]]
[[Category:National and Kapodistrian University of Athens alumni]]
[[Category:University of Jena alumni]]
[[Category:University of Freiburg alumni]]
[[Category:Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich alumni]]
[[Category:Weill Medical College of Cornell University faculty]]
[[Category:NewYork–Presbyterian Hospital physicians]]
[[Category:University of Miami faculty]]
[[Category:Greek emigrants to the United States]]
[[Category:20th-century Greek physicians]]
[[Category:20th-century inventors]]
[[Category:19th-century American people of Greek descent]]