Rear Admiral (MC) Sotirios Moraitis HN was born in Athens on October 7, 1961. He graduated from the Hellenic Military Academy of Combat Support Officers (HMACSO) and the Medical School of the Faculty of Health Sciences of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in 1987, after which he was commissioned as an Ensign (MC) HN.

He completed his training in Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery (1990–1997) at the corresponding Department of “Evangelismos” General Hospital in Athens, under the guidance of the late Professors N. Exarchos and Ch. Lolas.

He further specialized in Cardiothoracic Surgery at Harefield Hospital in London (Royal Brompton and Harefield NHS Trust) under Prof. Magdi Yacoub, Mr. M. O. Maiwand, Mr. M. Amrani, and Mr. Asgar Khaghani (January 1999 – May 2001).

He has served in the following units: Frigate HS LIMNOS, Naval Hospital of Crete, Naval and Veterans Hospital of Athens, Hellenic Fleet Headquarters (as Senior Medical Officer of the Fleet), and Hellenic Navy General Staff/General Inspectorate.

He performed the first open-heart surgery operations (Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting and Aortic Valve Replacement) in the Hellenic Armed Forces at the Naval and Veterans Hospital of Athens (June 26, 2012).

He is a founding member of the certified Heart Team that successfully performed the first

Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation (TAVI) in the Hellenic Armed Forces at the Athens Naval Hospital in 2014, the first Transcatheter Mitral Valve Repair (TEER/M) in 2023, and the first Transcatheter Pulmonary Valve Implantation in 2025.

He served as the Director of the Cardiothoracic Surgery Department at the Naval and Veterans Hospital of Athens (2007–2014) and was appointed (following a selection process) as the Director of the Joint Corps Armed Forces Cardiac Surgery Department at the 401 General Military Hospital of Athens (2014–2022). He subsequently assumed the position of Deputy Director of the Naval and Veterans Hospital of Athens (2022–2023).

He was promoted to the rank of Commodore (MC) on March 13, 2023, and assumed duties as the Director/Commanding Officer of the Naval and Veterans Hospital of Athens on March 23, 2023. On December 10, 2024, he was promoted to the rank of Rear Admiral (MC) and assumed duties as the Director of the Directorate of Medical Services of the Hellenic Navy General Staff on December 16, 2024.

He holds the following degrees:

• Master of Business Administration (MBA): “Management of Financial Units,” Specialization: Health Economics and Healthcare Management, offered by the Department of Economics and the Department of Political Science and Public Administration of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (University of Athens MBA).
• Master of Science (MSc) in “Endovascular Techniques,” offered by the Medical School of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (Vascular Surgery Clinic, University General Hospital “Attikon”) / the University of Milano-Bicocca, Monza, Department of Surgical Sciences (DISC).
• Doctorate (PhD) in Medicine, with a dissertation titled: “Selection of the Appropriate Surgical Approach Based on the Imaging Findings of Positron Emission Tomography in the Management of Patients with Thymic Tumors,” awarded by the Medical School of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens.
• Master of Science (MSc) in “Thoracic Oncology: Contemporary Clinical-Laboratory Approach and Research,” offered by the Medical School of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens.

He is a faculty member of two postgraduate programs at the Medical School of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens.

He is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons (FACS) and a Fellow of the European

Board of Thoracic Surgery (FEBTS).

He has completed the following courses:

NATO Major Incident Medical Management and Support (MIMMS), NATO Medical Intelligence (MEDINTEL), Battlefield Advanced Trauma Life Support (BATLS) (delivered by the Royal Netherlands Joint Institute for Military Medical Education), NATO Senior Medical Staff Officer Course (SMSOC), and the Strategic Leadership Programme (by the Defence Academy of the United Kingdom).

He is a graduate of the Hellenic National Defence College.

He has been awarded all Greek Armed Forces’ designated medals, decorations, and commendations corresponding to his rank.

He is married and has two children. He is fluent in English.