The delegation of the University of Masschusetts Medical School (UMMS) visited Semmelweis University between March 10-12 upon receiving Rector Ágoston Szél’s official invitation. The primary objective of the visit was to discuss the programs that will be realised in the framework of the Memorandum of Understanding signed in October 2011. The discussions mainly focused on teacher and student mobility, research collaboration and emergency medicine.
On the first day the UMMS delegation was welcomed by Rector Ágoston Szél at the Rector’s Office. After the first meeting the Directorate of International Relations presented the Central Administrative Building and the Inner Clinical Campus to the guests. Dr. Gyöngyi Szabó, UMMS’ vice-chair for research had meetings with various heads of department and department employees in the afternoon. Meanwhile, Dr. Gregory A. Volturo, director of UMMS’ Department of Emergency Medicine and Dr. Alexander Matolcsy, professor at the UMMS’ Department of Emergency Medicine were presented the Cardiovascular Centre by Director Béla Merkely.
The delegation also visited the Balassi Institute to discuss the scholarship opportunities available to Hungarian students. The following day, the delegation and Rector Ágoston Szél met with Zoltán Balog, Hungary’s Minister for Human Resources. Following the meeting, Dr. Miklós Kellermayer, vice-dean of the Faculty of Medicine briefly introduced the educational and research activities of the Centre of Theoretical Medicine. The delegation later participated at the topping-out ceremony of the Central Medical Building that is being built in the framework of the Korányi Project.
On the third day of the visit, Dr. János Gál, vice-rector for clinical affairs and Dr. Péter Kanizsai, assistant professor welcomed Dr. Volturo and Dr. Matolcsy at Semmelweis University’s Department of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Therapy. The 1st Department of the Pathology and Experimental Cancer Research was presented to the delegation by Director András Matolcsy. Afterwards, Dr. Péter Kanizsai accompanied the two professors to the Central Military Hospital where Dr. Gábor Zacher, head of the Department of Emergency Medicine welcomed them.
In the framework of the visit, a Work Plan on the student exchange programmes between Semmelweis University and UMMS was drawn up and signed by Rector Ágoston Szél and Dr. Bereczki Dániel, vice-dean of the Faculty of Medicine and director of the Department of Neurology on the part of Semmelweis University, and by Dr. Volturo, Dr. Matolcsy and Dr. Szabó on part of the University of Massachusetts Medical School.
The recent visit of the UMMS delegation was preceded by a Memorandum of Understanding which was signed by Dr. Ágoston Szél and by Dr. Michael Collins, chancellor of the UMMS in October 11, 2011. Since then the leaders and professors of the two universities visited each other’s institutions primarily in order to identify the possible areas of cooperation. Following a high-level visit in 2013, Rector Szél created a Committee tasked specifically with developing the SE-UMMS relations. The Committee consists of Dr. Péter Kanizsai, Dr. Ádám Tárnoki, Dr. Dávid Tárnoki and is headed by Dr. Dániel Bereczki.
Pálma Dobozi
Translated by: Bonifac Makkai
Photos: Attila Kovács
