The university celebrated Semmelweis Day at several locations and with several events on Friday, starting in the morning with commemorations at Ignác Semmelweis’s birthplace and followed by a memorial event at the Semmelweis statue in the inner courtyard of the university’s Inner Clinical Center. At the main ceremony held in the afternoon, which also acted as the official end to the 2018 Semmelweis Memorial Year, rector Dr. Béla Merkely held a speech, followed by the presentation of various awards and appointments.
At the morning ceremony, held at Semmelweis’s place of birth, the inner garden of today’s Semmelweis Museum, Library and Archives of Medical History, a ceremonial speech was held by Dr. István Takács, the director of the 1st Department of Internal Medicine. “Semmelweis Day is the biggest celebration of our university and Hungarian health care,” he said, reminding those in attendance that Semmelweis University has been bearing the name of the savior of mothers, the most famous and of the greatest Hungarian doctors, who was also a professor at the university, for 50 years now. “Ignác Semmelweis’s love of country, his scientific approach that was ahead of its time, his unwavering perseverance and commitment to the truth is an example to many doctors even today,” he declared. In his speech, Dr. Takács summarized Semmelweis’s career and stressed that his “stubborn Hungarianness” is the reason that his work is linked with Hungary, even though he made his observations and held his first lectures on the causes of childbed fever in Vienna. The greatness of Ignác Semmelweis, and his work as a scientist in the noblest sense of the word, is indicated in how he had the courage to go beyond the knowledge of his fore-bearers, beyond the borders of what was known, using scientific logic, stressed Dr. István Takács. During the time he worked in Hungary, he was able to reduce the mortality rate among mothers from childbed fever to below 1%, and even though his work was only recognized well after his death, there is no family whose life has not been influenced by his discoveries, the results of his hard work, he said in conclusion.
In the name of the leaders, the workers and the students of Semmelweis University, a wreath was laid at the site by Dr. Romána Zelkó, dean of the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Dr. Éva Szabó, deputy dean of the András Pető Faculty and Dr. István Takács, and by director-general Benedek Varga in the name of the Semmelweis Museum, Library and Archives of Medical History and the Hungarian National Museum.
At the next site of the commemorations, the statue of Ignác Semmelweis in the courtyard of the Inner Clinical Center, a speech was held by Dr. Balázs Hankó, vice-rector for strategy and development, who noted that remembrance and celebrations are also a good time to look into the future and make firm decisions. “We have to ask ourselves the question, as we come to the close of the memorial year of the 200th anniversary of Ignác Semmelweis’s birthplace and the start of the 250th anniversary year of the university’s foundation, what is our task, what is our responsibility?” he said. In laying the foundation for the future of Semmelweis University, the first step is to strengthen our knowledge and spirit, and also strengthen the community of Semmelweis Citizens, he noted. The vice-rector mentioned that the university is at the verge of developments that will lay the foundation for its future, which one can see just looking around the site of the ceremony: the Department of Internal Medicine will soon be renewed and the planning of the new Clinical Center for Internal Medicine will start. The buildings of the Inner Clinical Center will be renovated, and a new infertility center will be established. Similar developments will be carried out at the buildings of the expanding and renewing Outer Clinical Center and the Városmajor Center, and Semmelweis’s historical hospital, the Szent Rókus (Saint Roch) hospital, will be integrated into the university, he noted. “All of our faculties are going through developments; the Basic Medical Science Center will double in size, the departments of the Faculty of Dentistry will go through a renewal, a new Hőgyes-Schöpf Merei Pharmaceutical Research Center will be built, the third phase of the Faculty of Health Sciences’ development will start, the development of the Faculty of Health and Public Administration will begin at Mátyás király–Béla király út, as well as that of the András Pető Faculty on Kútvölgyi út,” he listed the ongoing development plans. A new Semmelweis Science Park will also be established in cooperation with other universities and the support of the 8th district of Budapest, he added.
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Wreaths were laid at the statue of Ignác Semmelweis by rector Dr. Béla Merkely, chancellor Dr. Károly Szász and Dr. Balázs Hankó in the name of the university’s leaders and workers, deputy mayor Dr. Ádám Görhöny in the name of the local government of Józsefváros, Dr. Péter Hermann, president of the Hungarian Medical Chamber’s (MOK) Regional Association of Dentists and the university’s vice-rector for education in the name of MOK, Dr. Zoltán Balogh, head of department at the Faculty of Health Sciences and president of the Hungarian Chamber of Health Care Workers in the name of the latter organization, president Dr. László Rosivall and secretary Dr. László Molnár in the name of the Friends of Semmelweis University, president Tamás Hegedüs in the name of the Students’ Union, and training coordinator Virág Bartek in the name of the Instructor Self-Active Group.
“Today we salute the past and remember the greatest Hungarian doctor, the namesake of our university, Ignác Semmelweis, on the 201st anniversary of his birth,” said rector Dr. Béla Merkely in opening his official speech at the main ceremony, held in the afternoon in the Great Hall of the Nagyvárad tér Theoretical Building (NET). “We also celebrate the citizens of the university who, in their day to day work, contribute to the excellence of the university on both a domestic and international level,” he added. He emphasized that this year’s celebration is on the one hand the closing of the Semmelweis Memorial Year, but on the other hand also a preparation for the 250th anniversary of the university’s foundation.
Dr. Béla Merkely noted that following in the footsteps of Ignác Semmelweis, the goal of the anniversary year is for the 250-year-old Semmelweis University to take the lead in a change of attitude that places prevention in the main focus, among citizens as well as among present and future doctors and health care workers. He said that the university is at a crucial, landmark moment, at the beginning of a new era. “In medical and health sciences training, the only path we can choose is that of renewal, bravery and initiative, which is full of difficulties to be overcome and problems to be solved, but through which we can jointly build a successful university of the next quarter millennium,” said the rector.
Change is always difficult in the beginning, he added, pointing that Semmelweis did not back down either, and professor Zoltán Szabó overcame numerous difficulties as well in order to achieve the golden age of cardiac surgery. Among the great role models and innovators, he mentioned János Balassa, who successfully tried ether narcosis in 1847, and Ágost Schoepf-Merei, whom performed the first operation under anesthesia in Hungary on a four-year-old boy. “If we want to follow in their footsteps, if we want to live up to our ancestors and the name of Semmelweis University, we cannot run away cowardly from difficulties either,” said Dr. Merkely. He added that he expect help and cooperation from everyone in order to achieve the goals, and expressed his hope that Semmelweis citizens will also be able to jointly reap the rewards of their work in a few years. “If we create a new, modern, livable university while respecting our traditions and keeping our values, we can become an unnoticeable community, a big family,” said the rector of his objectives.
In his speech, Dr. Miklós Kellermayer, the dean-elect of the Faculty of Medicine and the director of the Department of Biophysics and Radiation Biology, emphasized that Semmelweis’s spiritual and moral legacy goes beyond the discovery of the pathogeny of childbed fever. There are three main components of his legacy: he thought and made decisions in an exact and logical manner; he believed in the truth; and he turned his knowledge and belief into action, the dean-elect said. Semmelweis was the first to apply exact mathematics and statistics in medicine and in his decisionmaking. He made numerical documentation on the data of those who died of childbed fever, he posed hypotheses, he made arguments and correct decisions, noted Dr. Kellermayer. He was ahead of his time in his belief that the measure of scientific truth is not respect, but mathematics and objective experiments, he added. Finally, he was a fierce defender of the truth, he fought for the spread of his knowledge and for strict adherence to the method of hand-washing, said Dr. Miklós Kellermayer.
He also noted that in a manner that lives up to Semmelweis’s legacy, the new, anniversary academic year will start with a renewed medical curriculum. The goal of the curriculum reform is for a general practitioner to graduate as an individual capable of independent, critical thinking, one who also has the practical skills and is able to make medical decisions, he elaborated. Dr. Kellermayer stressed that the success of the program also depends on lecturers, researchers and physicians having the same strong faith, determination and will that Semmelweis had.
The official ceremony continued with the awarding of habilitation diplomas, which were presented by rector Dr. Béla Merkely and Dr. Zoltán Zsolt Nagy, the chairman of the Habilitation Committee, to a total of nine individuals. Equivalency diplomas on habilitation processes successfully completed in Germany were awarded to Dr. Máté Vámos (Universitätsklinikum Frankfurt Goethe-Universität) and Dr. Zsolt Sziklavári (Thoraxchirurgie Regiomed-Kliniken Klinik für Thoraxchirurgie in Coburg und Lungenzentrum in Sonneberg).
Pro Universitate awards were also presented at the event, to honorees who contributed to the achievement of the university’s goals at a high level throughout their years of excellent work.
The Senate awarded golden signet-rings to three departing university leaders and one head of department. Following a laudation of their work, the recognitions were presented by rector Dr. Béla Merkely to Dr. Gábor Rudas (MR Research Center), Dr. Éva Keller (Department of Forensic Medicine), Dr. László Tretter (Department of Medical Biochemistry) and Dr. Zsolt Kálmán Somogyvári (Department of Family Care Methodology).
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The mandates for the newly elected senators were also handed out at the Semmelweis Day event, which was followed by the announcement of new or extended mandates for officials. Dean mandates were awarded to Dr. Miklós Kellermayer for the Faculty of Medicine (ÁOK), Dr. Zoltán Zsolt Nagy for the Faculty of Health Sciences, Dr. Miklós Szócska for the Faculty of Health and Public Administration, and Dr. Romána Zelkó for the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences. Mandates for vice-dean were presented for Dr. Nándor Ács (vice-dean for general affairs at ÁOK), Dr. Tamás Masszi (vice-dean for education) and Dr. András Matolcsy (vice-dean for strategy and development); a mandate for vice-dean for scientific affairs at the András Pető Faculty was presented to Dr. Ibolya Túri. Next was the awarding of appointments for various heads of departments and other organizational units.
The Senate awarded Professor Emerita and Professor Emeritus titles to eight retiring university professors, with the certificates presented by rector Dr. Béla Merkely. There were also appointments for associate professors, scientific advisors and senior research fellows presented at the ceremony, as well as awards for Outstanding Lecturer, Outstanding Professional and Outstanding Conductor, and commendations and outstanding worker awards from the rector, the chancellor and the deans.
The presidency of the Students’ Union presented a Pro Juventute Universitatis Awards for the 2018/19 academic year to Dániel Imre Szőke, Richárd Levente Ármós, László Kósa, Kata Klára Gyulay and Caner Turan, in recognition of their extended and successful work for students.
The ceremony concluded with a performance by the Medic Orchestra.
For a full list of all the awardees honored at the ceremony, as well as a complete photo gallery of the event, see the original article published in Hungarian.
Pálma Dobozi, Eszter Keresztes
Translation: Tamás Deme
Photo: Gábor Ancsin
