Dr. György Bagdy, who has been awarded with a gold seal ring honor and a Pro Universitate Award in the recent past, resigns from the management of the Department of Pharmacodynamics after 12 years. He is especially proud of the fact that out of the institutes, the Department of Pharmacodynamics became the dynamic trigger of the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences under his leadership, and in the meantime it kept its outstanding educational activities as well. The former department head only says goodbye to the director’s job, he continues his educational and research activities and his dedication to pass on his admiration of research to his PhD students does not decrease either.
Dr. György Bagdy started his career at Semmelweis University in 2007. As he says, the university accommodated him and his research group in an extremely difficult situation, after the termination of the National Institute of Psychiatry and Neurology. Being able to work at Semmelweis University was a great pleasure for him. Except for a five-year American scholarship, he spent all of his career up to then at the National Institute of Psychiatry and Neurology, where he started working after graduating as a pharmacist, and later he became a scientific director. At the time of the institute’s termination, he led a research group, which was part of an international consortium and was supported by a grant of the European Union, focusing on depression. The research group was accommodated by the Department of Pharmacology and Pharmacotherapy of Semmelweis University, with the support of the then leader Dr. Klára Gyires and Dr. Zsuzsanna Fürst. A year later, he was appointed as the head of the Department of Pharmacodynamics as an “external applicant” in 2008.
“Dr. Béla Noszál, the dean of the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences at the time, definitely aimed at strengthening the research activities of the faculty and within this, those of the institute, therefore in order to achieve this goal, I was appointed as head of the department with the support of the dean”, recalls Dr. György Bagdy.
According to Dr. Bagdy, his international experiences, his successful tenders and grants had a great role in his appointment as department head.
Dr. György Bagdy highlighted, he is especially proud of the fact that the department became the dynamic trigger of the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences and of the university under his leadership.
“Considering all the departments and clinics, we are between the ranking of 5-10 as regards indicators proportional to size. In the meantime, the department kept its outstanding role in education, thanks to Dr. Éva Szökő as well as her successor, Dr. Tamás Tábi”, pointed out Dr. Bagdy.
He talked about Dr. Kálmán Magyar, who founded the department in 1979 and with whom Dr. Bagdy had a very good working relationship. Dr. Magyar died in 2017.
“I have learned a lot from his pieces of advice, for instance how one should think ahead and look behind things. I always remembered these words, later, when I was vice-rector for scientific and international affairs as well”, Dr. Bagdy emphasized.
Dr. György Bagdy says he was always led by the principle to build such a community, where high standards and efficiency are taken for granted, but where the team members are doing well due to the mutually supportive atmosphere.
“It is a very good feeling that the new department head is an outstanding teacher, has experience in research and he follows the above mentioned principles; he is a good team builder, and an insightful, humane leader”, Dr. Bagdy said.
He thinks of Dr. Gabriella Juhász as his successor in research. Thanks to her, Semmelweis University plays a leading role in a consortium in an international project related to artificial intelligence starting from this year.
Dr. György Bagdy truly thinks that it is worthwile if a good researcher spends at least 1-2 years abroad after having acquired the PhD degree. According to him, Hungary and the Hungarian scientific life has an enormous need for educated, well-travelled young people, who are capable of operating well abroad, too.
Dr. György Bagdy only says goodbye to the director’s job, therefore he can focus more on education and perhaps spend more time on research as well as on the mentoring of successors and young colleagues. He is dedicated in passing on his admiration of scientific research to more and more young PhD students. Among his former students there are recognized young researchers awarded with a Junior Príma Award and Dr. Bagdy works with many of them even today. He always aimed at passing on as much as possible to them out of the point of view that he phrased with the words of János Pilinszky: “humbleness is the gateway to real knowledge and real recognition”. Besides this, Dr. Bagdy plays an active role in the Schools of PhD Studies in Pharmaceutical Sciences and Mental Health Sciences, he has become appointed as the head of the latter Doctoral School.
However, he truly hopes that he will have more free time for his own, since he decided to teach his 5 grandchildren to some sports that he is so much dedicated to: tennis, skating, skiing, alpine hiking and white water rafting. For all of this, he has a coaching qualification, and for him, sport serves as the primary device that helps overcoming difficulties.
Pálma Dobozi
Photo: Attila Kovács – Semmelweis University
Translation: Katalin Illés-Romhányi
