Semmelweis University celebrated its 250th anniversary in the 2019/2020 academic year, while the 2020/2021 academic year was exactly the 250th in the institution’s history. The anniversary event series ended with this year’s Semmelweis Day, and two books have recently been published at the university in honor of the anniversary period. One of the books presents the anniversary events by especially focusing on the three-pillar mission activities of the university, taking into account the achievements of this period, of which the institution is extremely proud. Meanwhile, the other book describes the history of Semmelweis University from 1769 to the present day.
The Hungarian-English language book entitled Semmelweis 250 – 250 Years of Excellence in Medical Education, Research & Innovation and Healthcare presents the events organized within the framework of the anniversary event series by especially focusing on the university’s three-pillar mission activities – education, research-innovation and health care. It also provides a brief general overview of the 250-year-old university, the most important developments of the recent period, highlighting the results that Hungary and the region’s leading medical and health sciences universities can be proud of. The 250-page book, richly illustrated with photos taken by Attila Kovács, photographer of Semmelweis University, has a separate chapter on the COVID-19 epidemic that significantly affected the second half of the anniversary period and the role of the university in this regard. The editor-in-chief of the book is Dr. Béla Merkely, Rector and its editor is Pálma Dobozi, staff member of the Directorate of Communication and Event Management. Authors of the chapters are Dr. Béla Merkely; Dr. Balázs Hankó, Deputy State Secretary for Higher Education, former Vice-Rector for Strategy and Development of Semmelweis University; Dr. Péter Hermann, Dr. Péter Ferdinandy, Dr. Attila Szabó, Vice-Rectors; Dr. Zoltán Nagy, professor emeritus, professional leader of the Senior Academy; Dr. Péter Varga, Director of Supply Management and Control; Dr. Gyula Péter Szigeti, Director of the Innovation Center and Eszter Kovács, Director of Communication and Event Management.
In the chapter on curriculum reform, faculty leaders summarize the changes that have taken place in their field of training. The book also includes the thoughts of the distinguished guests of the anniversary key events (Summer University, Semmelweis Symposium, Clinical Conference) related to the university. The Hungarian texts of the book were translated into English by Tamás Deme, staff member of the Directorate of Communication and Event Management. On Semmelweis Day, each awardee received a copy of this book.
The book entitled Oktatás, Hagyomány, Innováció – A Semmelweis Egyetem 250 Éve (Education, Tradition, Innovation – 250 Years of Semmelweis University) reviews the history of the university in 9 chapters from the founding of the Faculty of Medicine in Trnava to the present day. The authors cover the period of the medical faculty in Pest-Buda, the reform era and the time of the war of independence. Separate chapters deal with the decades from neo-absolutism to the transformation of medical education, as well as the period of the monarchy, the years between the two wars, the era of socialism. The regime change and the following years are presented from a personal point of view by Dr. Miklós Réthelyi, the first rector of the university after the regime change. The chapter entitled present days reviews the activities of the rectors of the period between 1995-2021. The editor-in-chief of the book, which is also decorated with archive images, is Dr. Péter Sótonyi rector emeritus, its editor is Dr. László Molnár, head of the Central Archives. The authors of the chapters are Dr. Merkely Béla, Rector; Dr. Miklós Réthelyi; Dr. László Rosivall; Dr. Péter Sótonyi; Dr. Ágoston Szél; Dr. Tivadar Tulassay former rectors; as well as István Gazda; Károly Kapronczay; László András Magyar; Dr. László Molnár and Dr. Lajos Szollár.
Both books have been published by Semmelweis Publishing and Multimedia Studio Ltd.
Source: Directorate of Communication and Event Management
Photo: Attila Kovács – Semmelweis University
Translation: Katalin Illés-Romhányi
