A new organizational unit, the Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, was created at Semmelweis University with the integration of the National Musculoskeletal Institute (OMINT) on March 1. As a result of the merger, the full spectrum of musculoskeletal care has become available at the university, and immunological care will be enhanced as well. Dr. György Nagy, Head of OMINT before the integration and then of the new department after the merger, said: It is a great gain to become part of a university environment where all areas of medicine are represented. “Our profession is very interdisciplinary, we always have to work together with almost all the specialties. This is not just a collaboration, but a particularly high level of extremely specialized care, which is more fluid, of higher quality, more patient-centered, and easier to plan, organize, and sustain within the university structure,” said the director, detailing the benefits of the merger. “In addition to the advantages on the clinical side, education and research will move forward by an order of magnitude in a university environment, and the resulting momentum can be used in the clinical setting as well,” added Dr. György Nagy.
Speaking about the profile of the department, Dr. György Nagy explained that in Hungary, rheumatology in the classical sense includes the treatment of wear and tear complaints, diseases of the spine and of the large and small joints, as well as polyarthritis and spondyloarthritis, a collection of syndromes related to psoriasis. Immunological systemic diseases, such as systemic sclerosis, systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), or Sjögren’s disease, among others, used to be treated by internists or internist-immunologists, but changes over the last 30 years have meant that rheumatologists now treat these patients as well.
By joining the university, we will keep the old, complete profile, and immunological care will be further strengthened in the department. We are building a perfectly modern immunology profile. – Dr. György Nagy
“However, the treatment of wear and tear diseases remains one of our strengths, with our patients receiving the best possible treatment at the department. We also have an outstanding profile in rheumatology rehabilitation, including rehabilitation after musculoskeletal surgery, the treatment of lesions caused by wear and tear or inflammatory diseases, and of metabolic or rarer, genetically inherited bone diseases. In addition, we have a unique intensive care unit specializing in rheumatology and immunology patients. Our laboratory, part of the university’s Department of Laboratory Medicine, also carries out a particularly wide range of immunological tests. Furthermore, our professional ultrasound laboratory, as well as our CT and MR lab reinforced by the university radiology staff, are noteworthy,” the director said, listing the department’s strengths.
Our patient care continues basically in the same way as before, but with the integration we have much more opportunities for collaboration, patient journey management support, cooperation with related professions, as well as laboratory, imaging, and other diagnostic collaboration. – Dr. György Nagy
The department still primarily focuses on patient care, but with the integration, the already high quality of education and research will be raised to a new level. According to the director, there are high expectations in both areas and, in line with this, their plans are ambitious as well; they are currently rethinking the entire education system.
As Dr. György Nagy noted, his day-to-day work had not been affected much since March 1. A really big change for him was brought by an earlier move, his appointment as director general of OMINT in 2024, with the new position becoming dominated by managerial tasks rather than direct patient care. However, as he added, he did not want to move away from patient care, so – with permission and less frequently – he has continued to see his patients ever since.
He has also remained very closely involved in education. As he said, he is trying as much as possible to participate in some courses either as a student or a lecturer, but he is currently more active in education management.
Turning to research, he explained that he has a good team of people behind him, with whom he can work together efficiently, so that they can share their tasks. His favorite area of research is drug and therapy-resistant rheumatoid arthritis (RA). He and his colleagues have created the concept of difficult-to-treat RA, which has led to a growing body of research.
Among his clinical goals, the director set out the vision of establishing a center for the treatment of diseases within their profile that is of European standard, a clinic that will be a hub for both traditional targeted treatments and the therapies of the future, including cell therapies, where the full spectrum of rheumatological disease treatment is available with the best specialists.
Speaking about his plans concerning education, he said that doubling the time spent on education could bring about the fastest development in this area in particular. He would like to revitalize the research lab and increase the number of people engaged in more active research, from Students’ Scientific Conference (TDK) to PhD students, as well as involve graduates working here and even retired colleagues. “We would like to create a rheumatology center of European renown for education, research, and patient care. The driving force behind this is basically our interest and professional motivation, but we also feel the support of the university behind us and around us, which is very good and very important. With a medium-sized institute like this one, joining a huge university structure is an incredible opportunity for development in every respect that we want to take advantage of,” emphasized Dr. György Nagy.
Anita Szepesi
Translation: Dr. Balázs Csizmadia
Photos by Boglárka Zellei – Semmelweis University
