Partnership between Westpfalz-Klinikum and Semmelweis University has reached a historic milestone: On July 4, a high-level German delegation led by Thorsten Hemmer, Managing Director of Westpfalz-Klinikum, arrived in Budapest to sign a long-term agreement between the two institutions.
The agreement was signed by Rector Dr. Béla Merkely on the Hungarian side and by Thorsten Hemmer on the German side. The agreement was preceded by several years of professional collaboration, in which Dr. Alán Alpár, Vice-Rector for International Studies, and Dr. Karlheinz Seidl, Chief Medical Officer of Westpfalz-Klinikum, played pivotal roles. In recognition of his work, Dr. Béla Merkely appointed Dr. Karlheinz Seidl as Rector’s Commissioner at the Medical School Kaiserslautern.
The Medical School Kaiserslautern – Semmelweis University is much more than just a new educational opportunity. It is the foundation for the region’s future viability and a crucial incentive for recruiting medical professionals in southwestern Germany. – Dr. Karlheinz Seidl
Anja Pfeiffer, Town Councilor in Kaiserslautern and Chair of the Supervisory Board of Westpfalz-Klinikum, also expressed her gratitude for the joint efforts of recent years. “This long-term partnership clearly demonstrates the international focus of the Medical School Kaiserslautern. It opens up new perspectives for both students and faculty, while also strengthening Kaiserslautern’s position in the fields of healthcare and science,” she added.
“Our collaboration goes far beyond a traditional educational agreement. This model both preserves Semmelweis University’s more than 250-year-old educational traditions and builds on Westpfalz-Klinikum’s outstanding clinical practice and role in the region. A partnership is now taking shape in which theoretical knowledge and practical training are closely intertwined in an international setting,” emphasized Dr. Béla Merkely.
Graduates of Semmelweis University are highly valued in the global job market. Hungarian degrees in medicine and health sciences are recognized throughout the European Union, so our alumni can be successful in every country of the EU. In addition, our graduates achieve outstanding results even in distant markets such as the United States, Japan, and Israel, where they often have to pass rigorous exams to work abroad, the rector pointed out.
Dr. Béla Merkely noted that Semmelweis University had been offering programs in foreign languages for more than four decades: the German-language program was launched in 1983, followed by the English program in 1989.
“We can be proud of the high quality of our education. It has greatly contributed to strengthening our international relations, including the conclusion of this agreement,” he stressed.
“Today we are opening a new chapter in our German-language education program, which has been running for more than 40 years. Our Faculty of Medicine (ÁOK) is opening its second international campus following Hamburg, now in Kaiserslautern. Students who receive a Semmelweis diploma, along with our university’s faculty and researchers, are offered a unique opportunity: Kaiserslautern as Germany’s leading innovation hub, the Max Planck Institute, the RPTU University Kaiserslautern-Landau, the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence, (DFKI) and two Fraunhofer institutes will all contribute to our industrial and IT development. Our planned joint research projects will thus be carried out within an excellent research institute ecosystem and an environment promoting technology transfer, with a focus on digital and industrial innovation,” said Dr. Alán Alpár regarding the collaboration.
Thorsten Hemmer emphasized the significance of the collaboration as follows: “By signing this agreement, we are laying a solid foundation for the next ten years. Our close collaboration with Semmelweis University ensures the outstanding quality of training for our young doctors, which will significantly improve patient care in the Western Palatinate and beyond in the long term.”
Dr. Béla Merkely noted that the challenges facing the healthcare sector increasingly call for this type of international cooperation. “In this context, it is particularly valuable that we are able to officially establish such a forward-looking partnership today. I am confident that this ten-year partnership will not only yield professional and scientific results for our institutions, but will also contribute in the long term to ensuring that future doctors can work in an even more open, international, and collaborative healthcare environment,” the rector of Semmelweis University emphasized.
Gallery
Judit Szlovák
Translation: Judit Dőtsch
Photos by Boglárka Zellei – Semmelweis University
