On 8 September 2026, representatives of the Faculties of Dentistry of Semmelweis University and King George’s Medical University (KGMU), India, held discussions on potential areas of educational and research cooperation between the two institutions.
Semmelweis University was represented at the meeting by Prof. Dr. Péter Hermann, Vice-Rector for Education; Prof. Dr. Gábor Gerber, Dean; Prof. Dr. Csaba Dobó-Nagy, Vice-Dean for Science; Dr. Bence Tamás Szabó, Vice-Dean for Education; and Levente Vágó, Deputy Director of the Directorate of International Relations and Alumni. King George’s Medical University was represented by Prof. Dr. Shalini Gupta, Professor at the Faculty of Dental Sciences and Head of the Department of Oral Pathology.
According to the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2026, King George’s Medical University is ranked in the 51–150 range worldwide in the field of Dentistry.
Prof. Dr. Gábor Gerber, Dean, presented the history of Semmelweis University and the profile and main research areas of the Faculty of Dentistry, as well as the wide range of opportunities offered by the PhD programme. He highlighted the high number of international dental students participating in the University’s English-language programme, as well as the faculty’s outstanding achievements in education and research.
Prof. Dr. Shalini Gupta’s professional work focuses on oral pathology and the diagnosis of oral malignancies. Her research areas include oral oncology, as well as cytology. According to KGMU’s official publication list, her recent research has included studies on immunotherapy for oral squamous cell carcinoma, personalised oral oncology, and the cytological and immunohistochemical examination of salivary gland tumours.
Prof. Dr. Gupta has been the dead of the Department of Oral Pathology again since May 2023, having previously led the department between 2008 and 2013. Her teaching activities also include the education of dental students, including in the fields of oral pathology and forensic odontology. The department’s educational programme covers oral malignancies, biopsy and exfoliative cytology, as well as forensic odontology. These areas are of particular importance in India, where oral cancers account for nearly 80,000 deaths and more than 143,000 new cases are diagnosed each year. 80% of cancer cases in the WHO South-East Asia Region are reported to be present in India.
Closely related to these topics, one of the key themes of the meeting was digital healthcare, including the application of teledentistry and artificial intelligence in dental care and oral cancer screening.
Due to India’s vast and geographically highly diverse population, reaching patients living in rural areas far from major cities represents a significant healthcare challenge. In the fight against late diagnosis, teledentistry and digital diagnostic solutions can play an important role in making specialist knowledge and diagnostic opportunities accessible to patients living far from major healthcare centres as well.
The Department of Oral Pathology at KGMU currently has an Oral Cancer Detection Clinic, molecular and immunohistochemical laboratory facilities, as well as a Forensic Odontology Unit.
The intersection of the professional profiles of the two institutions in this field may open the way for research and educational cooperation examining the connections between digital dentistry, AI-based diagnostics and oral oncology.
Based on the meeting, several areas were identified that could form the basis of cooperation between the two institutions in the longer term. These may include joint research projects.
The professional discussions also provided an opportunity to explore possible forms of educational cooperation, professional exchange, as well as student and faculty mobility between the two institutions.