{"id":35088,"date":"2026-06-18T14:41:17","date_gmt":"2026-06-18T12:41:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/semmelweis.hu\/nki\/?p=35088"},"modified":"2026-06-18T14:41:17","modified_gmt":"2026-06-18T12:41:17","slug":"u-s-departmental-delegation-visits-semmelweis-university","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/semmelweis.hu\/nki\/en\/2026\/06\/18\/u-s-departmental-delegation-visits-semmelweis-university\/","title":{"rendered":"U.S. Departmental Delegation Visits Semmelweis University"},"content":{"rendered":"

On 17 June 2026, a delegation from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services visited the V\u00e1rosmajor Heart and Vascular Center of Semmelweis University. The aim of the meeting was to present the Hungarian healthcare system and Semmelweis University, as well as to review opportunities for bilateral professional cooperation.<\/p>\n

\"\"The guests were welcomed on behalf of the university by Dr. B\u00e9la Merkely, Rector, and Dr. Tam\u00e1s Heged\u00fcs, Head of the Directorate of International Relations and Alumni Affairs. The members of the U.S. delegation included Bethany Kozma, Director of the Office of Global Affairs at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; Jena Arnott, Senior Advisor; Bridget Lucas, Special Advisor for Operations; Blake Bauman, Advisor at the U.S. Department of State; as well as Joel Hansen, Science and Technology Director, and Tibor Kov\u00e1cs, Science and Health Specialist, representing the U.S. Embassy.<\/p>\n

The meeting focused on the organization of the healthcare system, medical education practices, clinical training and practice-oriented education, public health challenges, as well as research and development, innovation and clinical research. The parties also reviewed the opportunities offered by cooperation with U.S. partners.<\/p>\n

During the visit, the delegation gained insight into the operation of the V\u00e1rosmajor Heart and Vascular Center and learned about Semmelweis University\u2019s internationally recognized role in cardiovascular patient care, education and research. The guests also had the opportunity to observe a minimally invasive procedure in the clinic\u2019s hybrid operating theatre.<\/p>\n

A key topic of the professional discussion was the public health significance of cardiovascular diseases. Dr. B\u00e9la Merkely emphasized that a large proportion of deaths in Hungary can be attributed to cardiovascular causes; therefore, prevention, modern diagnostics and high-quality patient care play a particularly important role. Practical aspects of cardiovascular interventions were also discussed, including the duration of surgeries, waiting lists for heart transplantation and the availability of minimally invasive procedures.<\/p>\n

\"\"The U.S. side also presented the main objectives of the program of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Secretary of Health and Human Services, with special regard to the prevention of chronic diseases in children, the promotion of healthier school meals, the prioritization of whole foods and the reduction of ultra-processed food consumption. The parties agreed that prevention and the promotion of a health-conscious lifestyle are of fundamental importance for the sustainability of healthcare systems.<\/p>\n

Dr. B\u00e9la Merkely highlighted that childhood obesity is also a serious challenge in Hungary, which is why Semmelweis University places great emphasis on education and awareness-raising. The university seeks to reach young people through various channels, including social media platforms, podcasts and high school programs involving university students, supporting health-conscious decisions through credible examples.<\/p>\n

The meeting also addressed Semmelweis University\u2019s network of U.S. partnerships. Nearly one hundred U.S. students are currently studying at the university, which has eight signed cooperation agreements with U.S. universities and healthcare institutions. Dr. B\u00e9la Merkely also underlined the importance of the university\u2019s cooperation with Harvard University, which has been ongoing for three years.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

On 17 June 2026, a delegation from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services visited the V\u00e1rosmajor Heart and Vascular Center of Semmelweis University. The aim of the meeting was to present the Hungarian healthcare system and Semmelweis University, as well as to review opportunities for bilateral professional cooperation. The guests were welcomed on …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":101420,"featured_media":35079,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[302],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-35088","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ir-news-en"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/semmelweis.hu\/nki\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35088","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/semmelweis.hu\/nki\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/semmelweis.hu\/nki\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/semmelweis.hu\/nki\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/101420"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/semmelweis.hu\/nki\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35088"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/semmelweis.hu\/nki\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35088\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":35089,"href":"https:\/\/semmelweis.hu\/nki\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35088\/revisions\/35089"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/semmelweis.hu\/nki\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/35079"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/semmelweis.hu\/nki\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35088"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/semmelweis.hu\/nki\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=35088"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/semmelweis.hu\/nki\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=35088"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}