Masaryk University Rector's Awards of 2021

On Thursday, 10^th June, the Rector of Masaryk University, Martin Bareš, awarded the extraordinary achievements in science, research, pedagogical activities, art and civic activities. Our faculty had recipients of the Masaryk University Rector's Award in the following categories:

The MU Rector's Award for outstanding research results achieved by young scientists under the age of 35 was awarded to assoc. prof. MUDr. Martina Kosinová, Ph.D., Faculty of Medicine MU, Department of Paediatric Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine, Centre for Clinical Competence Development.

Martina Kosinová is a young and promising associate professor in the field of Anaesthesiology, Intensive Care Medicine and Algesiology. With her focus on anaesthesia of the vulnerable part of the population, especially children and expectant mothers, and on risk groups of patients with other diseases, she is one of the important personalities in this field. She is a very successful author and has received a number of awards for her publishing activities, such as the Paper Award of the International Journal of Obstetric Anaesthesia. Martina Kosinová is a key figure in the process of incorporating modern teaching methods into the General Medicine curriculum at the Simulation Centre of the Faculty of Medicine of Masaryk University. She also holds the position of Full Instructor of the European Resuscitation Council and is the author of many interactive algorithms of the AKUTNĚ.cz portal, which are used in the education of the General Medicine study programme.

The MU Rector's Award for long-term excellence in research in the category of natural sciences and medicine was awarded to prof. MUDr. Irena Rektorová, Ph.D., CEITEC MU Centre for Neuroscience, Faculty of Medicine MU, First Department of Neurology.

Irena Rektorová is an excellent scientist who has been focusing on degenerative brain diseases long-term, especially Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease. In cooperation with foreign based partners, especially University of Arizona and Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne she built a school of cognitive and behavioural neurology. The school focuses on speech disorders and visual information processing in healthy and pathological aging, understanding pathophysiological mechanisms and the possibilities of therapeutic and non-pharmacological treatment. Together with her research team, she is currently involved in the study and development of new diagnostic biomarkers of the first stages of degenerative brain diseases and the search for new prognostic indicators for evaluating the effects of therapy. Irena Rektorová works at the First Department of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University, and at the CEITEC MU Institute.

The MU Rector's Award for innovation in teaching in the category of teaching was awarded to MUDr. Marek Joukal, Ph.D., assoc. prof. MUDr. Lenka Vargová, Ph.D., RNDr. Kateřina Vymazalová, Ph.D., MVDr. Lucie Kubíčková, Ph.D. from the Department of Anatomy, FM MU.

The team of teachers from the Department of Anatomy of the Faculty of Medicine of Masaryk University provides lessons of Anatomy, a course that is one of the pillars of medical education and the successful completion of which is necessary for continuing the studies of all medical disciplines. The Department of Anatomy was among the first workplaces to introduce online teaching in full range of forms. The team of teachers for the course flexibly created a set of commented lectures, which were followed by interactive seminars. The practical lessons were replaced by video recordings of demonstrations of anatomical structures on carcasses and lessons in the Simulation Centre of Masaryk University using a digital autopsy table. The teachers focused on the clinical use of anatomical knowledge and comparison of structures using various imaging methods. Changes occurred also in the evaluation of the subject, which included continuous tests. These innovations completely change the approach to the study of anatomy and students evaluate them very positively.

The MU Rector's Award for innovations in teaching in the category of teaching support was awarded to prof. MUDr. Petr Štourač, Ph.D., prof. MUDr. Lydie Izakovičová Hollá, Ph.D. and Ing. Jitka Blažková from the Simulation Centre of the FM MU.

The Simulation Centre of the Faculty of Medicine of Masaryk University is the most modern simulation workplace in Central Europe. It is built as a real hospital with facilities for modern teaching methods and equipped with medical equipment, especially simulators and models for practicing real situations. Since October 2020, it has provided students of General and Dentistry at Masaryk University with a completely unique opportunity to try and experience individual medical procedures on their own. The centre provides a new perspective on teaching and complements study programmes with a unique aspect of mastering medical techniques and procedures on simulators before practice in clinical workplaces. In the building with a training hospital, filled with medical and simulation technology, works one of the largest and best trained teams in their field. It is under the team’s leadership that students get directly into the action, experiencing what they would otherwise experience after a few years of studies or in medical practice.

The MU Rector's Award for best students in doctoral programmes was awarded to Abanoub Riad, who is a student of the study programme of Hygiene, Preventive Medicine and Epidemiology at the Faculty of Medicine MU, and of the study programme of Clinical Psychology at the Faculty of Social Studies MU. Abanoub Riad is an excellent doctoral student with significant potential for further development in scientific activities. Based on international collaboration with a team of colleagues from clinical practice from Asia, Africa, Europe and the Middle East, he drew attention to the manifestation of COVID-19 symptoms in the oral cavity, which is often overlooked. He thus made a significant contribution to the development of knowledge about COVID-19. Abanoub Riad also participates in research projects that focus on promoting the use and implementation of evidence-based healthcare, such as the Towards an International Network for Evidence Based Research in Clinical Health Research in the Czech Republic. As part of his involvement in teaching, he made a significant contribution to the creation of the curriculum of the innovated course Public Health for international students.

The Masaryk University Rector's Award for volunteering in the category of students was awarded to the following students from our faculty: Mgr. Natália Antalová, Bc. Dominika Čekanová, Matyáš Fejfar, MUDr. Martin Janků, MUDr. Senad Kolář, MUDr. Boris Lindtner, Veronika Koňaříková, MUDr. Zuzana Mikulenková, Barbora Nebenführová, Kristína Pečíková, Adam Wechsler.

At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in the spring of 2020, students of the Faculty of Medicine of Masaryk University actively participated in the organisation of volunteer activities at the Faculty of Medicine of Masaryk University. In a short time, they were able to establish a universally well-functioning system that enabled centralised and systematic coordination of the volunteers’ activities in the sampling tents of the University Hospital Brno. Subsequently, they linked the demand of medical facilities for volunteers with offers of involvement of students with appropriate expertise and preferences in a specific medical or social sector. Despite the fact that some of the nominees were preparing for the final exams of their studies at the same time, they put a lot of effort into the necessary volunteering within the faculty as well and motivated other students to volunteer and spread the good name of Masaryk University.

Congratulations on your extraordinary achievements, all your efforts, diligence, perseverance and socially beneficial activities.