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Aiming For a More Flexible, Expanding PHD Program at Semmelweis University

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Increasing the number of international PhD students is an important part of Semmelweis University’s strategy. The Doctoral Program covers the whole spectrum of medicine and health sciences, aiming to make degree opportunities more and more varied and flexible – adapting them to the different life situations of the students. There are also a range of additional fellowships for students at the Hungarian university: they can take part in the PhD training while working in clinical patient care or at a research and development company, or it is even possible to start the process in the last two years of their undergraduate training.

„As a doctor you need a lot of experience, to meet real patients instead of an artificial head. Papers are papers but practice makes your knowledge perfect, it is the most important for doctors,” Dr. Li Xinda, specialist of Periodontology and Implantology emphasizes.

The Chinese undergraduate is one of the 800 PhD students who are currently studying at Semmelweis University in Budapest.

“Teeth are fundamental for everything, if this part goes wrong in human body, everything goes wrong, that’s why I chose periodontology. My PhD topic is the soft tissue around the dental implant,” Dr. Li Xinda explains.

As he points out, he decided to take part in the Doctoral Program because he wants to be scientifically active later in his career either in Hungary or back in China.

Improving position in international rankings

„Our PhD students are the future of Semmelweis University, and increasing their number is a key issue for our research and teaching staff, for our excellence and our position in the rankings,” Rector Dr. Béla Merkely emphasized.

The Rector recalled that Semmelweis University’s strategic goal is to be among the top 100 higher education institutions in the world and among the top 5 medical universities in Europe. The university’s position in international rankings is improving: in the latest ranking of Times Higher Education (THE), it has moved up 149 places to the top 300, in THE’s list of specialized fields it is in the top 200, and in the US News Best Global Universities 2022 ranking it is 55th already in the cardiovascular field.

„High priority is to continue to improve our academic performance, and the number of PhD students is the key to this,” the Rector pointed out, adding that two-thirds of the ranking results are influenced by indicators related to research and development and innovation.

Flexible PhD program

„The aim of Semmelweis University is to make its PhD Program as varied and flexible as possible, so that they are accessible to the most talented people in the most diverse life situations,” Dr. Péter Ferdinandy, Vice-Rector for Science and Innovations emphasized.

The PhD degree is an entry point for those who envisage their future in the research and development field or who would like to continue their career as a teacher or researcher at the university, but it is also very useful for clinicians: they will be able to use their knowledge in a more critical, synthesizing way and apply it for the benefit of patients.

Dr. Péter Ferdinandy pointed out that the Cooperative Doctoral Program is one of the many opportunities available, with 29 participants from the University so far. This is a good option for those who would like to obtain a degree while working, for example at a research and development company, a health authority or a pharmaceutical company. Funding is also available through the National Research, Development and Innovation Office.

The Vice-Rector stressed that they would also like to increase the number of foreign PhD students, because a degree complemented by a Doctoral Program is extremely valuable on the international market.

Eight doctoral schools

The most extensive doctoral program in the field of medicine and health sciences is the Semmelweis’ Doctoral Program. The University’s eight doctoral schools cover the full range of medical and health sciences, from cardiac surgery to sociology. A total of 800 PhD students are currently studying there. The number of PhD students has risen steadily in recent years, with the number of publicly funded students increasing one and a half times last year, from 170 to 250, and this year the same number of students can be admitted to the publicly funded system.

Applications for PhD studies

Students can apply for the following PhD studies at Semmelweis University:

- Classic 4-year PhD course: state fellowship or self-financed

- Individual Doctoral Program: open to those who have almost all the scientific results and conditions needed to enter the Dissertation Phase

- MD-PhD Excellence Program: can start two years before the end of the undergraduate studies and then, after graduation, allows entry to the second phase, also two years, with a complex examination. It is also open to international students

- Translational Medicine Training Program: particularly recommended for those who wish to pursue a PhD alongside specialist training

A make-up exam is expected to take place in early September at the latest, up-to-date information will be posted on the Doctoral School’s website. A PhD degree is a recognition that its owner is capable of doing independent scientific work. PhD studies is also open to those who are about to have children.

Scholarship programs

The Semmelweis 250+ PhD scholarship program will be continued next academic year with the University’s own funds. It provides students with an additional supplement of 50 percent of the state fellowship. Host institutions have the possibility to top up this extra amount by at least the same amount.

“The number of scholarship places exceeds the number of other training places in the field, and we have always been able to fill them fully,” Dr. Zoltán Benyó, President of the Doctoral Council of Semmelweis University said.

Education is bilingual, English and Hungarian, so it is open to international students. Many students come through the Stipendium Hungaricum, the most prestigious higher education scholarship program, which is open to applications from around 100 countries.

Dr. Zoltán Benyó also highlighted the MD-PhD scheme, which is open to foreign students, and the state fellowship places for students coming from EU countries.

“I would recommend PhD training to anyone interested in science and research. Hungarian and international graduate students here at Semmelweis University are really within reach joining prestigious, world-class research teams,” President of the Doctoral Council said.

Further information:

https://semmelweis.hu/english/2022/04/aiming-for-a-more-diverse-flexible-expanding-phd-program-at-semmelweis-university/

https://semmelweis.hu/english/2021/03/outstanding-tdk-students-and-teachers-have-been-awarded/

https://semmelweis.hu/phd/en/2021/04/12/information-about-the-phd-studies-at-semmelweis-university/

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• Introduction
• Article Information

AMCAS indicates American Medical College Application Service.

In panel A, rates of acceptance into MD-PhD program by childhood household income; B, relative risk of acceptance into 1 or more MD-PhD program for MD-PhD applicants adjusted for number of MD-PhD applications submitted, number of publications, grade point average, Medical College Admission Test quartile, sex, race, and ethnicity.

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Nguyen M , Cavazos JE , Venkataraman S, et al. Socioeconomic Diversity in Admissions to MD-PhD Programs, 2014-2019. JAMA Netw Open. 2024;7(3):e241951. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.1951

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Socioeconomic Diversity in Admissions to MD-PhD Programs, 2014-2019

• 1 Department of Immunobiology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
• 2 South Texas MSTP, University of Texas Health San Antonio, San Antonio
• 3 Department of Emergency Medicine, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York
• 4 Division of General Internal Medicine, University of California, Davis, School of Medicine, Sacramento
• 5 Department of Medicine, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
• 6 Department of Chronic Disease Epidemiology, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, Connecticut

Physician-scientists play a unique role in translating research to clinical practice. Diversity among physician-scientists is essential for biomedical innovation and equitable health care. 1 MD-PhD training programs represent a critical pathway for the development of physician-scientists. Although first-generation college students have been less likely to be accepted into MD-PhD programs, 2 little is known about how application and acceptance rates vary across household income. This study aims to examine trends in application and acceptance to MD-PhD program by family income.

We conducted a retrospective cohort study of applicants to US MD-PhD programs between 2014 and 2019 using deidentified data from the Association of American Medical Colleges. Data and descriptive statistics are described in Supplement 1 . We estimated the relative risk of acceptance to at least 1 MD-PhD program across income using modified Poisson regression with robust error variance, adjusting for students’ self-reported race, ethnicity, sex, grade point average, Medical College Admission Test results, number of publications, and total MD-PhD programs applications sent. Statistical significance was 2-sided with P  < .05 indicating statistical significance, and analyses were performed in July 2023 using Stata version 18.0 (StataCorp LLC). We followed the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology ( STROBE ) reporting guideline. This study was deemed exempt by the Yale institutional review board, and informed consent requirements were waived because data were deidentified.

Between 2014 and 2019, 10 953 students applied to MD-PhD programs. Of these, 4724 students (43.1%) were female; 5020 (52.1%) were White, 2243 (23.3%) Asian, and 805 (8.4%) multiracial. Among MD-PhD applicants, 4959 (45.3%) were accepted into 1 or more MD-PhD program. The percentage of applicants reporting household income less than $50 000 decreased annually, from 28.36% in 2014 to 25.14% in 2019 (annual percent change [APC], −0.57%; 95% CI, −0.94% to −0.21%; P  = .01) ( Figure 1 ). No significant change was found for other income categories. In contrast, the percentage of accepted students reporting household income greater than $200 000 increased annually, from 16.10% in 2014 to 20.87% in 2019 (APC, 0.90%; 95% CI, 0.08% to 1.72%; P  = .03), with no significant change for other income categories.

Combining applicants across all years, while 50.3% of applicants from household income greater than $200 000 were accepted to MD-PhD programs, only 29.9% of applicants from household income less than $50 000 were accepted ( Figure 2 ). In the fully adjusted model, applicants from household income less than $50 000 were 16% less likely than their peers to be accepted into an MD-PhD program (adjusted relative risk, 0.84; 95% CI, 0.79-0.90).

In this study, MD-PhD applicants from household income less than $50 000 had a 16% lower acceptance rate than their wealthier peers between 2014 and 2019. Our study advances our understanding of the influence of class on MD-PhD application and matriculation. The step-wise association between students’ income and MD-PhD program application and acceptance rate is consistent with prior research demonstrating the association between income and MD programs admission, 3 suggesting pervasive socioeconomic inequity in access to the medical profession.

The decline in low-income applicants is noteworthy and may be due to the significant financial investment in pre–MD-PhD preparation, including research years and the cost of the increasing time to independent physician-scientist career. 4 A key finding from our study is that even after accounting for applicants’ tests scores and prior publications, low-income applicants remained less likely than their affluent peers to be accepted into an MD-PhD program. These findings suggest that MD-PhD admission committees may select applicants based on characteristics more associated with privilege than merit, which may include undergraduate institution prestige, 5 exposure to a high-impact mentor, 6 and having a parent with a doctoral degree.

Study limitations include that childhood income does not necessarily reflect wealth and opportunity due to geography and other unmeasured factors. Results therefore may underestimate the degree of socioeconomic inequity. Our analysis did not include MD-PhD program level characteristics, and it is unclear how characteristics such as program prestige, MD-PhD program Medical Scientist Training Program status, and overall medical school National Institutes of Health funding may influence equity in admissions.

Diversity in the physician-scientist workforce is critical for innovation in the biomedical sciences and patient care. To promote socioeconomic equity in MD-PhD program admission, program directors and admissions officers should rely on holistic measures such as grit, resilience, and distance traveled, in addition to traditional academic metrics.

Accepted for Publication: January 21, 2024.

Published: March 12, 2024. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.1951

Open Access: This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the CC-BY License . © 2024 Nguyen M et al. JAMA Network Open .

Corresponding Author: Mytien Nguyen, MS, Department of Immunobiology, Yale School of Medicine, 333 Cedar St New Haven, CT 06510 ( [email protected] ).

Author Contributions: Ms Nguyen and Dr Boatright had full access to all of the data in the study and take responsibility for the integrity of the data and the accuracy of the data analysis.

Concept and design: Nguyen, Chaudhry, Boatright.

Acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data: Nguyen, Cavazos, Venkataraman, Fancher, Desai, Boatright.

Drafting of the manuscript: Nguyen, Boatright.

Critical review of the manuscript for important intellectual content: Cavazos, Venkataraman, Fancher, Chaudhry, Desai, Boatright.

Statistical analysis: Nguyen, Venkataraman, Chaudhry, Desai, Boatright.

Administrative, technical, or material support: Cavazos, Boatright.

Supervision: Cavazos, Fancher, Chaudhry, Desai, Boatright.

Conflict of Interest Disclosures: Dr Boatright reported receiving grants from National Institutes of Health (grant No. R01GM137411) during the conduct of the study. No other disclosures were reported.

Data Sharing Statement: See Supplement 2 .

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2002 – 2006 Semmelweis University, School of PhD Studies, Budapest, Hungary 1996 – 2002 Semmelweis University School of Medicine, Budapest, Hungary 1992 – 1996 Bajza József High School, Hatvan, Hungary

2006: PhD in Cellular and Molecular Physiology Semmelweis University School of PhD Studies, Budapest, Hungary Qualification: Summa cum laude Title of thesis: Signaling mechanisms of integrins, Fc receptors and G-protein coupled receptors in neutrophils (supervisor: Attila Mócsai MD, PhD)

2002: MD in General Medicine Semmelweis University School of Medicine, Budapest, Hungary Qualification: Summa cum laude Title of thesis: Role of tyrosine kinases in neutrophil effector functions (supervisors: Attila Mócsai MD, PhD and Erzsébet Ligeti MD, PhD, DSc of HASc)

CURRENT POSITION(S)

2017 – present associate professor, group leader Department of Physiology, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary

PREVIOUS POSITIONS

2014 – 2017 assistant professor, junior group leader Department of Physiology, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary

2010- 2014 postdoctoral fellow Department of Medicine, Cardiovascular Institute, University of Pennsylvania, PA, USA (mentor: Mark L. Kahn MD, professor of medicine)

2008 – 2010 assistant professor Department of Physiology, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary

2006 – 2008 junior assistant professor Department of Physiology, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary

2002 – 2006 PhD student Department of Physiology, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary

1998 – 2002 research student Department of Physiology, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary

SCIENTIFIC EXPERIENCE OUTSIDE OF HUNGARY

2010 – 2014 Department of Medicine, Cardiovascular Institute, University of Pennsylvania, USA Laboratory of Mark L. Kahn

2004 Department of Laboratory Medicine, University of California San Francisco, USA (Laboratory of Clifford A. Lowell)

2001 Department of Laboratory Medicine, University of California San Francisco, USA (Laboratory of Clifford A. Lowell)

TEACHING ACTIVITIES

1999 – present Medical physiology course instructor at the Department of Physiology, Semmelweis University

2007 – present Medical physiology lecturer at the Department of Physiology, Semmelweis University

SUPERVISION OF GRADUATE STUDENTS

2002 – present Mentoring research students at the Department of Physiology of the Semmelweis University TDK students’ results at research students’ conferences the Semmelweis University

AWARDS, RESEARCH FELLOWSHIPS, GRANTS AND OTHER HONORS

2022 mentor of the National Academy of Scientist Education 2022 invited speaker at seminar series of the European Vascular Biology Organization (EVBO) 2021 invited speaker at the 9th International mRNA Health Conference in Berlin 2021 Hope award of the Pro Scientia Society was awarded to Gábor Kovács as a research student 2020 Outstanding Research Student Supervisor Award, Semmelweis University 2016 Merit Award by the Semmelweis University scientific work 2014 Momentum program of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences 2014 Lymphatic Education & Research Network Young Investigator Conference Scholarship Award 2014 Travel Award from the Biomedical Postdoctoral Programs of the University of Pennsylvania 2011 Junior Prima Prize for exceptional scientific achievement in Hungarian science category 2009 Bio-Science Award for outstanding publication, XXXVIII Annual Meeting of the Hungarian Immunological Society 2009 Richter Award for outstanding publications 2009: „Must Read”, Faculty of 1000 – Biology (Re: Jakus et al., J Exp Med 2009) 2009: Featured in Nature’s SciBX (Science-Business eXchange) (Re: Jakus et al., J Exp Med 2009) 2008 Semmelweis University Institutional Research Grant Title: Characterization of the role of Phospholipase Cγ2 in neutrophils and autoimmune arthritis 2008 Best presentation in clinical immunology, Backhausz Award, XXXVII Annual Meeting of the Hungarian Immunological Society 2008 Research fellowship for young scientists at the Semmelweis University 2008 György Miklós Award from Section of Medical Sciences, Hungarian Academy of Sciences 2007-2010 Bolyai Research Fellowship, Hungarian Academy of Sciences (excellent final report) Title: Characterization of the role of Phospholipase Cγ2 in neutrophils 2007 Outstanding Young Researcher Award, Annual Meeting of the Hungarian Physiological Society 2007 Traveling Fellowship of Hungarian Physiological Society 2006 “Hottest paper of the week”, Nature Signaling Gateway (Mócsai et al., Nat Immunol 2006) 2005 First Prize, Veritas et Virtus Foundation Award for Outstanding PhD Studies 2004 Best presentation, Sigma-Aldrich Hungary Award, Annual Meeting of the Hungarian Immunological Society

LANGUAGES SPOKEN

Hungarian (native language) English (negotiation level) German (beginner level)

MEMBERSHIPS OF SCIENTIFIC SOCIETIES

2019 Hungarian Immunological Society, Supervisory Board Member 2019 Member, European Vascular Biology Organization 2013 Member, North American Vascular Biology Organization 2012 Member, American Heart Association 2006 Member, European Society for Clinical Investigation 2005 Member, Hungarian Physiological Society 2005 Member, Hungarian Immunological Society

AD HOC GRANT REVIEWER FOR THE FOLLOWING ORGANIZATIONS

National Scientific Research Fund (OTKA; Hungary) Reumafonds (Dutch Arthritis Foundation) NKFIH

AD HOC MANUSCRIPT REVIEWER FOR THE FOLLOWING JOURNALS

Blood Journal of Immunology Journal of Leukocyte Biology Immunology Letters FEBS Open Bio Frontiers in Immunology Science Signaling Molecular Immunology JOVE Development, Growth & Differentiation Journal of Inflammation Research Nature Nanotechnology Lymphatic Research and Biology International Journal of Molecular Sciences Pharmaceutics Biology

Miklos Sahin-Toth

Adjunct professor, molecular & cell biology.

Adjunct Professor, Molecular & Cell Biology

Research Interests: Genetic alterations in human trypsinogen isoforms (PRSS1, PRSS2 and PRSS3 genes) and the pancreatic secretory trypsin inhibitor (SPINK1 gene) influencing the susceptibility for the development of pancreatitis The role of human mesotrypsin in pancreatitis Characterization of pancreatitis-associated cationic trypsinogen (PRSS1) mutants Functional analysis of anionic trypsinogen (PRSS2) mutants that afford protection against pancreatitis Identification of the disease-causing biochemical defects in pancreatitis-associated SPINK1 mutants

Websites: Google Scholar ResearchGate

Programs and Departments: Department of Molecular & Cell Biology

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Key searches, janos peti peterdi, md, phd.

Professor of Physiology & Neuroscience Director of the ZNI Multiphoton Core Facility

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Dr. Janos Peti-Peterdi is professor at the Departments of Physiology and Biophysics, and Medicine at the University of Southern California. He received his MD (1994) and PhD (1998) degrees from the Semmelweis University Medical School, Budapest, Hungary, and postdoctoral training in renal physiology/nephrology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (1997-2001). He joined the faculty at USC Keck School of Medicine in 2004, where he received tenure (2007).

Dr. Peti-Peterdi is dedicated to finding a cure for chronic kidney disease. His laboratory at USC examines kidney and cardiovascular pathophysiology—more specifically the mechanisms of the healthy kidney that control the maintenance of body fluid, electrolyte balance and blood pressure—and how they are changed in the disease state. The main goal of his laboratory is to identify the key molecular players in various renal pathologies as potential therapeutic targets, with the aim of developing new approaches for the treatment of kidney and cardiovascular diseases. Dr. Peti-Peterdi’s group played an important role in identifying the cellular and molecular processes of a key anatomical site within the kidney—the juxtaglomerular apparatus or JGA—which controls the amount of blood flow and filtration through the kidneys.

During the past decade, the laboratory pioneered several applications of intravital (live animal or in vivo) multiphoton microscopy allowing researchers to quantitatively visualize the most basic (patho) physiological parameters of kidney and nephron function, including tissue activity of a hormone called renin, which regulates the body’s mean arterial blood pressure. The Peti-Peterdi lab is using this imaging technology to examine complex regulatory and disease mechanisms in intact kidney tissue in various animal models, exploring chronic kidney disease, acute kidney injury, nephrotic syndrome (which causes excessive release of protein in urine), focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (scar tissue in the filtering unit of the kidney which can lead to nephrotic syndrome), hypertension and diabetes. Dr. Peti-Peterdi has established and is director of the NIH-funded Multi-Photon Microscopy Core at USC for high-resolution intravital imaging of intact organs –kidney, liver, spleen, pancreas, skin, eye—in small laboratory animals. Over the past 5 years he has trained more than 30 investigators from around the world on the use of intravital imaging of the mouse kidney. His recent imaging studies addressed and solved a critical technical barrier in kidney research, allowing researchers for the first time to quantitatively visualize the function of cellular and molecular elements of the kidney filter (glomerulus) in vivo, to examine their roles in the development of disease.

Most recently, the Peti-Peterdi lab deployed serial multiphoton microscopy to track the fate and function of individual cells in the same region of the living intact kidney over several days, during disease development. This approach has led to significant advances in understanding the highly dynamic kidney tissue and glomerular environment, and the mechanisms of glomerular injury and regeneration. Ongoing work in the laboratory is studying the fate and function of renal stem cells, and their role in endogenous kidney repair. Based on targeting the molecular mechanisms that control a newly discovered tissue repair process, the Peti-Peterdi lab is currently developing a new regenerative therapeutic approach for the treatment of chronic kidney diseases.

Dr. Peti-Peterdi’s active research program is funded by the NIH, the American Heart and Diabetes Associations. Dr. Peti-Peterdi is member of the American Society for Clinical Investigation, European Academy of Sciences and Arts, American Physiological Society Renal Section, American and International Society of Nephrology, and the American Heart Association High Blood Pressure Research and Kidney Councils. He is Associate Editor of the American Journal of Physiology Renal Physiology.

Publications

• In vivo microscopy Nephrol Ther. 2016 Apr; 12 Suppl 1:S21-4. . View in PubMed
• A practical new way to measure kidney fibrosis Kidney Int. 2016 11; 90(5):941-942. . View in PubMed
• Regulation of Vascular and Renal Function by Metabolite Receptors Annu Rev Physiol. 2016; 78:391-414. . View in PubMed
• Novel in vivo techniques to visualize kidney anatomy and function Kidney Int. 2015 Jul; 88(1):44-51. . View in PubMed
• Newly stemming functions of macula densa-derived prostanoids Hypertension. 2015 May; 65(5):987-8. . View in PubMed
• Intravital imaging of podocyte calcium in glomerular injury and disease J Clin Invest. 2014 May; 124(5):2050-8. . View in PubMed
• Can kidney regeneration be visualized? Nephron Exp Nephrol. 2014; 126(2):86.. View in PubMed
• Tracking the fate of glomerular epithelial cells in vivo using serial multiphoton imaging in new mouse models with fluorescent lineage tags Nat Med. 2013 Dec; 19(12):1661-6. . View in PubMed
• Mitochondrial TCA cycle intermediates regulate body fluid and acid-base balance J Clin Invest. 2013 Jul; 123(7):2788-90. . View in PubMed
• Metabolic control of renin secretion Pflugers Arch. 2013 Jan; 465(1):53-8. . View in PubMed
• The first decade of using multiphoton microscopy for high-power kidney imaging Am J Physiol Renal Physiol. 2012 Jan 15; 302(2):F227-33. . View in PubMed
• High glucose and renin release: the role of succinate and GPR91 Kidney Int. 2010 Dec; 78(12):1214-7. . View in PubMed
• A high-powered view of the filtration barrier J Am Soc Nephrol. 2010 Nov; 21(11):1835-41. . View in PubMed
• Macula densa sensing and signaling mechanisms of renin release J Am Soc Nephrol. 2010 Jul; 21(7):1093-6. . View in PubMed
• Multiphoton imaging of renal regulatory mechanisms Physiology (Bethesda). 2009 Apr; 24:88-96. . View in PubMed
• Calcium wave of tubuloglomerular feedback Am J Physiol Renal Physiol. 2006 Aug; 291(2):F473-80. . View in PubMed
• Multiphoton imaging of renal tissues in vitro Am J Physiol Renal Physiol. 2005 Jun; 288(6):F1079-83. . View in PubMed
• Confocal imaging and function of the juxtaglomerular apparatus Curr Opin Nephrol Hypertens. 2005 Jan; 14(1):53-7. . View in PubMed
• Real-time imaging of renin release in vitro Am J Physiol Renal Physiol. 2004 Aug; 287(2):F329-35. . View in PubMed

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The University of Louisville School of Medicine offers a Physician Scientist training program for the fulfillment of requirements for M.D. and Ph.D. degrees. The comprehensive program includes two years in pre-clinical medical training, followed by graduate training in one of U of L's basic research departments, and two years of medical rotations for clinical training.

The small size of the program ensures a high quality training experience providing individualized attention to its students. As a UofL MD/PhD student you'll experience great flexibility in designing a research program and have exceptional access to a wide variety of research experiences in top-flight research laboratories. You will receive hands-on experience in the patient simulation center and work with standardized patients beginning in the first year. A wide variety of clinical experiences are available through our hospital partnerships in Louisville and statewide. Applicants should have fulfilled prerequisites for admission to the School of Medicine (including the MCAT standardized examination) and have a proven commitment to biomedical research. Students in the program will receive full tuition remission, a stipend during all phases of the curriculum, and health insurance during the graduate research phase.

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1 International Training Program in Geroscience/Healthy Aging Program, Department of Public Health, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary

2 Vascular Cognitive Impairment and Neurodegeneration Program, Center for Geroscience and Healthy Brain Aging, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK, United States

3 Department of Health Promotion Sciences, The Hudson College of Public Health, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK, United States

Róza Ádány

4 MTA-DE Public Health Research Group, Department of Public Health and Epidemiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Debrecen, Debrecen, Hungary

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5 First Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary

6 MTA-SE Pediatrics and Nephrology Research Group, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary

Gabriella Dörnyei

7 Department of Morphology and Physiology, Faculty of Health Sciences, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary

Mariann Moizs

8 Somogy County Móricz Kaposi Teaching Hospital, Kaposvár, Hungary

György Purebl

9 Institute of Behavioral Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary

László Kalabay

10 Department of Family Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary

Péter Varga

11 Clinical Center, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary

Péter Torzsa

Miklós kellermayer.

12 Department of Biophysics and Radiation Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary

Béla Merkely

13 Heart and Vascular Center, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary

The leadership of the Semmelweis University as a leading institution of higher education in Hungary and the Central Eastern European region within the area of medicine and health sciences has decided to reflect on the unfavorable public health situation in the country as well as the deteriorating health behavior and health status indicators in the Hungarian population by the development of an occupational setting-based personalized public health model program targeting its about 8500 employees. Based on its infrastructure and human resources the core element of the program is the establishment of the Center of Preventive Services (CPS) with units providing health risk assessment for each employee, and whenever necessary consultation with medical specialist in preventive medicine and public health, as well as counseling with dietician, physiotherapist and/or health psychologist. The service providers are the staff members of the relevant faculties in collaboration with partner primary and occupational care physicians. The units of the CPS can also serve as practical training sites for students at various levels of medical and health sciences training, and strongly contribute to the development and improvement of their skills to be able for working as a team in service provision. The employees are not only beneficiaries of health risk assessment and screening repeated on a regular basis and adequate interventions at the right time, but they also serve as a sample for a longitudinal cohort study and further ad hoc surveys for defining and implementing interventions to support health protection, disease prevention and healthy aging among them.

Introduction

Health status of the Hungarian population is among the least favorable in the European Union. Life expectancy at birth exceeds 80 years in almost two-thirds of EU countries, but still remains at only around 76 years in Hungary, Serbia, Bulgaria, Latvia, and Romania ( 1 ). The life expectancy at birth in Hungary is as low as 76.5 years for 2019 in comparison with 81.3 years EU average ( 1 , 2 ). The gap between the EU average and the Hungarian figures is 5.4 years for males (78.5 years vs. 73.1 years) and 4.3 years for females (84.0 years vs. 79.7 years). Regarding the causal structure of premature mortality the non-communicable diseases dominate; in 2016 the representation of malignant and cardiovascular diseases among the causes of early death was 34% and 33% for males, while 47% and 24% for females, respectively ( 3 ).

A number of risk factors, such as smoking ( 4 ), unhealthy nutrition ( 5 ) and physical inactivity ( 6 ) show very high prevalence in the Hungarian population, and consequently—as the OECD reported for 2016–Hungary has the highest obesity rate in Europe, and only the populations of the United States, Mexico and New-Zealand are more obese than Hungarians ( 7 ). The prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MetS), the most robust indicator of increased risk for cardiometabolic diseases was found as high as 39.8%, and that of insulin resistance characterized by HOMA-IR as 48.1% in the Hungarian population aged 20–64 years in a complex health (behavior and examination) survey in 2018 ( 8 ). It is important to mention that the trend of change in the prevalence of metabolic syndrome is very unfavorable: the prevalence of MetS increased significantly in the period between 2006 and 2018 (from 34.9% to 42.2%, p = 0.035) due to the increased prevalence of raised blood pressure (from 45.6% to 57.0%, p = 0.002) and raised fasting glucose concentration (13.2% vs. 24.8%, p < 0.001). It is even more unfavorable that the increase mainly affected the younger (20–34 years old) age group (12.1% in 2006 vs. 31.6% in 2018, p = 0.001). It is also worth mentioning that while the prevalence of MetS and its components has increased significantly, the prevalence of preventive medication is unchanged (antihypertensive and antidiabetic treatments) or even significantly decreased (lipid-lowering medication) indicating poor performance at the level of not only primary, but also secondary prevention ( 9 ).

The latest figures demonstrate the burden of malignant diseases is very severe in Hungary; mortality rate for both sexes from all cancers (averaged 149 deaths per 100,000) is the highest in Hungary among all countries worldwide, and it has first place in rankings of lung, colorectal and pancreas cancer deaths. The fact that although cancer morbidity is also very disadvantageous, the average incidence rate (338.2/100,000 population) is much lower than that is in some other countries with more favorable mortality figures ( 10 ), indicates that not only primary cancer prevention, but also cancer screening and/or treatment should be markedly improved.

Certainly, it cannot be assumed that the population of University employees is representative of the general Hungarian population, but it is reasonable to suppose that similar health and health behavior problems exist among them. The only one questionnaire-based ad hoc survey among employees of the Semmelweis University was carried out on a randomly selected sample ( n = 1,085; average age 44.8 years; 27% males, 73% females) in 2019. Almost one third of the university employees (32%) perceived their health to be bad or very bad, and 44% of them mentioned to be affected by certain type(s) of chronic non-communicable diseases. The proportion of physically inactive people is estimated at 38% and only 17% of them engage in regular leisure time physical activity, while the prevalence of smoking is 16%. The average BMI value is 25.7 kg/m 2 (females: 24.7 kg/m 2 ; men 27.6 kg/m 2 ) (unpublished data from Magor Papp MD, the head of the Health Promotion Centre).

As the latest country report of the European Commission describes Hungary had the third highest preventable mortality rate and the fifth highest amenable mortality rate in the EU in 2016, which clearly indicates substantial room for improvement through more effective preventive interventions and adequate timely health care ( 11 ). In spite of severe challenges, public health is not on the health policy agenda in Hungary; previously the turbulent political debate on the reform of the health care system detracted almost all attention and resources ( 12 ).

Increasing prevalence of cardiometabolic risk factors ( 8 , 9 ), and the fact that Hungary is among the three countries most affected by the COVID 19 pandemic regarding the death rate for one million population ( 13 ) substantiates the concern that the health status of Hungarians will further be deteriorated in the post-COVID period.

It cannot be emphasized enough how important and urgent it is to intensify public health interventions. Among them, health promoting activities at population level as well as at different settings to protect and promote health and strongly reduce preventable and amenable mortality caused by non-communicable diseases in Hungary. The focus should be on preventing and controlling metabolic disturbances mainly contributing to the development of CVDs, type 2 diabetes and malignant diseases ( 14 , 15 ).

The basic document for health promotion, the Ottawa Charter ( 16 ) emphasizes that health promotion actions have “to be facilitated in schools, homes, work places and community settings” because “health is created and lived by people within the settings of their everyday life.” A health promoting university (HPU) project was published by the WHO Regional Office for Europe in 1998 ( 17 ). In 2015 the Okanagan Charter ( 18 ) called on higher education institutions to incorporate health promotion values and principles into their mission and practice, however, information regarding how universities put these frameworks into actions is scarce. Recently a study by Suarez-Reyes et al. ( 19 ) analyzed how the HPU framework was implemented in 54 universities from 25 countries by using an online questionnaire. The action areas and items of work were defined and multi correspondence and cluster analysis was used to identify the types of universities based on the implementation of the HPU components. Their results demonstrated that universities implement the HPU framework for action very differently. In general, it can be stated that university/college health promotion programs predominantly target the university/college population (students and employees) as a whole with organized campaigns to promote healthy lifestyle among them ( 19 ). Authors who evaluated health promotion programs at college settings ( 20 ) clearly state that although the college setting offers some advantages for implementing health promotion programs, but they may also have unique challenges due to their large and diverse employee population. In addition, it is also concluded by them that “there is little research to show the effectiveness and unique challenges of college-based health promotion programs” ( 20 ).

Semmelweis University's “Caring University” Initiative

The Semmelweis University is a leading institution in Hungary as well as in the Central European region within the area of medicine and health sciences. The University has six faculties (Medicine, Dentistry, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Health Sciences, Health and Public Administration, András Peto Faculty on Conductive Education), nearly 8,500 employees, and in addition to international teaching activities at undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate levels for around 11,000 students (one third of them from foreign countries), it is the largest provider of health care services in Hungary. The leadership of the Semmelweis University has realized the very severe and very complex public health challenges of Hungary and the advantages of workplace health promotion programs and decided to develop a new model program based on the HPU initiative, adapted to a health sciences university environment. The Semmelweis “Caring University” Model Program serves dual purpose. First, it is designed to improve the health of the university's staff and students using cutting-edge approaches of public health and preventive medicine. Second, it also serves as a pilot project for health promotion/disease prevention programs of medical and health colleges at occupational settings. In addition, its certain elements may serve as examples for the ongoing Hungarian primary health care reform.

The Semmelweis University's “Caring University” initiative to protect, promote health and prevent diseases among the employees of the University is based on a conceptually new approach. In addition to targeting the population of their employees as a whole, the concept of a more personalized prevention both at primary and secondary levels was introduced, which serves as basis to the development of its “Caring University” model program. This program targets all the employees with a sustainable and equitable, continuously operating preventive service provision. The participation in the Program is open for all University staff voluntarily, i.e., provided for everyone. The University leadership invites all its employees to take part in the Program by emphasizing the need of health promotion and disease prevention actions focusing on keeping people healthy. The staff members of the Departments of Public Health (as coordinator), Family Medicine, Behavioral Sciences, Physiotherapy, Dietetics and Nutritional Sciences, as well as that of the Health Promotion Center are actively involved in the recruitment of participants by winning the heads of all university departments to encourage the participation of their staff.

Setting and Community Targeted

Center of preventive services: goals and structure.

Based on the infrastructure and academic human resources of the Semmelweis University a multifunctional service center (Center of Preventive Services–CPS) is created which adopts the concept and model of reorientation of primary care into public health services.

The goal of the CPS is to provide integrated preventive services, including health promotion programs, health status assessment, lifestyle counseling and medical risk assessment. The blueprint of the CPS was originally developed and implemented in the framework of the Swiss Contribution Programme SH/8/1 titled “Public Health Focused Model Programme for Organizing Primary Care Services Backed by a Virtual Care Service Center” integrating the aforementioned services with traditional patients' care through general practitioners' (GPs') clusters ( 21 , 22 ). The WHO Regional Director for Europe, Zsuzsanna Jakab praised the program in an Editorial of the European Journal of Public Health and expressed her hope that this work in Hungary would inspire many more such approaches elsewhere in the other 52 European Member States of WHO ( 23 ).

In the CPS model health professionals (medical specialists in preventive medicine and public health, non-medical public health professionals, physiotherapists, dieticians, health psychologists employed by the University as staff members of its Medical and Health Sciences faculties) competent to plan and implement various public health services collaborate with partner general practitioners and their practice nurses.

The CPS being developed at Semmelweis University extends the original blueprint and is composed of five main units which are in close collaboration with partner primary care practices and the occupation health care service of the University ( Figure 1 ).

Structure of the Semmelweis Center of Preventive Services.

The costs of the operation of the Program are being covered from the University's central budget, while certain surveys built on it are financed from grants of the Ministry of Innovation and Technology. Medical services provided in the Program are covered by the National Health Insurance Fund with which the University as a health service provider has a contract. In addition the CPS acts also as a didactical infrastructure and the costs of operation are being covered partly from the resources for teaching.

Key Programmatic Elements

The following services are to be provided by the units of CPS:

Health Risk Assessment

This unit serves as the entry point into the network. Preliminary risk assessment will be carried out by using a questionnaire based on the European Health Interview Survey (EHIS) wave 2 which consists of four modules on (a) health status, (b) health care use, (c) health determinants, and (d) socio-economic variables. In these modules, the following topics are covered: (a) self-perceived health, chronic diseases known by the respondents, limitation in activities, and mental health, (b) use of different types of health care services, including hospitalizations, consultations, preventive (among them screening) services, and medications, and unmet needs for health care, and (c) smoking and alcohol consumption, physical activity, and dietary habits and additional background variables on demographics and socio-economic status such as sex, age, living conditions, education, income, and employment ( 24 ). In addition anthropometric (weight, height and waist circumference) and blood pressure (BP) measurements will be obtained for each participant by using the European Health Examination Survey protocol ( 25 ). After overnight fasting blood samples will be taken for measurement of key laboratory parameters, including total cholesterol, HDL-C, LDL-C, triglyceride, and glucose. Laboratory tests will be carried out in the Central Laboratory of the University. In addition to the calculation of the body mass index (BMI) the body composition will be determined. Individuals with health risks identified will be sent to the medical consulting office.

Consultation With Medical Specialists in Preventive Medicine and Public Health–Medical Health Risk Assessment

After careful review of the health risk assessment record further risk assessment examinations (especially for clarifying CVD, diabetes and cancer risks) will be carried out and if it seems to be of additional diagnostic benefit after overnight fasting blood samples will be taken for laboratory tests to measure creatinine, uric acid, C-reactive protein, apolipoprotein A1, apolipoprotein B100 concentrations, alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, gamma-glutamyl-transferase, alkaline phosphatase activities, folic acid, Hemoglobin A1c, and insulin concentrations. Laboratory tests will be carried out in the Central Laboratory of the University.

Dietary, Physiotherapy, and Mental Hygiene Counseling

If the medical risk assessment confirms that the health behavior and consequently the health status of the employee can be improved by life-style counseling he/she will be sent to the specific counseling unit(s) with detailed description of the problems identified. This service is available to clients by direct referral from medical specialists in preventive medicine and public health. In dietary counseling interventions are provided for overweight and obese persons, for persons at risk for cardiometabolic diseases and/or cancer, and special counseling for prediabetic/diabetic patients, as well as for persons with disturbances in lipid metabolism will also be given. Physiotherapy counseling will be provided for employees with locomotor problems among them for individuals with chronic low back pain, as well as for overweight or obese individuals. Special programs for clients with cardiorespiratory problems should also be considered. Mental health promotion counseling would be recommended for employees with signs of sleeping disorders, mood disorders, anxiety and stress-related disorders and substance abuse. Counseling can identify the need for further examinations by psychiatrist for schizophrenia, bipolar disorder or personality disorder. This service can be proposed for clients also for loss and bereavement management. Mental health promotion counseling also provides group-based services for stress-management and burnout prevention.

Combination of life-style counseling services (for example in case of body weight control programs), as well as group therapy (especially if it has advantages in comparison with individual therapy) for clients with the same problems will be considered and indicated by the medical specialist as a consequence of medical health risk assessment. The counseling methods will be tailored to the specific level of health literacy of the client.

Health Promotion Center

The Health Promotion Center was founded in 2019, as part of the first phase of the implementation of the Caring University initiative. It operates as a central unit responsible for organizing coordinated and comprehensive health promoting programs in collaboration with the Department of Public Health mainly at community level for employees and students. Examples of the workplace health program components and strategies already implemented or being implemented include health education classes and university-wide health promotion programs open to students and staff, including fitness and recreation programs, programs that promote behavior change through gamification, programs that enhance resilience, interventions to prevent and reduce the negative effects of stress, as well as programs to reduce alcohol and other drug-related risk and harm on campus. A key mission is to highlight the role that healthy nutrition and physical activity play in supporting academic success and personal health. There are related programs in place to promote a healthy work environment through actions such as making healthy foods available and accessible through campus cafeterias. Within this framework the university also provides access to both university-owned and local fitness facilities and implement policies that promote healthy behaviors (e.g., limiting tobacco use on campus).

Partner primary care services and the occupational health care practice of the University will be involved in case of clients suspected to be diseased and/or need to be referred to higher levels of healthcare.

Regarding the employees' pathway the health status assessment unit represents the entry point into the CPS network ( Figure 1 ). Individuals with no identifiable health risks will be instructed to participate in programs organized by the Health Promotion Center. Those with behavioral risks and/or laboratory or measurable physical abnormalities will be referred to the Preventive Medicine and Public Health Medical Specialists' Office. Based on the results of this medical risk assessment and further exploration of the risk status of the employees, they will either be sent to the relevant life-style counseling unit(s) of the CPS. Individuals with mental health problems will be oriented first to the mental hygiene unit where further specific examinations (for example specific tests to define depression or other mental disorders or sleep-wake problems) can be carried out. Those with suspected diseases will be oriented to the partner primary care practices for further diagnostic tests and examinations, defining medication or referrals to higher level of health care services (typically to the relevant specialists, but also to hospital care) as if it is necessary ( Figure 2 ). In-person and virtual communications between CPS's units will be available at a regular basis.

The employees' pathways in the Semmelweis Center of Preventive Services' network.

The CPS operates in concerted actions of the relevant departments of university faculties ( Table 1 ). The units of the CPS serve as practical training sites for medical students, residents in a clinical residency program in Public Health and Preventive Medicine, as well as for students in BSc in Public Health, BSc and MSc in Physiotherapy, and BSc and MSc in Nursing courses, as well for PhD students working on relevant topics.

Faculties and departments of the Semmelweis University participating in the Caring University Model Program.

The academic staffs of the departments indicated in bold are the main actors in the CPS. Faculties whose students participate in the teaching activities of the Caring University Model Program, including the health risk assessment, are labeled with “ * ” .

It has been well-established that health and well-being of the population, especially of working people, are crucial prerequisites for productivity and are of utmost importance for overall socioeconomic and sustainable development ( 26 ). Health promotion and disease prevention programs at occupational settings have a direct effect on the health of employees and by this way strongly contribute to the prosperity of institutions serving as their workplace ( 27 , 28 ). Morbidity and mortality caused by non-communicable diseases are traditionally very unfavorable in Hungary which can be largely attributed to non-existent national public health program and primary care provision with no financial incentives to deliver preventive services ( 29 ). At an occupational setting an assessment to define employees' health and health risks followed by reflective interventions and/or adequate treatment (in collaboration with partner primary care providers) as well as monitoring the effects of these interventions is a good framework not only for improvement of health status of employees, but it has the potential to impact areas such as productivity and recruitment/retention ability of the employing institutions, reduction of absenteeism and reduction of health care costs at social level, as well.

The Semmelweis University as the leading training institution in the field of medical and health sciences of Hungary decided to create a public health model program for its employees at occupational settings. The core component of the program is a Preventive Service Center (CPS) including units with well-defined functions and services.

The Semmelweis Caring University Model Program and the operation of the CPS provide several benefits. First, they act as convincing evidence that the University recognizes the value of its employees and considers their health and well-being as a key issue. Second, they demonstrate that the University understood the link between the control of risks, the health and well-being of employees and the success of the organization itself. Third, they increase the reputation and attractiveness of the University, further strengthens the prestige of the “Semmelweis University” brand name. Fourth, they serve as models for other universities/colleges at national and international level. Recommendations can be specifically formulated for them, involving their staff in medical and health sciences trainings and provision of public health and health care services. Fifth, the units of the CPS serve as a training ground for teaching interdisciplinary team skills for students of the Faculties of Medicine, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Dentistry and Health Sciences. Sixth, the CPS also serves as a pilot project for the ongoing Hungarian primary health care reform.

In addition, the Semmelweis Caring University Model Program and the CPS will also benefit the research mission of Semmelweis University. The population of employees will be used as a cohort of a longitudinal epidemiological study, similar to the Whitehall Study II population ( 30 , 31 ). The infrastructure of the Semmelweis Caring University Model Program and the CPS will serve as the basis to the development of the Semmelweis Study aiming to better understand the protective factors and barriers of healthy aging in Hungary. In this unique cohort study public health initiatives promoting healthy aging can be evaluated, facilitating the translation and dissemination of geroscience discoveries into sustainable, evidence-based public health programs and system-level strategies ( 32 ). The cohort can also be used as sampling frame to ad hoc surveys.

Monitoring and to define effectiveness of a workplace health promotion/disease prevention program is an essential requirement, although evaluation methods derived for and applied within the field of health promotion at different (especially occupational) settings have often fallen short of the ideal. In the most recent systematic review and meta-analysis carried out by Peñalvo et al. ( 33 ) could extract sufficient information to calculate pooled estimates for 20 different outcomes, of which 13 were found positively affected by workplace health promotion/disease prevention programmes, and could demonstrate beneficial effects on dietary factors, body anthropometrics, and cardiometabolic risk. These outcome indicators will be evaluated regularly every 5 years. Concerning the fact that in the Semmelweis Caring University Model Program the key programmatic elements are taken over from the “Public Health Focused Model Programme for Organizing Primary Care Services Backed by a Virtual Care Service Center” ( 21 , 22 ), both process and outcome indicators on preventive service delivery are available to monitor the implementation and effectiveness of the Model Program proposed ( 29 , 34 ). Process indicators (as attendance of the participants, program delivery in comparison to that which was intended, as well as an assessment of whether health-related interventions were implemented at the worksite, etc) will also be followed on a regular basis. A formative evaluation to see whether these indicators are in line with the assumptions will be carried out yearly.

Author Contributions

ZU: conceptualization and writing–original draft. RÁ: conceptualization, writing–original draft, and visualization. AS: conceptualization, project administration, and writing–review and editing. GD, MM, GP, LK, and MK: writing–review and editing. PV: writing–review and editing and project administration. PT: conceptualization and writing–review and editing. BM: conceptualization, writing–review and editing, supervision, and funding acquisition. All authors contributed to the article and approved the submitted version.

This work was supported by grants from the National Research, Development and Innovation Office (Nemzeti Szívlabor), the Hungarian Academy of Sciences (TK2016-78), and the European University for Well-Being (EUniWell) program (grant agreement number: 101004093/EUniWell/EAC-A02-2019/EAC-A02-2019-1). Project no. 135784 has also been implemented with the support provided from the National Research, Development and Innovation Fund of Hungary, financed under the K_20 funding scheme.

Conflict of Interest

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest. The handling editor declared a past co-authorship with one of the authors RÁ.

Publisher's Note

All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article, or claim that may be made by its manufacturer, is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.

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• Faculty | Physiology

Zsolt Bagi, MD, PhD

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Education and Training

General Semmelweis University of Budap, Biomedical Sciences, PhD, 2004

Semmelweis University of Budap,  Medicine, MD, 2000

Academic Appointments

2001-2010 - Assistant Professor , New York Medical College 2010-2012 - Intermediate Research Fellow , British Heart Foundation Center of Research Excellence at University of Oxford 2011-2013 - Senior Research Fellow , Somerville College, Oxford University 2013 - 2019 Associate Professor , Augusta University 2019 -  Professor , Deparment of Physiology, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta University

Research Interests

Coronary microvascular disease in patients with diabetes mellitus and diastolic heart failure.

Awards and Honors

2008 - Bristol-Myers Squibb Young Investigator Award of the American Physiological Society

2007 - ATVB Merit Award of the American Heart Association

2004 - Van Leeuwenhoek Distinctive Travel Award of the European Society for Microcirculation

2004 - Zweifach Student Award of the American Microcirculatory Society

2003 - Caroline tum Suden/Frances A. Hellenbrandt Award, American Physiological Society

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• Scientists learning more about how poor sleep habits can translate to stiff blood vessels (EurekAlert!)
• Age and obesity conspire to damage the tiny blood vessels that feed the heart, causing heart failure (JagWire)

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Dr. Bagi's Faculty Profile

LAB PERSONNEL 

Marta Bagine Balogh Research Associate

Vadym Buncha Graduate Student

Alec Davila  MD/PhD Fellow

Katherine Fopiano Graduate Student

Yanna Tian  Graduate Student