Dean's Greeting
On behalf of our Medical School I warmly welcome the visitors, amongst them members of our board professors, colleagues and all our present and future students!
Our Medical School operates as part of the University of Pécs, but as an independent medical university it is one of the medical institutions with the longest past in our country, and its recent history dates back to the Royal Hungarian Elizabeth University.
Medical training began in Pécs in 1367 with the foundation of the University of Pécs. Although the storms of history temporarily suspended undergraduate education, however, based on the data revealed, higher level education in health sciences was continuously present in Pécs even during the years of interruption. The resurgence of undergraduate medical training is closely linked to the Trianon events. Due to Trianon, the Royal Hungarian Elizabeth University of Bratislava founded in 1912 moved to Pécs in 1923, following a short detour to Budapest. After our settling down, medical training soon began, which continued after 1951 at the independent Medical University of Pécs. Since the merger of 2000 we have been operating as the University of Pécs Medical School.
The city of Pécs is the centre of South Transdanubia. With nearly 160,000 inhabitants, its wonderful values, monuments, its unique cultural central role, the local patriotism of the townspeople who want to develop, and its cross-border attraction, it is one of the most intimate and liveable settlements in the country. Our Medical School is the only medical, dental and pharmaceutical training institution in Transdanubia, one of the prominent medical schools in Hungary, where we teach medicine in Hungarian, English and German. Our teaching capital has always been of special skill and strongly attached to our institution. Many of them have become key personalities in Hungarian medical education and medicine.
In recent decades, our Medical School has undergone tremendous changes, and its development has remained unchanged in recent times. We are proud of what we have in our present. The number of our students has risen sharply, and they come from over sixty countries. The long-time timely infrastructural renovation has begun with the reconstruction of Janus Pannonius Clinical Block and the construction of the Szentágothai János Research Center, which is closely related to our Medical School. In many cases, we have been able to make the leading developments on our own, and one of the most beautiful examples of it is the MediSkillsLab. The process does not stop there, as the University, as part of the Modern Cities Program, has been the largest source of development funds since the merger, which also offers a unique opportunity for development for Medical School.
The greatest opportunity is worth as much as we can live with it - so the lion's share of the work is just beginning. We need to make the best of ourselves so that we can make the most of these resources in the years ahead. It is no exaggeration to say that the future of the Medical School depends on working together to successfully overcome obstacles. This requires the efforts of all colleagues and everybody working here. Our goal is not only to advance and develop this excellence but also to set it as a benchmark for others.
As dean, I will do my utmost to support and strengthen the community spirit, the role of the creative community in education, research and daily work. Our outstanding human capital represent the enormous potential that the Medical School can have as a driving force for development not only for the university, but for the whole region. We must raise this excellence by working together to a higher level than ever so that everyone can benefit from development. The Medical School is, and it becomes what we do together.
Since the foundation of our faculty, we have focused on the quality of education and research above all. Our medical and dental training courses are of the highest quality in all comparisons, and we cannot achieve less.
Healing work is one of the most beautiful professions. The medical diploma of our well-trained students is honoured in many countries around the world, opening up a wonderful array of opportunities. Our task and mission are to create these opportunities.
Kind regards,
Miklós Nyitrai, dean