Medical, Clinical and Pharmaceutical Biochemistry
A person responsible for the delivery, development, and quality of the study programme:
prof. MUDr. Ladislav Turecký, CSc.
Institute of Medical Chemistry, Biochemistry and Clinical Biochemistry FM CU, Sasinkova 2, 811 08 Bratislava
email: ladislav.tureckyfmed.uniba.sk
Teachers of the profile subject:
doc. Ing. Ingrid Žitňanová, PhD.
doc. RNDr. Monika Ďurfinová, PhD.
Study advisor of the study programme:
doc. RNDr. Jana Muchová, PhD. (jana.muchovafmed.uniba.sk; personal contact after agreement via e-mail)
List of the supervisors:
prof. MUDr. Ladislav Turecký, CSc., doc. RNDr. Jana Muchová, PhD., doc. Ing. Ingrid Žitňanová, PhD., doc. RNDr. Monika Ďurfinová, PhD.
Place/s of realisation of the study programme:
The Medical Faculty, Comenius University in Bratislava and its parts seat, including clinical workplaces, which are part of university hospitals providing an education of students at Faculty of Medicine, CU in Bratislava, with which the university has concluded ‘Contracts on practical training’ (University Hospital Bratislava, National Institute for Children's Diseases, Merciful Brothers University Hospital, St. Elizabeth Cancer Institute, National Oncological Institute, National Institute of Cardiovascular Disease)
Awarded academic degree: doctor ("philosophiae doctor", in short, "PhD. ")
The language in which the programme is organised: Slovak, English
The standard length of study in academic years: four years (internal form) / five years (external form)
Graduate profile and learning objectives:
The students' abilities after completion of the study will result from frame topics which are: metabolism of saccharides, lipids, amino acids, nucleotides and nucleic acids and other biologically significant substances under normal and pathological conditions. Integration of metabolism, tissue and organ biochemistry Hormonal regulation and cellular signalisation, signal transduction processes. Genomics, proteomics, metabolomics and apoptosis, utilisation of examination of laboratory parameters in diagnostic and disease monitoring. Basic pathobiochemical mechanisms applied at the origination of organ impairment and the development of pathological processes. Specific interactions of medication with the organism, biotransformation systems. Enzymology of biosynthesis of pharmaceutically significant metabolites. Modern experimental methods used in biochemistry, pharmacy, clinical biochemistry and biotechnologies.
During the PhD. study, a student in this study programme acquires knowledge in medical and clinical biochemistry focused on the issues of mechanisms of physiological and pathological processes, which run in the human body. He/she studies the biochemical nature of pathological processes at an organism cellular and subcellular level. In the study, the students learn to form a scientific problem independently, to form a scientific hypothesis, prepare and realise a scientific experiment, use a biological model of organisms and tissue cultures at the research, objectively assess obtained results and their statistical analysis. These activities' main aim will be theoretical and practical mastering methods for processing biological material for particular analyses.
The requirement for completion of the study programme is the knowledge of molecular mechanisms involved in the regulation of essential processes running in the tissue cells as well as their disorders resulting in pathological conditions, theoretical and practical management of methods for processing of biological material for analyses, especially at the level of molecules, cells and tissues, preparation and realisation of a scientific experiment, objective assessment of gained results and their statistical analysis, extension and modernisation of diagnostic procedures in medicine, ability to present own results of the research to professional public at conferences and scientific events and publishing articles in the journals.
Employability:
Graduates from the PhD. studies might find employment in the frame of education as university teachers or scientific research workers at universities focused on medicine, healthcare science, public healthcare and biochemistry. At present, the graduates are required mainly at workplaces in healthcare (clinics or departments of clinical biochemistry and workplaces of reproductive medicine, experimental pharmacology, endocrinology, oncology and so on.).
Graduates from the study programme Medical, Clinical, and Pharmaceutical Biochemistry at the Faculty of Medicine CU in Bratislava will master scientific work principles and methodology. They will perform professional and scientific activities in biochemistry, clinical biochemistry, biomedicine, pharmacology, and pharmacological research. The academic knowledge and practical skills they acquired in the study will allow them to work as a scientific worker in related medical and pharmacological branches as, e.g., molecular biology, clinical biochemistry, toxicology, veterinary medicine, and pharmacology. The graduates will have the ability to work independently in science, bring their solutions, and contribute to developing the scientific knowledge in the stated branches. They are qualified for successful employment as the team leaders in the broader spectrum of scientific and research institutions focused on medical, veterinary or pharmaceutical sciences. They are professionally prepared to work creatively in scientific institutes of the Slovak Academy of Science at various research levels.
Among other occupations that for independent performance require accredited specialisation education in the healthcare occupation, there belongs a doctor – laboratory medicine, a doctor – clinical biochemistry, laboratory diagnostician – laboratory and diagnostic methods in clinical biochemistry and laboratory diagnostician – laboratory medicine.
Evaluation of the study programme quality by employers:
A request to assess the quality of the submitted study programme was sent to selected employers to express their opinion on the need for a new doctoral study programme focused on medical biology and clinical genetics. Delivered letters are available at the Department of scientific-research activities, doctoral studies and international relationships of the Faculty of Medicine, Comenius University in Bratislava