Report from the Inauguration Ceremony of the academic year 2019/2020 at the President Stanisław Wojciechowski State University of Applied Sciences, Kalisz, 4 October 2019

The President Stanisław Wojciechowski State University of Applied Sciences in Kalisz inaugurated the new academic year on 4 October 2019. It was also a celebration of the 20th anniversary of the University. The inauguration brought together distinguished guests, scientific and medical experts, local and national authorities, as well as students, academics, and administration staff. The first part of the ceremony was held in the University Collegium Novum Hall and was continued in the Wojciech Bogusławski Theatre in Kalisz. It was a fortunate occasion to matriculate new students, summarise the University’s achievements during the 20 years of its activity, award deserved University employees for their exceptional achievements, and to establish the World Institute of Family Health as a new University unit. As is traditional, the ceremony commenced with the song Laudate Dominum performed by the University choir.
Professor Andrzej Wojtyła gave a welcome speech and greeted all guests and participants. He presented a short history of the University and its main achievements. The President Stanisław Wojciechowski State University of Applied Sciences was established on 15 July 1999. It has been developing rapidly from the start and still aims to transform into an academy. The mission of the University is to educate young people with adjustment for current national social and economic needs. The main areas of interest are technical, medical, and economic sciences. The University aspires to develop research activities and international scientific collaboration. Currently, it provides 24 fields of studies, has approximately 3,000 new students, 18,000 graduates, and around 300 academics. Professor Wojtyła listed, among others, successes of the European Observatory of Health Inequalities and the Journal of Health Inequalities. He recalled the Calisia World Conference on Family Health which took place in June 2019 [1] and mentioned that this year the Journal of Health Inequalities was included in the list of scientific journals published by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education. After Professor Wojtyła’s speech, he awarded those employees who had rendered great service to the University in recent years and matriculated first-year students.
In the next part of the ceremony, the founding deed of the World Institute of Family Health was signed by the Rector Andrzej Wojtyła, Professor Andrey Bazylevych, President of the World Federation of Ukrainian Medical Associations, Professor Otis Brawley, John Hopkins University, USA, Professor Leonardo Chavane, Eduardo Mondlane University, Mozambique, and Professor Witold Zatoński, President of the Health Promotion Foundation, Poland (Photo 1). The deed referred to the 20th anniversary of the founding of the University and expressed the signatories’ desire that the World Institute of Family Health should tackle global family health problems and conduct scientific research to solve these problems.
Next, Professor Witold Zatoński gave a laudation in honour of the keynote speaker, Professor Otis Brawley. Professor Zatoński introduced Professor Brawley’s profile: an American physician and Bloomberg Distinguished Professor of Oncology and Epidemiology at Johns Hopkins University, who served as Chief Medical and Scientific Officer and Executive Vice President of the American Cancer Society between 2007 and 2018. His work focused on prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of cancer, especially prostate cancer. He is the author of scientific publications, chapters, and books, the director of large scientific programmes in the United States. He is an educator, promoter, and leader in cancer research and health disparities worldwide. A summary of Professor Brawley’s presentation is presented in Box 1.
In the second part of the inauguration ceremony, Professor Zatoński introduced Professor Leonardo Chavane, an experienced public health specialist with a documented history of working in the public health area, a leader in the implementation of quality of care of maternal, neonatal and reproductive health, as well HIV/AIDS programmes (see Professor Chavane’s biographical note in Box 2). Professor Chavane presented a lecture on the role of families in the health status and reproductive health of women and adolescents in Mozambique (see: Role of families in the health status: the case reproductive health of women and adolescents in Mozambique on pp. 137-140) [2].
In the last part of the ceremony, Professor Zatoński, on behalf of the Health Promotion Foundation, awarded Professor Andrey Bazylevych, President of the World Federation of Ukrainian Medical Associations, Professor Otis Brawley, John Hopkins University, USA, and Professor Leonardo Chavane, Eduardo Mondlane University, Mozambique, with the Foundation’s Golden Honorary Awards (Photo 2). These scientists were awarded in recognition of their services to people’s health and their concern for the quality of life of us all, for their long-term friendship and support without which the Foundation’s activity would have never been so successful, and for teaching society that defending health is both a good investment and necessary for a long and enjoyable life.
The Health Promotion Foundation’s Golden Lungs have been awarded since 1996 to individuals who made a significant contribution to building stronger public health, promoting healthy lifestyles, and improving the quality of life in Poland, across Europe, and globally. The Golden Lungs represent the Health Promotion Foundation’s appreciation of their work, which is often characterised by great personal commitment and by little consideration of personal gain. The award is shaped in the form of lungs which, although small in size, symbolise our great gratitude. By awarding a group of laureates every year, the Foundation has fostered a network of friends and collaborators who have stood with us for over two decades in our efforts to build a healthier society. The ceremony closed with a concert of Justyna Szafran, the Polish actress, singer, and performer of poetry set to music.

DISCLOSURE

The author reports no conflict of interest.

References

1. Janik-Koncewicz K. Report from the Calisia World Conference on Family Health, Kalisz, Poland, 9-10 June 2019. J Health Inequal 2019; 5 (1): 2-10.
2. Chavane L. The role of families in population health: the case of reproductive health of women and adolescents in Mozambique. J Health Inequal 2019; 5 (2): 137-140.