The Hungarian Medical Association of America (HMAA) an organisation of doctors and researchers of Hungarian origin, founded in 1968 to preserve and promote the medical tradition. Its purpose is to bring together physicians of Hungarian descent living in the United States in a professional and friendly environment.
In 2009, at the request of the parent organisation (HMAA), the SAC changed its name and continued its work as the HMAA Hungary Chapter, under the leadership of Dr Eszter Bodnár. The congresses in Balatonfüred remained the most important events of the association, with the participation of many famous doctors and specialists.
The 2010 conference made a very big difference: more than one hundred and fifty participants have already registered for the event, with more and more American guests arriving.
A Congress held in 2011 was also supported by the Hungarian Lung Society, the Hungarian Medical Chamber, the Hungarian Medical Students Association, the RETURN Alumni Organisation and the Hungarian Medical Association. The number of participants and the number of papers submitted has already reached an all-time high: more than 200 health science students studying at Hungarian universities presented the results of nearly 150 scientific research projects in Hungarian and English.
The professional programme was also enriched by often groundbreaking presentations by invited speakers and workshops on a wide variety of topics. In addition, a rich social and networking experience was offered to participants at the Füred2011: the delicious and well-deserved Borcsa dinner, the quizzes, the waffle party and the traditional water polo match - all eagerly awaited events. The main theme of the conference was smoking and smoking prevention. The Hungarian Lung Society presented its activities in this field in a special section.
A 2012 Congress was of similar interest, with a focus on prevention of cardiovascular diseases in women; lifestyle, health education, healthy ageing, epigenetics; brain diseases and their radiological imaging; and iron metabolism. The congress was attended by an unprecedented number of guests of honour: more than twenty eminent personalities accepted the invitation. Since 2007, the conference has been held annually, with a different theme each year. The event attracts hundreds of participants each year. The organisers expressed their thanks to the distinguished speakers who, through their participation and presentations, have raised the quality and reputation of the conference for over a decade. Huge thanks are due to the tireless team of organisers for their professional organisation, who are very active months before the conference, sparing no time or energy.
The biggest thanks go to the management of the Balatonfüred State Heart Hospitalthat the impressive venue has been secured for the Congress since 2007.
A Sarasota, Florida, has been designated as the location for the annual meetings, where many Hungarian doctors come from all over the world. Every year, the HMAA supports medical students in Hungary by supporting the They will have the opportunity to spend 3 months in an exchange placement at the University of Buffalo in New York State.
The medical association decided to form the Sarasota Alumni Club in 2007 (SAC), which was designed to bring together students and doctors who had attended the Sarasota conference and the Buffalo exchange training. The inaugural meeting took place in March 2007 in the library of the State Heart Hospital in Balatonfüred, where the HMAA was represented by Dr. Sándor Matolcsy (Boston, USA). The inaugural meeting was also attended by Dr. István Mikola, former Minister of Health. The inaugural meeting was hosted by Prof. Dr. Gábor Veress, Director of the Balatonfüred State Heart Hospital, who proposed to hold the annual meetings of the nascent organization at the Heart Hospital. After its successful establishment, the first annual conference was held in Balatonfüred in August 2007 with the participation of about seventy people, and since then the number of participants has been increasing every year.
The aim of the congress is to bring together those who have already been to the sixth annual exchange in Buffalo organised by the HMAA, will also provide a forum for the promotion of the HMAA among Hungarian medical universities and doctors, and will introduce the work of the medical association to colleagues during a two-day scientific event on the shores of Lake Balaton. In addition to the scientific lectures, the congress will also include sports and cultural activities.
Hungarian Medical Association of America Hungary Chapter Association
DR. KANIZSAI PÉTER, DEAA, med.habil. Ph.D., President
Head of Department and Associate Professor University of Pécs University of Pécs
Clinical Centre
Department of Emergency Medicine and Emergency Care
I work in the field of emergency patient care for PTE and SE. I am currently actively involved in bedside work, with our research group investigating sepsis, the role of artificial intelligence in emergency care.
I worked in the UK for several years, but basically PTE is my "base". It was a pivotal time for me to start my emergency care career at the SE, and my colleagues and I have had a successful teaching career.
I have a PhD degree from PTE and my habilitation is in progress During the CoVID-19 pandemic, we received many awards for our work.
I have three sons and my hobbies are sailing and other water sports.
DR. GÁBOR HORVÁTH Ph.D.
Vice President
Gábor Horváth graduated from the Faculty of General Medicine of the University of Pécs in 2011. During his studies he did internships in Japan, Kuwait and the United States of America.In 2009 he received the Pro Scientia Gold Medal. He worked as the local representative of the HMAA HC in Pécs for 5 years (2010-2014), and then he was in charge of the HMAA HC exchange programme for 5 years (2014-2019). Member of the Advisory Board of the Hungarian Chapter since 2020. He served as the Hungarian Liaison for the HMAA's US parent organization from 2016-2022, and was elected by the HMAA in the US as one of the Board Members in 2022.
He did scientific research at the Institute of Anatomy of the Faculty of General Medicine of the University of Pécs. His research interests include the role of environmental factors in the development and protection of the central nervous system. He has published 3 peer-reviewed papers and 1 book chapter, and co-authored 8 scientific publications. He received his PhD degree in 2016 and has been working at the Department of Paediatrics, University of Pécs since 2015. Since 2020 as a paediatric specialist
specialises in the Department of Paediatric Oncohematology. She is fluent in English and speaks basic Norwegian.
BENCE DR. CS. SZABÓ, Secretary
I was born in Szeged and when I was 1 year old we moved to Karcag, where I finished primary school and high school. I started my university studies in 2015 at the Faculty of General Medicine of the University of Debrecen, where I have been working as a researcher at the Institute of Biophysics and Cell Biology since 2016. The focus of our research is on specific cell membrane microdomains, which influence the function of transmembrane proteins by their specific membrane biophysical microenvironment, for example by affecting certain ion channels.
DR. LETICIA SADAI,
Treasurer
I am Dr. Letícia Szadai, a second year PhD student at the Department of Dermatology and Allergology, SZTE SZAKK. My research interest is the study of melanoma biomarkers at tissue level. Besides my research I am the Presidential Commissioner for International Relations of the Medical and Health Sciences Department of the National Association of Doctoral Students (DOSZ). I first met the HMAA as a first year medical student and participated in the Buffalo Exchange in 2018. After returning from America, I decided that I would like to get involved with the HMAA Hungary Chapter. Currently, I am helping with the Exchange Program in Hungary and the HMAA Szeged Chapter. In 2018, I participated as a speaker, in 2019 as a guest, and in 2020 as an organizer at the HMAA-HC Conference in Balatonfüred.
DR PERSELY ALíZ,
treasurer and PR officer
DR. BÁLINT LIPPAI,
Liaison Officer for External Relations and Exchanges
Dr. ANDREA TRAJTLER Ph.D. scientific advisor
Andrea Trajtler has been actively involved in the work of the HMAA HC as a student representative since 2011, and will be a member of the Advisory Board of the Hungarian Chapter from 2021-2023.
After graduating from medical school, he studied glioma patients with modern imaging methods as a PhD student at the PTE/Pécs Diagnostic Centre.After his dissertation, he continued his research as a post-doctoral researcher at Oregon Health and Science University (Portland, OR, USA), where he investigated the use of an iron-based contrast agent, ferumoxytol, in glioma patients and then investigated deep grey matter metabolism in multiple sclerosis patients using dynamic contrast-weighted (DCE) MRI with 7 Tesla MR. After the USMLE exams, he started his residency training in Oregon and continued as a radiology resident at the Department of Medical Imaging, University of Pécs, where he is involved in teaching and research as a PhD and TDK topic leader. He has co-authored 13 publications and presented at several international and national congresses.He has completed his internships as a medical doctor at the University of Salamanca, Buffalo, Porto and Taipei, and his residency at Kings College Hospital in London as a fellow of the European Society of Radiology. He is currently the chairman of the Hungarian Society of Radiology's Youth Committee and the Hungarian delegate to the European Society of Radiology's (ESR) "RadiologyTraineesForum".His main areas of interest are neuroradiology and improving the quality of resident and medical education. He is fluent in English and Spanish and speaks intermediate German. In his spare time he enjoys cross-country skiing, hiking, wild camping and music.
DR. SABÓ STEIGERWALD DOROTTYA KATA
Programme Officer
Dr. Dorottya Kata Szabó Steigerwald is currently a PhD student at the Pécs
Faculty of General Medicine at the University of Budapest, in the Doctoral School of Clinical Neurosciences.
She finished her secondary school studies in 2013 at the Tóparti Gimnázium in Székesfehérvár, and then
was admitted to the Faculty of General Medicine of the University of Pécs, Faculty of General Medicine.
Since 2016, he has been a member of the Hungarian Medical Association of America (HMAA), and since 2017, he has been a student member of the
representative assists the work of the organisation. As a graduate student, he won a scholarship to Buffalo
exchange programme and spent 3 months in Buffalo at the end of 2018, during which 3 months he was involved as a helper
attended and presented at the HMAA conference in Sarasota.
He defended his thesis at the Medical Imaging Clinic of PTE KK and obtained a general medical degree
In 2019.
TÁRNOKI ÁDÁM DOMONKOS Ph.D., med.habil.,
Associate Professor
Head of Department
Semmelweis University
National Institute of Oncology
TÁRNOKI DÁVID LÁSZLÓ Ph.D., med.habil.,
Associate Professor
Chief Medical Director
Semmelweis University
National Institute of Oncology
I work as a radiologist at Semmelweis University and the National Institute of Oncology. In addition to general radiology, I specialise in chest wall (pleural) and cardiovascular ultrasound examinations. As a radiologist at Semmelweis University I am a consultant in radiological imaging of interstitial lung diseases (pulmonary fibrosis). I am a board member of the European Society of Radiologists' Youth Committee (RTF) and the Hungarian Chapter of the American Medical Association in Hungary, and a member of the Hungarian Society of Radiologists, among others. I regularly attend international and national conferences and training courses. In addition to patient care, I am also involved in research, my main areas of interest being imaging, genetics and epigenetics, with a special focus on twin research. I have published more than 100 national and international publications and received my PhD degree from Semmelweis University in 2013. I have completed internships in several countries, obtained a specialisation in chest wall ultrasound in Oxford and gained professional experience in imaging interstitial lung diseases. I am a member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. I speak English and German, I am involved in the teaching of Hungarian, German and English medical students at Semmelweis University, I am the study supervisor of the English year group. I am also involved in residency and specialist training. Between 2016-2020 I was Head of the Ultrasound Laboratory at the Department of Radiology, Semmelweis University. In November 2016, I was awarded the Junior Prima Prize at the MTA. Since 2018 I am a member of the editorial board of the Hungarian Journal of Radiology. Since 2020 I am the Head of the Imaging Diagnostic Department of the National Institute of Oncology.
DR. BEÁTA KŐRÖSI ZITA (2023-2025)
Beáta Kőrösi graduated from the Faculty of Medicine of Semmelweis University in 2015 and has been a student representative of the HMAA since 2012. During her studies she spent 2 rotations in the United States. Since 2016 she is a PhD student at the Doctoral School of Pharmacy, Semmelweis University. In his free time he enjoys extreme sports and travelling.
Dr Bálint Környei (2023-2025)
BESZEDICS BEATRIX (2022-)
I started my studies at the Faculty of General Medicine of Semmelweis University in 2018. In 2021, my interests turned towards diagnostic imaging, and that is when I heard about and became involved in twin research at the Medical Imaging Clinic.
Péter Barnabás Kovács (2023-)
I am Péter Barnabás Kovács, a third-year student of the Faculty of General Medicine at the University of Debrecen. In addition to diligent and dedicated study, I consider it important to gain as much practical experience and new perspectives and experiences as possible during my university years. This is partly why I joined the HMAA HC, which I help to run as a student liaison. We are mainly involved in promoting the Balatonfüred conference and exchange programmes among the students of Debrecen, together with my fellow student and my cousin Cs. Bence Szabó.
Simon Dávid Vince (2024-)
My name is Simon Dávid Vince, I am a medical student from Pécs. I've always been very interested in biology and chemistry, so when I was about to go to university, medical school was the obvious choice. As a freshman I started to participate in the scientific life as a TDK student and as a demonstrator student I teach anatomy. Outside of university I really enjoy music, analogue photography and various sports. When time permits I like to go wall climbing or kayaking with friends and/or family. I take the fate of my fellow students to heart, and since March 2024 I have been helping the HMAA-HC as a student representative, where I and my colleagues promote the conference and exchange programs to students.
Szabó Hanna (2025-)
I am Hanna Szabó, a third-year medical student from Pécs. I had the opportunity to live and complete high school in the United States, where I gained valuable insight into American culture and education. I moved to Hungary to complete my studies, which gave me the opportunity to deepen my knowledge and interest in healthcare and medicine. Currently, I am joining the association as an assistant.
PÓSA BENCE (2024-)
I am Bence Pósa, a fourth-year medical student at the SZAOK SZUOK. I am doing my PhD research at the Institute of Pharmacology and Pharmacotherapeutics, SZTE SZAOK and the Department of Gastroenterology, SZTE SZAKK, my research interests are pharmacology of the cardiovascular system in small animal models and efficacy of inflammatory bowel disease therapy. I have recently joined the HMAA and together with the Szeged Medical Students Association (SZOE) we are popularising the programme among students.
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