History

The Institute of Physics of Jessenius Faculty of Medicine in Martin, Comenius University in Bratislava, started its activities in school year 1966/67 as a common institute of physics and nuclear medicine. Its head was MD. Jozef Holan, CSc.. The teaching process was provided by the employees of Faculty of Medicine of Comenius University in Bratislava.

Since the school year 1982/83 the name of the institute changed into the Institute of Biophysics of Jessenius Faculty of Medicine in Martin and prof. MD. Albert Stránsky, CSc. became the head of the institute in 1984.

Prof. MD. Ján Jakuš, Dr.Sc. has become the head of the Institute of Medical Biophysics since 1.1. 2007, currently the head of department is assoc. prof. RNDr. Michal Šimera, PhD.. The teaching process is provided by six institute employees (prof. RNDr. Ivan Poliaček, prof. MD. Ján Jakuš, Dr.Sc.PhD., assoc. prof. RNDr. Michal Šimera, PhD., Mgr. Nadežda Višňovcová, PhD., Ing. Marcel Veterník, PhD., assoc. prof. Ing. Jakub Míšek, PhD.). There are two technicians (Ing. Oľga Králiková, Mgr. Lucia Cibulková) and one secretary of the institute (PhDr. Eva Holíkova). The Institute of Medical Biophysics has trained 25 PhD. students so far, currently training 2 internal PhD. students.

The institute provides undergraduate teaching of Medical Biophysics for Slovak and foreign students in winter semester of the first year in study program General Medicine. The extent of the course is two hours of lectures and 4 hours of practicals per week. The course is ended by the exam, which consists of practical and theoretical parts.

Within the non-medical study programs the institute takes part in teaching process of medical biophysics, medical biochemistry and radiology for Nursing, Midwifery and Public Health in the second semester of study.

Since the 2001/2002 school year, the institute provides teaching for the Biomedical Engineering study program at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering of the University of Žilina in Žilina, namely the teaching of the subject Medical Biophysics in the first year of the bachelor's program.

The content, the form and the extent of teaching of Medical Biophysics is comparable with Slovak and foreign institutions of the same focus. The course emphasizes the needs of real medical practice and follows the other functional subjects. The lectures and the pracitcals are devoted mainly to the questions of medical and ecological biophysics and instrumentation. The emphasis is put on the knowledge of the most important diagnostic and therapy principles used in medicine. In individual chapters, the modern electrophysiological methodology used in the institute and the results of own experimental work are presented. The parts of practical teaching are the programs for simulation of biophysical processes of organism and the explanation of principles of diagnostic and therapeutic methods using computer technology.

The employees of the institute have participated in the creation of two nationwide textbooks of biophysics, several textbooks and study materials. The institute every year offers the topics and the lecturers for ŠVOČ.

Since 1996 the institute has been involved in PHARE-TEMPUS SJEP 11214-96 Applied Informatics in Biomedicine and Medical Engineering, coordinated by University of Žilina. The result of this project was the foundation of Biomedical Engineering – university study in 1999/2000, the University in Žilina. The institute of Medical Biophysics periodically organizes respectively participates in the preparation of scientific and professional events with foreign participation.

The results of the scientific work are nowadays recognized internationally. The institute of Medical Biophysics deals with the issues of biophysical and electrophysiological aspects of neural mechanisms of breathing, cough and other respiratory and non-respiratory reflexes, as well as monitoring of motor responses of larynx in these features. Gradually, the modern electrophysiological methods for measurement of the electrical activity of muscles and nerves, individual nerve fibers activities, monitoring of extracellular electrical activities of neurons of the brainstem and selective cold and chemical blockades of specific regions of medulla oblongata and pons have been introduced. The experimental results are on-line shown, processed and analyzed using computer technology. The institute takes part in the issues of processing of biological signals using modern methods of biomathematics.

The issues solved by the employees of the institute are the part of research project VEGA no. 1/0038/09: Regulation of excitability and respiratory motor output during cough and the other reflexes from respiratory tract in anesthetized cats and rabbits (investigator: prof. MD. Ján Jakuš, Dr.Sc), project APVV no. 20-0447705(investigator JMF UC: prof. MD. Ján Jakuš, Dr.Sc) as a co-worker and Comenius University grant no. UK/25/2009 (investigator JMF UC: RNDr. Michal Šimera, PhD.).

Intensity and quality of scientific research in the institute is proven by bibliography of the works and their citations. The new original findings for the last five years have been published by the employees of the institute in total 40 scientific papers, 14 of them in extenso, mostly in current journals and in refereed proceedings. The employees of the institute have lectured 20 lectures mainly in foreign scientific forums. The total number of citations for this time period reached 172, out of the more than 126 SCI, 34 in foreign monographs and 12 citations in Slovakia.

The area of international scientific relations follows previous intensive scientific contacts of the institute employees with the top foreign institutions. The workplace can significantly contribute to meet the criteria needed for inclusion Comenius University among so-called Research Universities by systematic cultivation of science and increasing of quality of education at the institute, publication outputs current journals with high impact factor and development of international scientific activities.