Department of Hygiene and Epidemiology (1948 – 1994)
The first predecessor of the current Institute was already in autumn 1948 based Institute of Hygiene. His first became a head of prof. M. Sutorisová – Stolz (+1967), who worked at the State Health Institute in Bratislava. After her leaving in 1952 in charge of the Department became teaching assistant MD. R. Pospisil. Until September 1963 department belonged to global Institute of Public Health, led by assoc. prof. MD. J. Lukáči. In the same year he created a separate Department of Hygiene and Epidemiology, which was leading to 1986 by assoc. prof. MD. R. Pospíšil. In the school year 1986/1987 was formed new larger joint Department of Hygiene, Epidemiology and Microbiology, led by assoc. prof. MD. H. Puzová. In late period of 1989, there became smaller units and departments – Department of epidemiology was lead by assoc. prof. Dr. H. Prokopčáková, PhD and department of Hygiene was lead by assoc. assoc. prof. MD. K. Bernasovská, PhD. For the sake of completeness, that in the years 1965 – 1968 was represented by Head of Department doc. MD. J Groch, PhD., As doc. MD. R. Pospisil went to work at the Medical Faculty in Oran (Algeria) as a lecturer and head of the Health Office. (This function in Algeria after it took over in the years 1969-1973 doc. MUDr. J. Groch, PhD.).
Department of Hygiene (1994 – 2008)
After the split of the original joint Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology was established on 1 7. 1994 an independent Department of Hygiene, which was headed by prof. MD. Kamila Bernasovská. Teaching staff consisted of the following perosns: doc. Dr. Gabriela Holéczyová, MD. Kvetoslava Rimárová, DVM. Tatiana Kimáková, laboratory technicians: Ing. Szerdiová, laboratory and support staff : Magdalena Oroszová, Slavka Harcsová and secretary: Darina Belešová. Among the priority tasks of the institute was included the pedagogic process. In recent years, some changes have taken place in the classroom, covering concepts po public health and hygiene worldwide.
Research activities of hygiene has in the past focused on solving some current issues relating to the monitoring of environmental health, living conditions of different population groups of the population of Eastern Slovakia, with impacts on their development and health. Were dealt grant and institutional tasks that focused on preventive intervention projects based on WHO programs, especially CINDI project, solving the issue of intervention, chronic lifestyle diseases – mainly cardiovascular and cancer. The research focused on the role of the ranking of individual risk factors, lifestyle and environment. To model study included medical students for whom the program was the solution not only research, but also an important part of the educational process and the preventive focus of their future medical practice.
At the Hygiene department were solved many project of VEGA and KEGA grants. In 2007 there was addressed project MEHO Migrant and Ethnic Health Observatory provided by the EU Public Health Programmed DG SANCO. The results of research activities were presented at professional events at home and abroad in the form of papers and posters. The members of the Institute participated in the organization of events (International Symposium on school hygiene and health in Prague 1986 Conference and hygiene of children and adolescents with international participation in Zlata Idka, 1982, 1983). It carried a nearly 100 scientific and professional work in the well-known professional domestic and foreign magazines. Authors (Groch J. Bernasovská K., T. Petriľáková) were in 1983 awarded the SLS (professional medical society) for the best publication of embattled and successful activity for the year 1983. Within the framework of international contacts visited dr. MD Rimárová King’s College Hospital in England, where she worked on the methodology for measuring and assessing lung function.
All academic staff are members of the Slovak Medical Association – section Hygiene, and within the network GEENET (Global Environmental Epidemiology Nehvork) cooperated with other Slovak and foreign institutions in the exchange of information. Prof. Bernasovská was Deputy Chair of the SLS – section Hygiene since 1994. Since 1997 has been a member of General Committee for postgraduate studies for science in the branch of “Hygiene” and for science branch “Public health”. Dr. Rimárová was a member of the ISEE – International Society of Environmental Epidemiology. Dr. Holéczyová was a member of the Slovak Chemical Society – Spectroscopic Society at SAS- Slovak Academy of Science.
Cooperation of Institute of Hygiene was rich, focused not only on the internal departments of the faculty, but also at institutions abroad (1st Medical Faculty of Charles University, 3rd Medical Faculty of Charles University Masaryk university in Brno, Faculty of Medicine in Hradec Králové, Olomouc Faculty of Medicine MU Brno). In Slovakia has been ongoing successful cooperation with both medical faculties in Bratislava and Martin, which dealt with similar research issues of risk factors for cardiovascular disease in the population of medical students. Very good cooperation was also with Specialized state health institute of the city of Kosice in assisting in the investigation of medical students, but also to ensure the intervention of prevention programs for primary school pupils. Institute of Hygiene during its existence has worked with the Department of Environment at Specialized state health institute of the city of Kosice and Slovak Hydro-meteorological Institute in the investigation workload of drinking water and metals in detecting the concentration of pollutants in the air. Close cooperation was also with the Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Metallurgy TU Košice to solve the problems of chemical analysis of environmental samples.
Department of Public Health (2008-2015)
Department of Public Health was established in the autumn of 2008 by combining three departments – epidemiology, hygiene and social medicine. At the end of 2009, there was the joint also with psychology of health department. All four departments participated in undergraduate and postgraduate education of future health professionals and the department was an essential workplace that provided education for “Public health” professionals.
In the research, the activities of each department focused on current issues in public health. Department of Epidemiology implemented epidemiological studies of selected infectious diseases. The Department of Hygiene addressed projects in the field of lifestyle risk factors and environmental and epidemiological studies addressed the health of Roma. Department of Social Medicine and Health Psychology build on more than 15 years of collaboration between the University of Pavol Jozef Safarik University and the University of Groningen, Netherlands having a plenty of international research activities.
Department of Public Health and Hygiene (2015-current)
It was created after the approval of the Academic Senate session in February 2015 when a large and numerous Department of Public Health was split into four separate departments”
Department of Public health and Hygiene
Department of Epidemiology
Department of Social and Behavioral Medicine
Department of Health Psychology
