István PRÉDA MD, PhD, DSci, FESC
He had been graduated at the Medical University of Budapest (present name:
Semmelweis University) in 1967. After two years of internship for neurology, he changed for internal medicine and from 1969 to 2007 he worked in the prestigious, more than 100 years old National Scientific Center which the successor of the first Hungarian Jewish Hospital. Presently, he is Professor of Cardiology at the Military Hospital (State Health Center) and Professor Emeritus of the Cardiovascular Center of the Semmelweis University.
He made the specialty exam from internal medicine in 1972, and awarded form cardiology in 1980. Similarly, subspecialty from hypertonology (1998), angiology (1999), lipdology (2003) has also been achieved. Diplomas of European Hypertonologist (1998) and European Cardiologist (1999) have also been awarded him by the European Society of Hypertonology and by the European Society of Cardiology. He is university professor since 1992.
His scientific research interest firstly focused on the electrophysiological prosperities and metabolic alterations of the mammalian and human heart. As a part of these, the early experimental works were made in the experimental laboratory of the university, under the guidance of Professor Elemér Endrőczy, the internationally known physiologist, with a special interest on biogenic amines. Primarily he examined the noradrenalin metabolism in experimental myocardial ischemia and infarction of the rat heart (Acta physiol. Acad. Sci. Hung. 43:315, 1973 és 45:109, 1974). His first clinical investigation dealt with the metabolic and experimental proprieties of the accidentally induced hypothermic human heart (Acta med. Acad. Sci Hung 30:67, 1973). In 1974-75 he awarded a scientific exchange post that delegated him to the Laboratory of Biophysics of the Université de Caen (France), where as a coworker of professor Paul d´Alché he investigated the epicardial and electrophysiological properties , as well as the origin of the development of ventricular fibrillation (sudden cardiac death) induced by hypothermia (Adv. Cardiol 19:33-37, 1977). His PhD Thesis was written from the same topic („Le champ électrique cardiaque du chien en hypothermie”) what has been defended in French language by him, mentioning a „with a special laudation” by the Examination Committee.
After having returned from France, as a summation of the previous metabolic and electrophysiologic observations partly done in Caen, a Hungarian PhD thesis (called Thesis of Candidature of Sciences) has been awarded him. The title of that was „ The electrical activity and catecholamine metabolism of the hypothermic heart”. At the same period of time - firstly in Hungary- in cooperation with the Hungarian Central Research Institute of Physics – he set up the „Electrophysiological Surface Potential (ECG) Mapping Working Group”, and their methodological and clinical results has also been published not only in Hungarian, but international forums (Orv. Hetil. 119:3125,1978; Adv Cardiol 21:73, 1977). He has also published the electrophysiological interpretation of the pathologic human left bundle branch block (Jap. Heart J. 20:7, 1979) which is an important observation also from clinical point of wiev in the diagnosis and better understanding of a frequent ECG pattern in acute myocardial infarction.
In 1990-1991, as an invited visiting professor he spent 6 months on the Research Institute of the Montreal University of Canada, and studied the electrophysioloc (surface mapping) alterations of the percutaneous coronary interventions (PCIs), with a focus on the temporary ECG alterations caused by the catheter induced balloon inflatation and consequent coronary artery occlusion. By doing that, he has described the characteristic alterations observed during the cardiac depolarization period of the heart cycle (J. Electrocardiol. 27:311; 1994, Jap Heart J. 35 Suppl: 501, 1994). As a consequence of his Montreal research activities, his coworkers Mihály Medvegy MD and Arnold Pintér MD followed the research plan, and developed a special electrocardiographic mapping method to detect circumscript, formerly non-detectable „non-trasmural” myocardial infarctions (Circulation 101:1115, 2000, Can J Cardiol 20:1109, 2004).
As a summary of his electrocardiographic and electrophysiologic pioneer researches, he defended his doctoral thesis of the Hungarian Academy of Science in 1991, and his Thesis s entitled „Clinical Application of Body Surface ECG Mapping (Surface Mapping)”.
His newer scientific activities - beside the continuation of the electrocardiographic researches, - during the past 20 years, has been more and more characterized by explorations of the human metabolic and molecular biologic changes during acute ischemic myocardial syndromes and myocardial infarction. The research grants that he awarded in these topics during this period were the follows (ETT-06 178, 1993; ETT-06 272, 1996; ETT-06 235, 2000; ETT-06 086, 2003; ETT 149/2006; FEFA-III-0807, 1994, MKM 0783, 1997; MTA F-22/7, 2003; NKFP 1/044, 2001; OTKA T 042605, 2003 és OTKA-műszer 041684, 2002; OTKA F 046711 (2004 - 2007); Richter Gedeon Rt., A Magyar Egészségügyért” Alapítvány (2005 - 2006); ETT-06-085, 2009).
In 2002 he has won the Award of the Hungarian Scientific Academy and Semmelweis University to establish the Cardiovascular Working Group (2003-2006). After 2006, the same research work continued as a part of Working Group on Immunogenic and Inflammation Biology.
Dr István Préda is editor, or coeditor of 6 books, author of 23 book chapters, 203 peer rewieved papers. Cumulative number of his published papers is 847, his cumulative impact factor (IF): 211,3 the independent citations of his publications is more than 3200, his Hirsch Index is 16/14.
He is member of the Committee of the European Union of Medical Specialists (EUMS), where since 1993 he is the Hungarian representative of the Union. He is founding member of the Alpe-Adria Society of Cardiology (1992-2010), Member of the Scientific Committee of the Society.
Member of the Editorial Board of seven international papers; they are the follows: European Heart Journal (1990-202), Noninvasive Cardiology/Cardiology Letters (2002- ), Journal of Clinical and experimental Cardiology (1996 - ), Journal of Cardiology by Fax (1998- ),European Journal of Heart Failure (1999-2002), Fólia Cardiológica (2005- ) Journal of Electrocardiology (2005-).
He is Fellow of the European Society of Cardiology (1994- ), Member of International Society of Internal Medicine (1993-), American Society of Hypertension (1995-), and Clinical Section of American Society of Cardiology (1993-)
His participation in Hungarian scientific bodies: member of the Board of the Hungarian Society of Cardiology from 1991, and General Secretary of the society (1996-2001). Member of the Board of the Hungarian Society of Internal Medicine from 1995. Member of the Board of the Hungarian Society of Hypertension from 1997, President of the Scientific Council of the Hungarian Society of Hypertension (2005-2009).
He fequently participated as a speaker on the English language postgraduate courses of the European Society of Cardiology, and also was a member of the Scientific Committee of the Working Group of Heart Failure of the European Society of Cardiology, took part in the Euro Heart Surway of Heart Failure , (Eur Heart J 24:442, 2003) and in the scientific analysis of the Improvement Heart Failure (Lancet, 360:1631, 2002), a large population study.
He took also part actively in the organization of international scientific meetings; he was the Chairman of the Organizing Committee and one of the editors of the Congress Proceedings dealt with the International Congress on Electrocardiology organized at Budapest, Hungary in 1977, 1981 and 1989. He was also Member of the Permanent Scientific Council of the International Society of Electrocardiology (1993-2010), President of the International Congress organized in 1998, Budapest, and President of the International Society of Electrocardiology (2005-2007).
After having promoted to be the director of the Cardiovascular Department of the former Haynal Imre University (Postgraduate Medical School), Budapest, in 1992 he prepared and realized the modernization and refurbishment of the more than 100 years old clinical block of cardiovascular diseases building of the former Jewish Hospital. He implemented a new, functional approach respecting the distinction of the non-invasive and invasive cardiology, and established (firstly in Hungary) an independent department for the preparation and postintervention surway of percutaneous interventions. He also designated an independent unit for clinical and interventional angiology, and one for the borderline cardiovascular diseases, like diabetology and hypertension. After this functional reconstruction, the new 110 bed department of cardiovascular diseases comprised an all-purpose multifunctional auditorium for 100 persons, library, educational and social facilities as well, which were entirely compatible with the requirements of the accreditation as an International Educational Center of the European Union Medical Specialities (EUMS) for postgraduate education a international training for cardiology.
During the period of his directorship (1992-2006) one of his coworkers Dr Ádám Bőhm awarded PhD and DSci degrees. Fourteen young scientists were obtained MD degrees, namely Miklós Dékány, Ádám Harsányi, Mihály Medvegy, László Regős, Ádám Székely, Károly Tóth, Károly Zámolyi, István Hízoh, Éva Nieszner, Noémi Nyolczas, Emese Tóth-Zsámboki, Katrina Vargova, Andrea Molnár and Gábor Durai. Two other PhD degrees are in preparation (Petra Bárdos and Jusztina Bencze).
Six of his coworkers have been promoted to be head physician to leading hospitals of Budapest (Róbert Gábor Kiss, Mihály Medvegy, László Regős, Katalin Réti, Károly Tóth and Károly Zámolyi). Ádám Bőhm have been promoted to be full professor of the Semmelweis University of Budapest.
He has documented scientific relation with a number Hungarian and foreign institutions.
He is taking part actively int he graduate and postgraduate education of the medical students of the Semmelweis University. Between 1993 and 1999 he was Vice-Rector of Education, and Later Vice-Rector of Sciences of the Postgraduate Medical School (later Haynal Imre University of Health Sciences). Between 1st of January 2000 and 30th June, 2003 he was the Vice-Rector of Scientific Affaires and External Relations of the Semmelweis University of Budapest. Later, between 2003 and 2006 he became Vice-Chairman of the Scientific Council of the same university. He was Member of the Scientific Higher Education Board (1993-2006), Member and Vice- Chairrman of the Cardiovascular and Renal Disease Branch of the Scientific Development Board. Between 2000 and 2006 he was member of the 1st Doctoral Committee of the Medical Branch of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. He was Elected Member of the General Assembly of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences (2004- 2010). Member of the Hungarian Professional College of Internal Medicine (1995-2009), Member of the Hungarian Professional College of Cardiology from 1995, and between 2004 and 2009 Chairman of the same College. Presently he is Member of the Scientific and Ethical Committee of the Hungarian Health Science Board (2011- ).
He is also a member of a number of Hungarian and foreign editorial boards of scientific periodicals. Probably the most prestigious of these Hungarian memberships, that he was the Editor-in-Chief of the Orvosképzés (Medical Education) during the period of 1994-2005, which is a more than 100 years old postgraduate medical forum. Presently he is the chief of the Column for Residents and Medical Specialists. His memberships in the other Hungarian Editorial Boards are the follows: Cardiologic Hungarica (1980-2010), Egészség (Health, 2001-2005), Current Hypertension Reports, Hungarian Edition (2001-2005), Current Atherosclerosis Reports, Hungarian Edition (2001-2005), Journal of American College of Cardiology, Hungarian Edition (2001-2007), Hypertension and Nephrology Review (in Hungarian) 2001 - ), Lege Artis Medicinae (2002-2008), Metabolisms (2004 - ).
International board memberships: European Heart Journal (1990-2002), European Journal of Heart Failure (1999-2012), Noninvasive Cardiology /Cardiology Letters (1992- ), Journal of Experimental and Clinical Cardiology (1996- ), European Journal of Cardiology by Fax (1998- ), Folia Cardiology ( 2005- ), J. Electrocardiology (2005 - )
Writer or editor of five medical specialist books, three of them appeared in English. One special Hungarian example: (Préda I et al: Cardiology, Basics and Guidelines, Medicina, Budapest, 2009. It is an approved Textbook of Cardiology of the Semmelweis University, Budapest.
Language skills: English and French (conference level), German (medium level).
Scientific and civil awards are listed on the curriculum vitae (attached).
