She is exceptionally dedicated to her students, who are making great progress in their work. While one of them conducts research in the field of dentistry, another does so in the field of nutrition, and the third one in the field of psychology. Eszter Szalai was honored with the Excellent Supervisor Award by the Centre for Translational Medicine.
Dr. Szalai is an assistant lecturer at the Department of Restorative Dentistry and Endodontics at Semmelweis University’s Faculty of Dentistry, and she herself earned her PhD degree at CTM a year and a half ago. Since this year, she has served as a co-supervisor, assisting three Ph.D. students with their research. “My students are in their first year, one of them is in the Dentistry Group, while the two others are in the Gastroenterology Group. Mónika Balázs is a dentist, and I am her co-supervisor along with Prof. János Vág. We are investigating the effect of cement spacing on the fit of milled CAD/CAM restorations. While Professor Vág is a recognized expert in the field of digital dentistry, I was not previously very familiar with this field. However, I am glad that, as a supervisor, I can expand my knowledge in this field and contribute to the research using the experience I gained as a Ph.D. student. Currently, data collection for our research is underway, and we will begin evaluating the results afterwards.”
Dr. Szalai’s other student is Gergely Soós, a dietitian, who is one step ahead in his research. He is investigating the predictive value of nutritional status on the mortality and severity in acute pancreatitis. “In this research project, I am serving as co-supervisor alongside Prof. Peter Hegyi. The field of nutritional science is close to my heart, and I have previously collaborated with dietitians on research projects covering similar topics. Gergely already has his preliminary results, and his first publication is expected to be completed before the end of this academic year. His findings indicate that patients who are malnourished may experience more severe acute pancreatitis.”
Dr. Szalai’s third student is Anna Esztella Doszpoly, a psychologist. She is investigating the prevalence of anxiety and depressive symptoms among caregivers of patients with gastrointestinal cancer. “I am also assisting with her research as a co-supervisor alongside Prof. Hegyi. We are currently reviewing the published research, and it is already clear that only a few will be useful for our study. Our work is challenging because few studies have examined how pancreatic cancer affects the mental health of the patients’ relatives. However, it would be helpful to determine how common anxiety and depression are among them, as this would allow us to provide them with personalized support.”
(Emese Szabó)