He was among the first to join CTM's program from the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Semmelweis University, and has been an active supervisor ever since. His students are making excellent progress with their research; one of them recently published her findings in a high-impact journal. Zsolt Melczer was honored with the Excellent Supervisor Award by the Centre for Translational Medicine.

Dr. Melczer joined CTM’s program as a supervisor right after it was launched at Semmelweis University. His first Ph.D. student was Dr. Balázs Hamar, who was among the first to earn a doctoral degree through this program. He currently has two senior students: Boglárka Fehér, in her third year, and Anita Gréta Perényi, in her second year, who has put her studies on hold due to maternity leave. Dr. Melczer also has a first-year student, Olivér Zsombor Solymosi.

Dr. Fehér has just achieved a remarkable success: she has published a study in the D1 journal American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Her meta-analysis showed that the presence of genital mycoplasmas in the cervix and vagina may be associated with a higher risk of preterm birth and low birth weight. “Gynecological infections underlying vaginal discharge have always been important research topics, and a large number of patients visit gynecological clinics with these types of problems. Gynecologists treat such infections, but a major concern was what effects these conditions might have if the affected woman became pregnant. For example, could colonized pathogens that do not cause symptoms lead to preterm birth, premature rupture of membranes, or even miscarriage? In our meta-analysis, we examined the risk posed by the presence of mycoplasmas and ureaplasmas to pregnancy outcomes. Clarifying this was important because gynecologists consider these pathogens significant, but unlike syphilis and gonorrhea, they are not specifically screened for in pregnant women. However, as our meta-analysis pointed out, it would be advisable to screen for mycoplasmas and ureaplasmas during pregnancy. This would be beneficial because, although they are not considered serious infections, they can affect pregnancy outcomes.”

The other senior student of Dr. Melczer, Dr. Perényi, began her academic career as a student researcher. “As a medical student, she participated in TDK conferences, where she performed exceptionally well. She was primarily interested in nutrition-related issues, conducted research in that field, and wanted to continue this work as a Ph.D. student. In her first project, she is investigating the efficacy and safety of PUFA supplementation on carbohydrate metabolism parameters among patients with gestational diabetes. Since she is on maternity leave, she does not have any publishable results yet, but otherwise her research is progressing well.” Olivér Solymosi is an MD-Ph.D. student researching the effects of maternal gonorrhea on pregnancy and neonatal outcomes. He is making excellent progress, and his first manuscript will be completed soon.

(Szabó Emese)