He has regularly attended meetings, provided guidance, and maintained open communication to ensure ongoing mentoring and encouragement. His reliability and dedication reflect a strong sense of responsibility for the development and supervision of students. Tibor Zelles was honored with the Excellent Supervisor Award by the Centre for Translational Medicine.

Dr. Zelles is an Associate Professor in the Department of Oral Biology, Semmelweis University. He is a neuropharmacologist who was invited to join the department in 2021 by Ákos Zsembery, Head of Department. He joined the CTM program last year as a co-supervisor of Nazanin Ghods, who is researching evidence-based solutions for orthodontic acceleration. Currently, Dr. Ghods is not only a Ph.D. student but also supports other students as a Scientific Methodology Supervisor, in addition to her research work. This academic year, Dr. Zelles has taken on another Ph.D. student as a co-supervisor.

“Man Qu is a first-year DMD-Ph.D. student who is investigating the association between temporomandibular disorders (TMDs) and orthodontic treatment, and the risk factors for TMDs in orthodontic patients. Currently, she is a fourth-year dental student, and she continues her studies with excellent results, demonstrating her outstanding abilities. Initially, she was interested in TDK work, but ultimately she asked me to serve as her co-supervisor in the DMD-Ph.D. program at CTM. She shared her research interests with me, and I gladly agreed to assist her in further developing her academic career,” says Dr. Zelles.

Since Man Qu has just launched her research, the results are still pending, but Dr. Zelles' other Ph.D. student has already achieved impressive results. “In her first project, Dr. Ghods investigated the efficacy of clinically used non-invasive orthodontic adjuvant cures like low-level laser-, LED-, vibration-, low-intensity pulsed ultrasound-, electrical stimulation-, electromagnetic field therapy, and shockwaves. Her goal was to identify the most patient-friendly, effective and non-invasive adjuvant therapies that minimize treatment time and risk. She has recently completed the writing of her manuscript, which is now being prepared for submission.”

(Szabó Emese)