On May 10th 2018, the 6th anniversary of the opening of World Hearing Center (WHC) – an extremely important institution for the development of science and the search for new ways of diagnosing and treating defects of senses. Its originator, creator and director is prof. Henryk Skarżyński. The Center provides comprehensive care for people with congenital and acquired disadvantages of hearing, voice, speech and balance. It is unique and the first facility of this type on international scale.
In 2012 something very important happened in Polish medicine and science: the World Hearing Center was created. – recalls prof. Henryk Skarżyński – Something like this cannot be created overnight or every year. There is a work of many people and certain amounts of money behind that. Over 120 million investment has been completed within a dozen of months. Over one-third of the funds were developed by the team. Several new scientific facilities were established, including many first in the world like for example the first National Network of Teleaudiology. Creating the assumptions and action plan of the World Hearing Center from the beginning I saw them in many dimensions, which concerned different scientific environments in the area of not only medicine itself, but also outside it. I wanted the creation of this institution to guarantee – through scientific activity – building a new image and the new position of Polish medicine and science in the world, and also to show new directions of activity.- says prof. Skarżyński.
The WHC establishment was very important for the development of science and the search for new ways of diagnosing and treating the disadvantages of senses. Today, the Center is both a modern hospital with unique medical equipment, providing medical services at the highest world-class level, with a huge technical background, as well as a well-prepared educational center conducting extensive research and education activities and training specialists from around the world, in the field of medicine, clinical engineering, speech therapy, surdopedagogy and surdopsychology. For six years 23 international courses and scientific workshops took place – in total, over 1,000 young doctors and scientists from around the world were trained. Our interdisciplinary team organized 27 national and international congresses, conferences and symposia including 3 scientific conferences “Guidelines in othorhinolarigology, audiology and phoniatrics”, 1st World Tinnitus Congress and 12th International Tinnitus Seminar, 4th International Symposium on Otosclerosis and Stapes Surgery. In total, we were visited by several thousands of guests from around the world.
Within six years from the World Hearing Center opening, prof. Henryk Skarżyński launched seven pioneering implantation programs for new auditory implants as: Codacs, Bonebridge, Baha 4 Attract System, MET, Synchrony, Vibrant Soundbridge with LP-Coupler and Cochlear OSIA OSI100. That means that Polish patients of the Center have access to the latest technologies as the first or one of the first in the world. This is a very clear proof of the clinical and scientific position of the WHC.
Currently, patients, doctors, scientists and students have over 20,000 square meters of space with 6 operating rooms, several dozen diagnostic cabinets where several hundred patients are admitted daily, 2 multimedia studios of the first in the world of the National Teleaudiology Network, 7 conference rooms, where 800 people can be trained in the same time, as well as an educational center with modern equipment for surgical exercises on anatomical preparations and computer simulators with spots for 40 people to train.
The summary of these excellent achievements are many awards that have been awarded as recognition by medical and scientific communities and experts in the fields of economics, management, and also politics and the media. Over the last 6 years, prof. Henryk Skarżyński received almost 150 awards, medals, diplomas, honorary titles, including many particularly important: Commander’s Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta, title of “Outstanding Pole”, title of “Man of Freedom”, Wiktor statuette, Pope Medal of Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice, ECCE HOMO medal and Order of the Smile, as well as the Medal of Nicolaus Copernicus awarded by the Presidium of the Polish Academy of Sciences, the medal of the Archdiocese of Warsaw and the medal awarded by the Primate of Poland. Professor is also the winner of the “Science is Freedom” plebiscite and medals given by the Warsaw University of Technology, Gdańsk University of Technology, Maria Curie-Sklodowska University in Lublin, the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music in Warsaw, the Medical University of Warsaw, Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University, the Faculty of Management at the University of Warsaw and the Warsaw University of Life Sciences. He also received the Personality of the Year 2012 title, Special Honorary Pearl, Economic Award of the President of the Republic of Poland and compared with the Nobel Prize – Special Prize Galien Prize. In 2015 and 2016, in the “List of One Hundred” – the ranking published by editors of “Puls Medycyny”, Professor Skarżyński was recognized as the No. 1 – the most influential person in Polish medicine, and placed in the first hundred from positions from the 2nd to the 46th of all rankings in the last 12 years.
Over the last 6 years, other members of the Management and Employees were also awarded: the Officer’s Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta – dir. Jerzy Mazur, Deputy Director for Administrative Affairs, Knight’s Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta – Witold Cieśla Ph. D., Deputy Director of IFPS for Medical Affairs, and ass. prof. Krzysztof Kochanek Ph.D., M.D., ENG, IFPS Scientific Secretary.
In addition, the President of the Republic of Poland admitted below decorations for the service in health protection:
Gold Cross of Merit:
1. Anna Geremek – Samsonowicz
2. Andrzej Graniewski
3. Agata Szkiełkowska
Silver Cross of Merit:
1. Barbara Alicja Buniowska
2. Tadeusz Janusz Lewandowski
3. Artur Lorens
4. Maciej Marcin Mrówka
5. Marek Porowski
6. Małgorzata Uszyńska-Tuzinek
7. Elżbieta Anna Włodarczyk
Bronze Cross of Merit:
1. Rafał Bereszczyński
2. Barbara Budzik
3. Danuta Kral
4. Małgorzata Lisicka
5. Katarzyna Łazęcka
6. Tomasz Mazur
7. Paulina Młotkowska-Klimek
8. Anita Obrycka
9. Agnieszka Pankowska
10. Anna Piotrowska
11. Joanna Ratyńska
12. Jolanta Serafin-Jóźwiak
13. Piotr Sopliński
14. Grażyna Tacikowska
15. Wiesław Wiktor Jędrzejczak
16. Joanna Maria Kobosko
17. Paulina Beata Młotkowska-Klimek
18. Adam Tadeusz Piłka
19. Danuta Raj- Koziak
20. Grażyna Anna Tacikowska
21. Adam Walkowiak
22. Iwona Ewa Wójcicka
Based on the Minister of Health decision the honorary awarded was awarded to:
1. Grażyna Bartnik
2. Jadwiga Bruska
3. Barbara Buniowska
4. Małgorzata Kaniewska
5. Krystyna Kaszewska
6. Lidia Kłonica
7. Maria Zalewska
Gold Medal for a longtime service
1. Teresa Barbara Bednarczyk
2. Alicja Małgorzata Czepczarz
3. Małgorzata Jolanta Przestrzelska
4. Małgorzata Zegar
Silver Medal for a longtime service
1. Małgorzata Jóźwiak
2. Maria Wanda Matuszewska
3. Anna Mazur
Bronze Medal for a longtime service
1. Robert Nowotka
2. Aneta Monika Olkowska
The Award of Honor
1. Małgorzata Janina Ganc
2. Bogusława Gągol
3. Lucyna Karpiesz
4. Krystyna Maria Kilińska
5. Maria Ludwiszewska
6. Aleksandra Iwona Prawicz
In the year of the 100th anniversary of Poland’s regaining the Independence, during the Flag Day, the President of the Republic of Poland Andrzej Duda, handed the state flags to distinguished organizations, including the Institute of Physiology and Pathology of Hearing.
The Center is a showcase of Polish medicine. The team’s achievements have been recognized and rewarded by representatives of the highest authorities in Poland from the very beginning. The Center is frequently visited by representatives of the government, parliament and foreign delegations. It was also visited by the First Ladies of Poland, Slovakia, Azerbaijan, Ukraine and Estonia as well as presidents of world and European scientific societies and ambassadors of many countries in the world.
Otolaryngologists, audiologists, phoniatricians, speech therapists, surdopedagogues, psychologists, clinical engineers and technicians provide and conduct more than 200,000 consultations and examinations at the WHC clinics annually.
There are about 60-70 hearing improving surgeries conducted in the WHC everyday – the most in the world in the field of otorhinolaryngology, audiology and phoniatrics. Particularly noteworthy is the implantation of over 6,500 auditory implants, which places the Center at the forefront of the world. Over 3.5 millions of people have already benefited from various forms of assistance. This institution is also a well-functioning and organized enterprise which gives jobs to over 450 employees.