Professor Henryk Skarżyński, founder and director of the Institute of Physiology and Pathology of Hearing, received the Welconomy Emerald – the most important award presented during the 28th Welconomy Economic Forum in Toruń.
Since 2018, this award has been bestowed upon people whose attitude and activity encourage the development of our country. The laureates of the previous editions have been Jerzy Kwieciński, Minister of Development, Piotr Franciszek Całbecki, Marshall of Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship, and Michał Zaleski, Presient of Toruń.
– Emerald is a precious stone of green. Green is the color of hope that we always need. Prof. Henryk Skarżyński engenders hope by helping thousands of patients to get out of the sad reality of silence and return to the world of sounds and music. With his works, he has made Polish otolaryngology into a brand recognized worldwide – said Jacek Janiszewski, Chairman of the Welconomy Programme Board.
Prof. Henryk Skarżyński, M.D., Ph.D., dr. h.c. multi is a world-famous otosurgeon and specialist in otolaryngology, audiology, and phoniatrics, and the National Consultant in the field of otolaryngology. He was the first surgeon in Poland performing cochlear implantations (since 1992), auditory brainstem implantations (since 1998), and middle ear implantations (since 2003). In 2002, he developed a pioneer program for treating partial deafness in adults and later (in 2004) performed the world’s first operation on a child. This method, referred to as the Polish specialty, was implemented in nine world centers. Furthermore, Prof. Henryk Skarżyński introduced over a hundred new clinical solutions, contributing to the development of cochlear implants, otosurgery, and audiology in Poland and worldwide. Thanks to this activity, Poland is among the leading countries conducting hearing screening tests among children.
In their justification, the members of the Award Committee stressed that “Making his dream come true, 25 years ago Professor Henryk Skarżyński created the Institute of Physiology and Pathology of Hearing (IFPS) in Kajetany, where the most hearing improvement surgeries are performed. This year is also the 30th anniversary of the launch by Prof. Henryk Skarżyński of the deafness treatment program in Poland. The Institute’s activity has had a huge impact on the development of Polish and global science and medicine in otolaryngology. Over these 25 years, the representatives of the Institute have received a thousand awards, created hundreds of innovative solutions and organized hundreds of Polish nationwide and international scientific conferences”.
The 28th Welconomy Forum was held on 21-22 June 2021 in Toruń. This year, it was dedicated to the impact of the pandemic on the socio-economic changes in the country and worldwide, as well as the Green Deal, the role of banks and aid institutions in rebuilding economic and investment activity, and the functioning of commercial networks at a time of crisis.
Source of photos: Welconomy in Toruń