The fourth annual Masaryk University Faculty of Medicine Alumni Day saw record attendance and featured several touching stories and surprising reunions.
Laughter, warm reunions after decades apart, and endless reminiscing about student years and first hospital shifts. That was the atmosphere of this year’s Alumni Day at the Faculty of Medicine of Masaryk University, which brought more than two hundred former students from several generations back to their alma mater. As in previous years, the event centered on anniversary graduation ceremonies and the presentation of commemorative certificates to alumni who had graduated fifty or twenty-five years ago. The afternoon program included tours of the Simulation Center and the Department of Anatomy, followed by a social gathering in the conference facilities of the university library.
The friendly and informal atmosphere was evident from the very beginning of the morning ceremonies. This year’s anniversary graduations were not only record-breaking in attendance but also remarkably spontaneous. “I would just like to add that Maruška hasn’t changed a bit over all these years!” a voice called out from the auditorium after Dr. Marie Kolářová of the Department of Public Health reflected on her fifty years at the faculty while receiving her commemorative diploma from Dean Professor Martin Repko. There were many similarly heartwarming moments throughout the morning, as numerous alumni eagerly shared their own memories rather than remaining mere spectators.
The ceremonies also included more reflective moments. One alumna recalled classmates who are no longer with us, reminding everyone of the long journeys many of those present have taken since their student days. Family traditions in medicine also emerged as a recurring theme. Many alumni arrived accompanied by their children or grandchildren, often physicians themselves. Shortly after Associate Professor Markéta Bébarová from the Department of Physiology received her silver commemorative certificate, her mother stepped forward to receive a golden one of her own. This year’s gathering offered many stories connecting several generations of medical professionals. Among the anniversary alumni was Dr. Bohumil Joukal, a long-time member of Brno’s Centre for Cardiovascular and Transplant Surgery and the father of Professor Marek Joukal, Head of the Department of Anatomy at the Faculty of Medicine.
Nearly forty graduates from the class of 2001 and twice as many from the class of 1976 registered for the anniversary ceremonies. More than 220 registered participants attended, joined by dozens of relatives, colleagues, and friends. “We attended our golden graduation last year, but we came back again because we stood here crying the whole time — it was so moving,” admitted two physicians, recalling the traditional finale of the ceremony, the student anthem Gaudeamus igitur.
This year, the song was also sung by the oldest participant of Alumni Day, 91-year-old Dr. Marcela Velíšková, a graduate of the class of 1960. By a remarkable coincidence, she reunited after 58 years with her former colleague from the pediatric department of the hospital in Kroměříž, Dr. Alois Šindler, who received a “diamond” commemorative certificate marking sixty years since graduation. “I remember Dr. Šindler when he first arrived — such an elegant lad with an umbrella. And he still is,” recalled the lively nonagenarian before she and her colleague, six years her junior, began sharing memories of the “brilliant but hot-tempered head physician” of the Kroměříž pediatric department. Such reunions are among the most treasured moments of the entire day.
In the afternoon, alumni visited places that did not yet exist during their studies, including the modern Simulation Center and the Department of Anatomy, together with its dissection rooms and museum. Accompanied by current students, many compared their own educational experiences with the ways medical education has evolved over recent decades. The afternoon program opened with a lecture by Professor Jaroslav Štěrba, Head of the Department of Pediatric Oncology. As every year, the Archives of Masaryk University contributed a thematic exhibition evoking memories of student life. Student organizations were also present, and the Centre of Medicinal Plants participated in Alumni Day for the first time.
The last visitors left only after five o’clock in the afternoon, some already planning to return to their alma mater next June. “I have to say, everything has been prepared beautifully,” praised one participant, a graduate of Charles University who accompanied her friend to the event. “I attended our golden graduation at Charles University last year, but it was over in no time — we received our diplomas and went straight home. I truly enjoyed today.”
Despite the heatwave, many interested visitors made their way to the Medicinal Herbs Centre during the 64th Medicinal Plant Exhibition. They were drawn by the blooming botanical garden and a panel exhibition titled Poppy, Cannabis, Drugs: Helpers and Tempters of Humanity.
Ten guests and inspiration spanning a wide range of disciplines. The second season of Breakfast with a Scientist once again brought together researchers, students, teachers, and clinicians. The third season of this unique series of informal gatherings will begin on 22 September.
