On the occasion of the commemoration of the Establishment of the Independent Czechoslovak State on 28 October, Vice‑Rector of Masaryk University, Professor RNDr. Šárka Pospíšilová, PhD, received a state decoration in the Vladislav Hall of Prague Castle. The award, presented by President Petr Pavel, recognised her services to the state in the field of science — in particular her extensive contributions to genetics and molecular biology. She is the head of the Institute of Medical Genetics and Genomics and also works at CEITEC MU and Brno University Hospital.
On the occasion of the commemoration of the Establishment of the Independent Czechoslovak State, Professor RNDr. Šárka Pospíšilová, PhD, received the presidential Medal of Merit in the field of science in the Vladislav Hall of Prague Castle. A molecular biologist and geneticist, vice‑rector of Masaryk University in Brno and a lecturer at both the Faculty of Medicine of Masaryk University, she was honoured for her long‑standing and significant contributions to genetics and molecular biology, which have substantially advanced leukaemia diagnostics and contributed to knowledge of the genetic makeup of the Czech population.
Prof. Pospíšilová is the author and co‑author of more than 200 scientific publications in international peer‑reviewed journals, holds seven patents and has written several specialist books. She is an active member of EMBO and of a number of other important national and international professional societies focused on genetic and haematological disorders. She represents the Czech Republic in the international Genome of Europe initiative and is also engaged in public outreach in genetics.
Born on 2 January 1969, she studied molecular genetics and biology at the Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, and earned her PhD in molecular and cellular biology. In 2002, she joined Brno University Hospital; in 2008, she became director of the Centre of Molecular Biology and Gene Therapy and in 2011, took over the leadership of one of the centres at the Central European Institute of Technology (CEITEC). In 2022, she was elected to the prestigious European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO).
In July 2019, she was appointed Vice‑Rector of Masaryk University for Research and Doctoral Studies; she assumed the post in August 2019 and successfully retained it in 2023. Over the course of her career she has received numerous awards, including two Minister of Health prizes for research and development, the Presidium Prize of the Czech Medical Association, the Hlávka Prize for scientific literature, the Koštíř Prize of the Czech Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, and two awards from the League Against Cancer. In 2023 Forbes ranked her 69th on its list of the most influential women in the Czech Republic.
Members of the Scientific Board of the Masaryk University Faculty of Medicine met for their final session of the year at the Simulation Centre. The key agenda items included the discussion of three habilitation procedures and a proposal to award an honorary doctorate to the dean of a prestigious American medical school.
Volunteers from IFMSA CZ Brno transformed the Brno shopping center Olympia into an improvised clinic over the weekend of November 15-16. On the occasion of World Diabetes Day, they offered passers-by a moment to pause, free examinations, and important education on preventing lifestyle diseases.
