Faculty of Medicine

The Faculty of Medicine is the oldest Faculty of Woclaw Medical University. It was established in 1945, as one of the faculties of the University and Technical University in Wrocław. The first Dean of the Faculty of Medicine was Prof. Ludwik Hirszfeld, who, in 1945, gave the inaugural speech opening the first academic year in Wrocław. In 1945, 467 students began their studies at the Faculty of Medicine.

On 1 January 1950, the Faculty of Medicine of the University and Technical University was transformed into an independent institution - the Medical Academy. There were two Faculties at the Academy: Medicine and Pharmacy. At that time, the Dean of the Faculty of Medicine was Prof. Antoni Falkiewicz. With the establishment of the Medical Academy, the number of students at the Faculty increased to 2,100.

From 1948, the Unit of Dentistry functioned within the Faculty of Medicine, and in the period from 1954 to 1966 - also the Unit of Pediatrics. In 1992, from the organisational structure and staff of academic teachers of the Faculty of Medicine, the Faculty of Postgraduate Medical Training was created. The Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry was created in 2000. In 2003, the unit for foreign students, where lectures were conducted in English - the English Division, was established. After those changes, the Faculty of Medicine has taken on the greatest burden of teaching responsibilities.

Initially, the scientific staff of the Faculty of Medicine consisted mainly of professors from the Jan Kazimierz University in Lviv. The first meeting of the Medical Faculty Council was held on 12 January 1946, with the participation of 14 people. When the Medical Academy was established, the Faculty of Medicine consisted of 30 Departments managed by 8 associate professors, 13 docents and 4 deputy professors.

Many world-renowned scientists conducted their research at the Faculty of Medicine. on 12 February 1958, Prof. Wiktor Bross performed the first open-heart surgery in Poland, and on 31 March 1966, the first kidney transplant from a living donor. Those were achievements of European significance at that time. In the 1960s and 1970s, the Third Clinic of Surgery, headed by Prof. Zdzisław Jezioro specialised in oesophagal surgery, achieving a leading position in the country. Moreover, works in the fields of microbiology (Ludwik Hirszfeld), biochemistry and enzymology (Zygmunt Albert, Tadeusz Baranowski, Edward Szczeklik, M. Orłowski and Apolinary Szewczuk), spatial ectrocardiography (Hugon and Zofia Kowarzyk), bacteriology (Stefan Ślopek), pathology of pregnancy and foetus (Hanna Hirszfeldowa), experimental surgery (Wiktor Bross) were awarded state prizes.