History highlights

Additional equipment was provided for the existing parish hospital, located in the building of the current Ton Cinema. Three truly poor, crippled people, flops, those unable to earn money or to beg for bread were admitted to the hospital – as long as none of them had an infectious disease, while others able to execute church services are supposed to be of old age [...] All the women are to be old, elderly, not vain. In 1768, the Branicki family also founded the Sisters of Mercy monastery with an infirmary for 12 patients. Five sisters capable of serving the sick, who they would care for, give food and medicine to, drain blood from, treat their wounds and surround them with every care possible were brought to the monastery. In the district inhabited by the Jewish population, commander Branicki established a hospital subordinate to the Jewish religious community.

The doctor occupied the apartments in the right wing of the Palace, where the Museum of the History of Medicine and Pharmacy of the MUB is located today. The school, later transformed into the Midwifery Institute, was one of the first institutions on Polish lands to educate future midwives. It operated until 1837. Initially it was located in the Branicki Palace, and later in a separate building near the palace. The programme was two semesters long. In the first - theoretical one, the female students listened to lectures on women's anatomy, pregnancy, normal and pathological births, they also practised on a mannequin. They spent the second semester on practical learning. There was a maternity clinic with eight beds in the school. According to Michelis, a future midwife should be: not sickly, but rather healthy, strong, not too old, not too thick or fat (...) her fingers should be straight, the hand should be slim, the skin on it soft and delicate: which is why such women should beware of heavy work, or doing a big laundry. Among all of these, the most valuable is the quality of a midwife or the nature of a good life and a life of unblemished opinion. Above all, they should beware of wreaking havoc and liquor as these are the most evil of immoralities.

Michelis was an author of three books on obstetrics. He was tied to Białystok until his death in 1820.

In 1922, the management of the hospital was taken over by Dr Konrad Fiedorowicz, who initiated a great revolution in hospital management in Białystok. Thanks to his actions, small municipal hospitals were moved to one place and merged under a common name - St. Roch. The selected location is the area of the former tsarist barracks on the then Piwna Street (now Maria Skłodowska-Curie Street). To this day, it is the clinical centre of Białystok, which houses university hospitals as well as a provincial hospital. A modern Jewish hospital named after Isaac Zabłudowski also operated in Białystok since the 1870s. It was located on Aleksandrowska Street (currently the Oncology Centre on Warszawska Street). It admitted the largest number of patients in Białystok who needed medical help, regardless of their religion. In 1902, the city gained another hospital at what is now ul. Warszawska 29. Initially it was led by the Russian Red Cross. In 1920, the institution was taken over by the Mission of the American Red Cross, and since 1921 by the Polish Red Cross. The hospital had 30 beds. The Polish Red Cross courses were held there, conducted, among others, by Dr Irena Białówna, Prof. Konrad Fiedorowicz and Dr Jan Walewski. In the 1950s, the building continued to perform clinical functions. A temporary Clinic of Internal Diseases of the AMB, run by Professor Jakub Chlebowski functioned there.

After the dissolution of the 9th Army in mid-1916, the tenants of the Bialystok palace changed again. In the former Ballroom, royal suites and dining room, the main sick room of the German lazaret "Castle" no. 126 was arranged. Colonel Schmidt was the head doctor in charge. It was a hospital for slightly sick soldiers. The facility operated until the end of World War I. The medical history of the Branicki Palace is complemented by an episode of a hospital for the students of the Institute of Noble Misses. The Institute was established in 1836, allocating the Hetman’s residence for its headquarters. The hospital was small and had only 12 beds. It operated until the outbreak of World War I.

The difficult role of creating a modern university in the city ruined during World War II was taken up by Prof. Tadeusz Kielanowski - the first rector in the history of the MUB. He transferred the academic traditions of the Jan Kazimierz University in Lviv to Bialystok. He was an extraordinary figure, a conscious doctor - phthisiologist, the founder of the first Polish helpline, and an excellent violinist. The beauty of the Supraśl pines is said to have determined his stay in Bialystok.

In the academic year 1950/1951, the Medical Academy of Bialystok consisted of 7 schools (School of Normal Human Anatomy, Biology with a Botanical Garden and a Healing Plants Garden, School of General Chemistry, Histology and Embryology, Physics, a Foreign Language Teaching Group, School of the Basics of Marxism-Leninism), a library and 1 clinic - of Phtysiology. The university employed 7 independent researchers, 36 auxiliary researchers, 15 laboratory workers and 88 administrative staff. In the first academic year 180 students were admitted.

The words of the first rector, Professor Tadeusz Kielanowski, turned out to be prophetic, when looking at his first students he said: "I see future assistant professors, clinic managers, professors, scientific celebrities, doctors dedicated to their patients." One of the graduates, Prof. Tadeusz Januszko, was elected rector of his home university after many years, and many took over the management of clinics and schools.

Over the course of 70 years, the Medical University of Bialystok has significantly developed the education of medical staff. This goal is being achieved by more than 800 academic teachers employed. Currently, the University has 16 study programs in three Faculties, with 5300 students. 30,000 graduates have already left the Bialystok Alma Mater.

It was the beginning of the creation of the academic campus. It also included the former Teachers' Seminary building, called Collegium Primum. The Academy had a huge area around the palace at its disposal: from the entrance gate through the courtyards, the palace garden to the exit gate from the gardens. However, the palace was largely destroyed during World War II. Until the 1960s, construction and conservation work took place to restore the "Polish Versailles" to its former glory.

In order to increase the teaching area, in 1951 the construction of Theoretical Departments was started - currently Collegium Universum at ul. Mickiewicza 2. Residence Hall No. 1 was built in the neighbourhood. In the first years, students of the Białystok University were placed in provisionally prepared rooms: in the left wing of the Palace, the Collegium Primum building and the Nurses’ School. A temporary canteen and student dayroom were organized at Collegium Primum. The designer of both buildings was Andrzej Nitsch, Eng. This architect from Krakow was one of the leading figures in Polish healthcare architecture.

The campus of the Medical University of Bialystok has been significantly expanded for 70 years. It now consists of: 17 research and teaching buildings and two university hospitals. It is an example of a wonderful coexistence of history with modernity and nature. It combines both modern and contemporary architecture and constitutes a green academic enclave in the very centre of Bialystok.

According to the maxim "a healthy spirit in a healthy body” the AZS was created first. Ryszard Kinalski became the chairman of the club. Due to the base being built, the students prepared makeshift volleyball and basketball pitches in the place of former gardens, surrounded by destroyed sculptures. The park avenues were used as running tracks.

In the first academic year 6 research clubs were established, among others: anatomists club (its members acquired the first scientific aids in the form of human skeletons dug by archaeologists from the Jaćwierz barrows in the Suwałki region), biologists’, chemists and Marxists club among others.

In the 1950s, the following were created: University choir, theater clubs, music ensembles, the academic radio Radiosupeł, the ConieCo Student Club.

Among the student organizations, the leader was the strictly ideological University Board of the Association of Polish Youth, which was responsible for the political correctness of students.

Today at MUB, there are 17 student organizations, 90 Student Research Club, the Students’ Self-Government and the Doctoral Students’ Self-Government. The Vice Rector for Education is in charge of the activity of students and doctoral students.

The founder and guardian was Prof. Witold Sławiński - the first head of the Biology Department of the AMB, the discoverer of mud deposits in the Supraśl river valley and a tireless promoter of the Supraśl curing power. The area of the Garden was divided into quarters corresponding to the ecological habitats existing in nature. On a separate quarter, the basic species of plants of pharmacopoeial significance were collected, and individual plots of this quarter contained plant species used for treating the disease of a specific organ of the human body. The garden played an important educational role and shaped the proper attitude of students towards nature. Numerous excursions of schoolchildren as well as inhabitants of Białystok, came to the garden. In 1961, on the "eve of” its liquidation, 426 plant species grew in the garden, whose seeds were exchanged with other gardens in Poland and abroad. The Botanical Garden and Medicinal Plants Garden were closed down after the death of Professor Witold Sławiński. To this day, specimens of such deciduous trees as: walnut, Turkish hazel, American cherry, amur cork and several yew shrubs can be found in the former garden and Planty Park. In its southern part, not far from the dorm, native varieties of pears, the fruit of which is resistant to fungal diseases and pests, bear abundant fruit every year. Every year, walking along the road (the extension of the ul. Waszyngtona, towards the University), you can meet people picking fallen, beautiful pears, the varieties of which you can no longer see on the stalls, and which remind some of their good years of youth.

The editor was the rector of the AMB, Professor Stanisław Legeżyński. The magazine has been published continuously since 1955, since 2006 under the changed title "Advances in Medical Science". It is present in international databases of scientific journals and its Impact Factor is 2.080. Apart from "Advances" at the Medical University of Bialystok, the scientific journal "Progress in Health Sciences" has been published since 2011. It is one of the few magazines in the country published in English by the faculties of health sciences. Since 2017 "Progress" is available online.

The first issue of "Medyk Białostocki" was published in February 1956, and Henryk Miksza, a third year student of the AMB, became the editor-in-chief. The first publishing effort undertaken, despite the great commitment of the editorial team and diverse, interesting topics, proved to be short-lived. There were only four issues published. The occasion to return to the historical publishing traditions was the jubilee of half a century of the Medical Academy of Bialystok, celebrated in 2000. The publishing of "Medyk Białostocki" was resumed. One of the main initiators and at the same time the editor-in-chief was Professor Krzysztof Worowski. The year 2002 was another milestone in the history of the magazine. The Rector, Prof. Jan Górski, entrusted Prof. Lech Chyczewski with the function of the Editor-in-Chief. The magazine's formula, layout and frequency have changed - from the "Medyk" quarterly to a monthly magazine. Since 2017 Marcin Tomkiel has been the editor. In the years 2000-2019, 173 issues of "Medyk Białostocki" were published. During the holiday months, double or triple numbers have been published since 2003. Jubilee issues are also issued.

The honoured person was the Minister of Health Dr Jerzy Dobromir Sztachelski, the initiator and co-organizer of the Medical University of Bialystok. Between 1960 and 2020, the Medical University of Bialystok awarded an honorary doctorate to 45 people. Of these, 30 are Poles and 15 are foreigners. Among the latter, the largest group is represented by Italians (3) and Americans (3), followed by the French (2), Germans (2) and one representative each from England, Belarus, Japan, Scotland and Spain. The honorary doctorate was awarded to 40 doctors of various specialties, as well as a biologist, biochemist, physiologist, pharmacist and the last President of Poland in Exile. Among the honored were Prof. Jan Nielubowicz (he performed the first kidney transplant in Poland), Prof. Zbigniew Religa (first heart transplant) and Prof. Stanisław Konturek (outstanding Polish physiologist). Among the honorary doctors there are 14 employees of Alma Mater in Białystok, including the first rector of the Medical Academy of Bialystok - Prof. Tadeusz Kielanowski, the founder of the Białystok gynecology and obstetrics school - Prof. Stefan Soszka, Prof. Tadeusz Kielanowski, Prof. Stefan Sokołowski and Prof. Karol Buluk - an outstanding pathologist and haematologist and discoverer of the 13th factor of the platelet clotting system, Prof. Maria Byrdy - a pioneer of forensic medicine in Białystok or Prof. Jan Górski - a physiologist, the rector of the Medical Academy of Bialystok and the Medical University of Bialystok.

The MUB\’s honoris causa doctors received their honorary place in the Branicki Palace. In 1989, on the first representative floor, in front of the Magna Hall and the Rector's Office, the MUB Doctors of Honoris Causa Gallery was created. It is a tradition to place in the Gallery a portrait of an honoured person during the awarding ceremony.

It was put into use in December 1962. However, the investment plans were approved by the Minister of Health Jerzy Sztachelski already in May 1954. The authors of the project were: Wanda Bieńkuńska, Leopold Koehler and Julian Sadłowski. Construction has been ongoing since 1956. Due to its size, the new hospital gained the common name "Giant" and its volume was equal to ¼ the size of the Palace of Culture and Science in Warsaw. At the same time, it was the largest investment in north-eastern Poland after Kombinat Włókienniczy in Fasty and one of the three largest hospitals under construction in Poland at that time. The facility had over 27 000 m2 of space. It housed 700 beds, 12 operating theatres, 12 staircases, 9 lifts and 1500 rooms. Dr Jerzy Sztachelski, Minister of Health and promoter of the idea of establishing the Medical Academy of Bialystok, became the hospital's patron. The hospital was built on an area that has had clinical functions since the interwar period. The first clinical unit to occupy rooms in the new hospital was the First Department and Surgical Clinic headed by prof. Feliks Oleński.

He saw the need to establish a Dental Ward at the Faculty of Medicine, due to the shortage of dentists in the Białystok Province (at that time there was a shortage of about 200 dentists in our territory). In 1967 the Department of Dentistry was established, the organization of which was entrusted to dr hab. B. Horodyski from the Medical Academy in Cracow. The first group of 30 graduates of Dentistry left the University in 1973. To date, more than 3300 graduates have completed their medical and dental studies. Initially, the teaching staff of the Dentistry Ward consisted of dentists who came to Białystok from all over Poland. Gradually, graduates of successive years of the AMB also joined. In October 1971, Dentistry received its headquarters at ul. M. Skłodowska-Curie 24a with a lecture hall for 220 people. Bialystok's dentistry is known for the high level of education of students, which is confirmed by the leading places obtained by graduates of the MUB at the Medical and Dental Final Examination. In 2018, the medical and dental program won the 1st place in the country in the ranking of dental universities Larania Dentistry (which was prepared on the basis of the most important issues from the point of view of students of dentistry, and all data were obtained from current students and graduates of this program).

The Dental Department does not only educate dentists. In 2009, the dental technology program was established and from the academic year 2020/2021 it will start educating students on dental hygiene.

The culmination of the efforts of the AMB authorities was the opening of the Sports Hall at ul. Wołodyjowskiego. It was then the largest sports hall in the then Białystok province.

The creation of a new Faculty - as the Rector Prof. Konstanty Wiśniewski said - is to a large extent the result of our initiatives, which were based on a multilateral evaluation of the needs for training medical analysts for Polish Medicine. We were co-creators of the curriculum of teaching the new profession. The first Dean, Prof. Władysław Gałasiński, took up the organization of the Faculty. The colour of the department is green. Five schools were established immediately: The School of Instrumental Analysis, Pharmaceutical Biochemistry, Physical Chemistry, Inorganic and Analytical Chemistry and Toxicology. The first program was medical analytics and since 1986 the recruitment for the pharmacy program began. In 2012, the new Faculty building - the European Pharmacy Centre - was ceremonially opened. Currently, education takes place in three programs: pharmacy, medical analytics and since 2009 - cosmetology.

The decisions were made as early as November 1974 when the Social Committee for the Construction of the Children's Health Institute in Białystok was established. Its main objective was to raise money from the society and to start construction. The Medical Academy of Bialystok has also begun to disseminate the donation certificates among public institutions and organizations for the construction of the hospital. In 1975, technical documentation was developed and the location of the investment was determined. In 1982, the construction of the Institute of Pediatrics, later called the University Children's Clinical Hospital of the Medical University of Bialystok, began. The hospital was designed for a total of 408 beds, together with medical clinics, diagnostic facilities and rehabilitation.

It took fifteen years to build and equip the hospital. The first stage was completed in 1988 when the Ludwik Zamenhof Children's Clinical Hospital was officially opened. The patron is a resident of Bialystok, a doctor, creator of the Esperanto language. The position of the first director was taken over by Professor Maciej Kaczmarski. An interesting initiative of the University authorities, inspired by actor Zygmunt Kęstowicz, was the creation of the only Early Aid Centre for Mentally Handicapped Children in the region "Dać Szansę/ To Give a Chance".

The completion of the whole investment including both the children's hospital and the so-called M block, or the Collegium Novum, took place in 2003. Rector Professor Jan Górski said then: The investment cost PLN 146 million. It resulted in one of the most modern children's hospitals in Poland and a beautiful building housing laboratory diagnostic facilities, clinics and a hospital pharmacy.

Its construction resulted from a great need to obtain a proper area for the Department of Pathological Anatomy - nowadays Pathomorphology (originally located in the Collegium Primum) and the Department of Forensic Medicine. The creation of the Collegium was initiated by the rector, Prof. Ludwik Komczyński, the founder of Białystok's pathomorphology. The building was finally put into use in 1982. In its interior there is one of the largest lecture halls of the MUB, named after Professor L. Komczyński.

The team performing in vitro surgery was composed of: Prof. Marian Szamatowicz, Prof. Waldemar Kuczyński, Prof. Marek Kulikowski, Prof. Jerzy Radwan, Dr. Euzebiusz Sola, Prof. Sławomir Wołczyński. This event was the culmination of several years of preparations. It is worth reminding here that the Bialystok Obstetrics and Gynaecology School dates back to the 18th century, when the Branicki Palace housed the School of Midwives founded by Dr Jakub F. de Michelis. However, it was only in 1953, when the Medical Academy of Bialystok established the Chair and Clinic of Obstetrics and Women's Diseases under the leadership of Prof. Stefan Soszek, that the rapid development of obstetrics and gynaecology in north-eastern Poland began. After thirty years, in the mid-eighties of the 20th century, out of 33 titular professors of obstetrics and gynaecology in Poland, 11 worked or had a connection to Białystok. Moreover, the Białystok centre holds achievements in the prevention and treatment of cancer of the genital organs, known in Poland and abroad. In 2019, the university established the University Centre of Oncology, which focuses on the surgical treatment of female genital cancers based on the latest medical standards and achievements.

In the nineteenth century, the Baroque decorations and part of the walls were removed for the needs of the Institute of Noble Misses., creating one large hall. It has maintained its cubic capacity to this day. However, the Baroque decoration was not restored until the 1990s. Renovation works have been going on since 1987. On the basis of Baroque patterns and photographic documentation, the eighteenth-century decoration of the palace chapel was reconstructed. The altar is decorated with paintings by Grzegorz Klimowicz and Igor Jańczuk. At the same time, renovation works were carried out in the Aula, which received a stylized, rococo arrangement. Pseudo-historical painting decorations were also made. The paintings decorating the Aula were made by the artists Dorota and Jerzy Łabanowski. The ceremonial opening of the renovated rooms took place in October 1990, during the inauguration of the academic year.

However, the tradition of educating nurses dates back to 1956, when the State School of Nursing started operating at the university. The new Faculty was established on the basis of the Nursing Ward, which was established in 1999 at the Faculty of Medicine. The first scientific and didactic unit established in its structure was the Department of Nursing Theory under the direction of Prof. Elżbieta Krajewska-Kułak. In 2003, the Faculty of Nursing was composed of 13 scientific and didactic units. The Faculty taught the following subjects: nursing, midwifery, physiotherapy and public health. The first dean was Prof. Jan Karczewski. In 2008, the name was changed to the Faculty of Health Sciences. In October 2011, classes started in the newly built, modernly equipped Didactic and Scientific Centre of the Faculty of Health Sciences. In 2020, the structure of the Faculty is composed of 28 units, including 7 clinics, 18 departments, 2 independent laboratories and 1 study. At present, the Faculty offers 9 programs: biostatistics, dietetics, electroradiology, physiotherapy, speech therapy with phonoaudiology, nursing, obstetrics, medical rescue and public health.

This meant changing the name of the Faculty to the Faculty of Medicine with the Division of Dentistry and the Division of Medical Education in English. It was a momentous, prestigious event for the Faculty and the University. The Rector Professor Jan Górski said: "The past academic year in our university was a year of extraordinary activity. An activity that has translated into measurable effects today, an activity whose effects are not yet visible, but which has created strong foundations for its further functioning. At the Faculty of Medicine, we established the Division of Medical Education in English. A group of students from Scandinavian countries starts learning in this language".

Currently, nearly 400 foreign students study medicine in English at the MUB. They come from over 30 countries around the world. In the fifteen-year history of this program, 10 classes - over 350 graduates- have been awarded their medical diplomas. English-speaking students take an active part in the annual Golden Scapula anatomical knowledge competitions, in which they achieve very good results. In addition, many students of this program successfully represent the University in sports competitions of various disciplines. The international community of English-speaking students is active outside the university. By organizing football tournaments or celebrating their national holidays, they perfectly fit into the local community and culturally enrich Bialystok and the whole region.

From the very beginning, the university has been making every effort to remind of the times of its eighteenth-century glory. Hence the systematically planned renovations and conservation works. One of the most important moments was in the years 2004-2007 when the Palace's external elevation was restored to its original colour scheme - ochre and warm white. Illumination has also been installed so that the beauty of the palace can be admired not only during the day but also at night. The scope of work also included replacement of window joinery, renovation of external doors, restoration of stairs and terraces, two domes of the main body and replacement of the side wings roofing. From the side of the palace garden a new gravel surface was made using the Hanse-Grand technology. In the left and right wing of the palace, the Gothic walls have been uncovered, secured and opened to the public. The representative rooms, accessible to people from outside, were also renovated. The main staircase with a hall, the moving sculptures there, the side staircases, the Rector's Study and Rector's Office rooms, the library and the column room were all renovated and restored. In 2007 the ongoing construction and maintenance works were finally completed. These were the first renovation works on such a large scale since the post-war reconstruction of the palace.

"We are one of the best medical universities in the country. A university with very solid foundations, a university with a clear perspective. Behind this success there is a clear development program, a program that we all carry out with reliable daily work". The culmination of the dynamic development of the Alma Mater in Bialystok so far was achieving University status in 2008. Activities aimed at changing the name of the University were already undertaken in 2006. On 22 March 2008, the Act signed by the President of the Republic of Poland, Lech Kaczyński, on the change of name from the Medical Academy of Bialystok to the Medical University of Bialystok came into force. The Senate adopted a new statute, logo and banner of the MUB. The status of the University was a response to the challenge of the present day and better reflected the nature of education and the level of scientific research.

The change of the University's status allowed for even faster development. Currently, the Medical University of Bialystok is a modern, dynamically developing public higher education institution, whose mission is to educate professional, responsible, modern medical staff and conduct scientific research at the highest international level.

The facility took over the rooms in the right wing of the Palace, where in the 18th century the Branicki family doctors lived, among others. The Museum has become a kind of a treasury of Białystok's medical heritage, souvenirs of the graduates of the Medical University of Bialystok and medical institutions. There are exhibitions devoted to the history of surgery, dentistry, pharmacy, anatomy, radiology or ophthalmology. The museum houses more than 10,000 exhibits from the 18th to the 20th century. In 2018, the seventeenth-century palace cellars, which house the most modern exhibition on the history of the Branicki Palace, were put at the disposal of the visitors. It is a part of the historical path "A walk into the past of the Branicki Palace", executed by MUB using EU funds. The Museum serves as a scientific and didactic base in the field of history of medicine and pharmacy for the students of the MUB. Medical knowledge is also promoted among students of educational institutions, during museum classes. With the inhabitants of the region and tourists in mind, the Museum organizes a number of cultural events, including Museum Night, European Heritage Days, The Podlasie Science and Art Festival, The European Academic Heritage Day, a film festival and others. The museum enjoys great popularity among the academic community, the region's inhabitants as well as tourists from Poland and abroad. Since its inception, the facility has been visited by nearly 200 thousand visitors. The MUB Museum is also a co-founder of the Association of University Museums, established in Warsaw in 2014 to protect and promote academic heritage in Poland.

In 2010 the MUB opened one of the most modern Centre for Experimental Medicine with a prestigious GLP quality certificate in this part of Europe. Soon, the Innovative Research Centre was established, which, as one of the six scientific centres in the country, received the title of National Leading Scientific Centre (KNOW). The CBI's research areas include modern-age diseases, which are major threats to the health of society.

The ultra-modern Euroregionial Pharmacy Centre at the MUB is engaged in the search for new drugs and research on new methods of treating cancer and skin diseases. In response to the global challenge of metabolic disease epidemics, the Clinical Research Centre was established. The aim of the CBD is to search for new biomarkers for early detection and methods of effective individual therapy of modern-age diseases based on innovative large-scale technologies. In 2015 the Laboratory of Molecular Imaging and Technology Development was launched. It is equipped with the world's most modern, innovative whole-body hybrid PET/MR scanner. The newest at the MUB, and at the same time the first in Poland, is the Center for Artificial Intelligence in Medicine. It examines AI-based solutions that facilitate the doctor's diagnosis. Artificial intelligence is not just about robots. For medicine, programs, algorithms and such bioinformatic solutions that analyze very large amounts of data (Big Data), confront them with information from other databases are more useful. On this basis they can propose the most optimal form of therapy.

Currently, the strategic research projects are: innovative cohort studies allowing to detect modern-age diseases in their early stages of development (Białystok Plus, targeting 10 thousand patients) and creating a reference model of personalized diagnosis of cancer tumors (Strategmed). The first Artificial Intelligence Centre in Medicine in Poland was established at MUB, based on the generation of high quality complex data sets from patients with modern age diseases. The MUB is a leader in high quality biobanking of biological material from patients with modern-age diseases.

In a competition by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education "Initiative of Excellence - Research University" the MUB was one of the 20 best universities in Poland. International experts evaluating applications recommended that the Polish government should financially support the innovative idea of HD Medicine implemented at the University in Podlasie.

Cooperation with scientists from abroad, representing global scientific and research centres, such as the Mayo Clinic, the National Institute of Health in Bethesda USA, the Harvard Medical School, the University of Pennsylvania, Universitätsmedizin Greifswald, Universidad CEU San Pablo, Madrid, China Agricultural University, is developing dynamically.