Nicolaus Copernicus University Ludwik Rydygier Collegium Medicum in Bydgoszcz

Collegium Medicum was previously known as the Ludwik Rydygier Medical University, which was established by the Seym (the lower chamber of the Polish parliament) on 21st July 1984. In October, the same year, the Rector, Prof. dr hab. Jan Domaniewski inaugurated the first year of functioning of the youngest medical university in Poland.
In 2004 the Medical University in Bydgoszcz was incorporated into the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń as the Ludwik Rydygier Collegium Medicum in Bydgoszcz and since then has been providing academic education as part of NCU.

Currently, Collegium Medicum in Bydgoszcz provides students with education in the Polish language in three faculties:

• Faculty of Medicine
• Faculty of Pharmacy
• Faculty of Health Sciences

and at the following levels:

• Master's Degree
• Bachelor's Degree
• Doctoral studies (Faculty of Medicine and Faculty of Health Sciences)

Education can be pursued in 11 fields of study (medicine, biotechnology, pharmacy, medical analytics, cosmetology, physiotherapy, emergency medicine, dietetics, nursing, midwifery, public health) and a few specializations within these fields.
In the academic year 2008/2009 there are about 5000 students at Collegium Medicum. Besides Polish students, education is received by students from Belarus, France, Germany, Kenya, Mongolia, Russia, Ukraine.
The number of academic teachers employed at Collegium Medicum amounts to about 700.

Dr Antoni Jurasz University Hospital in Bydgoszcz and Dr Jan Biziel University Hospital No.2 in Bydgoszcz function at Collegium Medicum as the base for educating, carrying out scientific research and providing highly specialized diagnostic, medical and rehabilitation services. Except for these, the organisational units of Collegium Medicum work on the basis of:

• Oncology Centre in Bydgoszcz
• Kuyavia and Pomerania Pulmonology Centre in Bydgoszcz
• Provincial Infectious Diseases Hospital in Bydgoszcz
• Ludwik Rydygier Provincial Polyclinical Hospital in Toruń
• Provincial Children's Hospital in Toruń

Additionally, Collegium Medicum's didactic activity is based on:

• Military Teaching Hospital No.10 with a Polyclinic in Bydgoszcz

Each year didactic and research possibilities of Collegium Medicum are expanding, an example of which is a new building for the paediatric clinic as well as the opening of the Chair and Clinic of Cardiac Surgery, the Clinic of Oncological Surgery, the Chair and Clinic of Oncological Gynecology and Gynecological Nursing. Another spectacular achievement was the opening of northern Poland's first bone marrow transplant centre at the Chair and Clinic of Pediatrics, Hematology and Oncology. Collegium Medicum is taking part in works that aim to create the Regional Centre of Telemedicine which is going to be located in the Dr. A. Jurasz University Hospital in Bydgoszcz.

Research units of Collegium Medicum receive prestigious accreditations:

• The Chair of Forensic Medicine received accreditation of FBI for mitochondrial DNA genetic tests
• The Chair and Department of Clinical Biochemistry received accreditation of ESCODD for measurement of DNA oxidative damage
• The Chair and Department of Radiology and Imaging Diagnostics received the IDEA attestation

High standards of work in our laboratories and a high quality of research procedures are proved by many international and national quality certificates:

1. For the Chair of Forensic Medicine:
   • Attestation of the GEDNAP German DNA Profiling Group - biological traces - years: 2000, 2001, 2002 (2 trainings per year)
   • Attestation of the CTS Corporation - "Forensic biology" - 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002 (at least twice a year)
   • Attestation of the Polish Society of Forensic Medicine and Criminology (PTMSiK) - biological traces - 1998,1999,
   • Attestation of PTMSiK - analysis of doubtful paternity cases - 1998, 1999
   • FBI validation qualifying for access to and co-creation of mtDNA database (SWGDAM) - 2000
   • YHRD validation for determining the 9 loci Y-STR haplotype - 2000
   • EDNAP validation qualifying for co-creation of mtDNA database (EMPOP) - 2002
2. The Chair and Clinic of Infectious Diseases:
   • Certificates of molecular diagnostic testing for HCV - Glasgow 2002/2003 and for HBV, HCV, HIV, CMV, toxoplasmosis - Helsinki 2002/2003

Our chairs take part in international scientific and didactic programs. The employees of Collegium Medicum have scientific relations with research centres in Germany (Wuppertal, Berlin, Kiel), Switzerland (Aarau), Holland (Amsterdam), France (Paris), Sweden (Lund), Norway (Sandvika), Belgium (Antwerp, Liège) and the USA (Houston).

The honorary doctorates for Prof. dr Jeana Natali from France (2001) and Prof. Lars Norgren from Sweden (2003) are signs of appreciation for high level international cooperation. The title of Doctor Honoris Causa was also granted to: Prof. Jean Daniel Picard (1998), Prof. zw. dr hab. Stefan Raszeja (1998), Dr.rer.nat. Miral Dizdaroglu (2000), Prof. zw. dr hab. Bogdan Romański (2001), Prof. zw dr hab. Tadeusz Pisarski (2002), Prof. zw. dr hab. Andrzej Bilikiewicz (2004), Prof. zw. dr hab. Jan Domaniewski (2004).

Moreover, Collegium Medicum in Bydgoszcz organizes national and international scientific conferences.