Ostrava′s Faculty of Medicine will strengthen practical training and research and bring more AI into teaching
Rastislav Maďar, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Ostrava, outlines his plan for the next two years. The faculty has established binding criteria for practical training and aims to provide students with more real-world skills from clinics and departments. In terms of research, the focus will be on building stable teams and supporting the best doctoral students.
In January 2026, our faculty introduced a new Dean′s directive establishing binding quality criteria for students′ practical training. This serves as a “decalogue” for the teaching staff, aimed at providing students with enhanced experience in practical activities across institutes, departments, and clinics, thereby improving their practical skills and the understanding of routine processes. In science, we will strengthen existing research teams and top doctoral students, including those involved in postgraduate research. We plan to invite excellent international scientists as visiting professors and recruit younger, talented researchers as postdoctoral fellows. On 1 January 2026, two new research centres were established at the Faculty of Medicine, and in May, we are looking forward to the grand opening of the new LERCO university building on our campus, adjacent to the new Dean′s office building. This facility will focus on developing projects and discoveries in biomedicine, behavioural, and natural sciences, in collaboration with other institutions, aiming to advance regional development.
For some time, the Ministry of Health has been supporting an increase in the number of students studying general medicine through special funding, and starting this academic year, they are also aiding selected non-medical fields predicted to face significant staffing shortages, such as nursing, midwifery, radiology, nutritional therapy, and paramedicine. This support has allowed us to increase student numbers in these programmes. However, we lack the funds to expand other fields, despite their practical need. We could only launch the highly sought-after dentistry programme due to financial backing from the statutory City of Ostrava and the Moravian-Silesian Region. It would greatly benefit the University of Ostrava and other promising universities if the funding distribution mechanism for public universities reflected current circumstances rather than one from ten years ago, which currently favours institutions on a different development path. This adjustment would be a logical first step from the Ministry of Education, Youth, and Sports.
The heads of all the UO Faculty of Medicine departments, including those at the University Hospital Ostrava, have been directed to integrate AI into teaching as extensively as possible. Students will receive a common foundation in Medical Law. It is well known that our faculty is the first in the Czech Republic to have a dedicated department in this area, and we place great emphasis on it. As a young institution, we aim to lead in modern technology. After all, this represents the future of medicine and is quickly becoming integral to patient care.
The interview was published in the January issue of Priority Magazine 
Updated: 03. 02. 2026
