The Head of the UGCC, His Beatitude Sviatoslav (Shevchuk), has been awarded the title of Honorary Professor of Lviv Medical University.
Today, November 14, the Danylo Halytsky Lviv National Medical University celebrated its 241st anniversary with a solemn session of the Academic Council. The key moment was conferring the title of Doctor Honoris Causa of LNMU named after Danylo Halytsky to the Head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, His Beatitude Sviatoslav (Shevchuk). In his inaugural speech, he emphasized: “It is a great honor for me to be awarded such a high title. I realize that this honorary doctorate is not only for me – it honors the entire UGCC, which I have the honor to lead and represent.”
His Beatitude Sviatoslav also spoke about the service of the UGCC leadership, clergy, and laity during the hardest times, including promoting vaccination and adherence to quarantine during the coronavirus pandemic, advocating for a culture of donation, supporting and assisting the military, military medics, and chaplains, as well as all Ukrainians during the war. At the end of his speech, he promised to perform all his duties as an honorary professor honestly and responsibly, and above all, to be with the university community, praying and always supporting them.
The festivities were attended by Acting Head of the Lviv Regional Council Yuriy Kholod and Head of Lviv Regional Administration Maksym Kozytskyy. In his greeting speech, Yuriy Kholod emphasized the significant role of the university in forming both professional and spiritually mature medics. “In these walls, they not only educate but also cultivate specialists who take responsibility for both the physical and spiritual health of people. The university’s vocation is to shape a citizen and a personality. A real doctor not only knows and heals but constantly seeks and multiplies knowledge. The Lviv Regional Council supports and will continue to support the university’s development, with several joint projects with our communal institutions ongoing. This includes a nuclear center being started with the oncology center and the development of the regional perinatal center.” noted Yuriy Kholod.
Yuriy Kholod also welcomed His Beatitude Sviatoslav to Lviv and thanked him for his spiritual leadership, support of the church, the people, science, and the Ukrainian military. Additionally, he awarded the best university lecturers with diplomas from the Lviv Regional Council for their many years of diligent work, high professionalism, and significant achievements in educational, scientific, and medical activities.
Addressing the attendees, Maksym Kozytskyy emphasized that it is an honor for him to be a graduate of Lviv Medical University. “Thank you for 241 years of serving people and the state, and for producing conscious doctors and Ukrainians.” highlighted Maksym Kozytskyy. Rector Orest Chemeris noted that LNMU is the largest medical higher education institution in Ukraine, forming a new model of medical education based on the synergy of learning, science, and clinical practice. “A year ago, we joined a pilot project to create a university hospital aimed at changing the existing model and showing that university hospitals are the only and indispensable way to integrate into the European space and the European system of training specialists. And it can already be confidently said that we have created Ukraine’s first multi-profile university hospital.” said Orest Chemeris.
During the session, the diploma “Distinguished Professor of LNMU” was also awarded to Roman Lesyk – a Ukrainian chemist-pharmacist, Doctor of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Head of the Department of Pharmaceutical, Organic, and Bioorganic Chemistry. The celebrations concluded with a report on: “Mental Health in the Modern World: Challenges in Times of War and in the Future”.
The Danylo Halytsky Lviv National Medical University began its history on November 16, 1784, when, by the privilege of the Emperor of Austria-Hungary Joseph II, four faculties were founded at Lviv University. In 1996, Lviv State Medical Institute received the status of a higher education institution of the IV accreditation level; in 1998, it was named after Danylo Halytsky; in 2003, it received the status of a national medical university. From 2025, the university will be renamed to State Non-Commercial Enterprise “Danylo Halytsky Lviv National Medical University”.