Awardees from the Medical University of Warsaw (MUW)
The START program recognizes researchers at the early stages of their scientific careers who have already demonstrated significant achievements, while encouraging them to continue their academic development.
Przemysław Kasiak’s research interests focus on cardiology and sports medicine. As both a medical student and a PhD candidate, he is a co-author of 33 scientific publications (IF=85; h-index=12) and two textbooks; he also serves as an editor for PLOS ONE (IF=2.9) and has reviewed over 170 scientific articles. He is a member of Club 30 of the Polish Cardiac Society, which brings together the most outstanding young cardiologists in Poland. During his studies, he collaborated with institutions such as the University of Lausanne, the University of Zurich, and the University Medical Center Utrecht. He has received numerous distinctions, including the Minister of Health Scholarship for Significant Scientific Achievements (three times), the Medical Laurel of the Polish Academy of Sciences, and the Rector’s Award of the Medical University of Warsaw for Outstanding Scientific Publications (three times).
Aleksander Ślusarczyk, MD, PhD in medical and health sciences, is a member of the European Section of Oncological Urology and the Young Academic Urologists Working Group on Urothelial Cancer within the European Association of Urology. His primary scientific focus is on cancers of the bladder, upper urinary tract, and prostate. His research centers on identifying prognostic factors, particularly developing new methods for stratifying patients with non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer. He defended his doctoral dissertation with honors, titled "Identification of Risk Factors for BCG Treatment Resistance in Patients with Non-Muscle-Invasive Bladder Cancer." He is the author of 46 scientific publications in prestigious journals, with a cumulative Impact Factor of 180. He has completed numerous research fellowships at leading international institutions, including the Mayo Clinic (Rochester, USA), the University of Heidelberg (Germany), and the University of Sheffield (UK). He maintains active research collaborations with several international clinical centers, working on joint research projects.
About START scholarships
The START program has been run by the Foundation for Polish Science since 1993. It is open to researchers under the age of 30 (or older, if eligible for an extension under the program’s rules). Candidates’ achievements—documented through patents or publications in recognized Polish and international scientific journals—are evaluated by leading experts in their respective fields. To date, 4,236 researchers have received the scholarship.