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The West-East Conference – 18th edition at the MUW

An elegantly dressed woman - Prof. Agnieszka Mielczarek, dean of WLS. She stands at the lectern and welcomes the conference guests. Behind her is a large screen with the name of the conference, a photo of the Banach campus and the organizers and co-organizers listed.
The International West-East Conference is now 18 years old! And as always, it continues to cover important topics, with healthcare for patients with disabilities as the theme for this year. It is an initiative aimed at doctors and dentists, but other healthcare professionals, students, and specialists from outside of medicine can also gain a lot of practical information here. That is why the symposium has consistently attracted considerable interest – this year, it was attended by several hundred individuals.

“The current health challenges are becoming increasingly complex. That is why, as healthcare professionals, we must continue to look for innovative therapeutic and technological solutions together,” said Professor Agnieszka Mielczarek, Dean of the MUW Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, in her opening remarks. “This meeting is an excellent opportunity for you to present your achievements in this area and share your experience from implementing them.”

“This event has become a permanent entry in the academic calendar of our university. I would like to thank all of its organizers for their constant commitment to its development and for continuing this valuable initiative,” highlighted Professor Agnieszka Cudnoch-Jędrzejewska, MUW Vice Rector for Clinical Affairs and Investments.

“I believe that these two days of fruitful conversations will serve as a great inspiration for you, and will provide you with ideas for your professional future, for your continued growth,” said Artur Drobniak, PhD, President of the Regional Chamber of Physicians in Warsaw.

How to work with patients with disabilities

For the first day, organizers had planned two lecture sessions. The topics varied, as the conference has been following a multidisciplinary approach since 2023. Thus, the program included speeches on clinical diagnostics, treating dental conditions, as well as speech and language pathology, laryngology, and surgery. Speakers included renowned foreign guests and experts from the Medical University of Warsaw.

Professor Mark S. Wolff of the University of Pennsylvania started with a speech on “Oral Healthcare for Persons with Disabilities”.  

“The World Health Organization estimates that 16% of the population have a disability that affects their ability to function independently in daily life. This means about one in eight people, which is a lot. And this creates an important problem: how do we treat such patients? We also need to stress that persons with disabilities suffer due to healthcare inequalities to a greater extent than any other group,” said the Professor.

He related a story of his patient with arthritis, who was unable to hold a pen in the usual way when asked to sign the treatment consent form. This led Professor Wolff to conclude that they would also be unable to hold their toothbrush and brush their teeth correctly. In order to help them, he made a special, thick toothbrush, which helped the patient with oral hygiene..

Professor Wolff showed the attendees how the Care Center for Persons with Disabilities Personalized Care Suite, which operates at Penn Dental Medicine, was organized. All students at the University of Pennsylvania take mandatory classes on how to treat patients with various disabilities: those on the autism spectrum, with Alzheimer’s disease, paralysis or motor disfunction, and other complex conditions.

“Over 90% of our students leave the program with the belief: “Yes, I would feel comfortable treating a person with a disability.” That is still not everyone, but remember that nine out of ten UPenn graduates won’t send away a patient whose mother says: “My child is on the autism spectrum”,” he emphasized proudly.

The other speakers on the same day included the following:

  • Professor Piotr Skarżyński, MUW Department of Heart Failure and Cardiac Rehabilitation and the World Hearing Center, with a lecture on “Modern opportunities for the diagnostics and treatment of hypoacusis and deafness”;
  • Małgorzata Polit, MA, MUW Department of Neurology, with a lecture on “Speech and swallowing impairments as underrated aspects of disability in neurological patients”;
  • Anna Cybulska, PhD, MUW Chair and Department of Dental Prosthetics, with a lecture on “Prosthetic rehabilitation of the masticatory apparatus after surgical treatment of head and neck neoplasms”;
  • Mariusz Wyleżoł, PhD, MUW Second Department of General, Vascular and Oncological Surgery, with a lecture on “The impact of obesity on the quality of life”;
  • Agnieszka Bogusławska-Kapała, PhD, MUW Department of Integrated Dentistry, with a lecture on “Eliminating pockets of infection prior to starting oncological treatment – a multidisciplinary challenge”;
  • Professor Nataliia Bidenko, O. Bogomolets National Medical University in Kyiv;
  • Janusz Szulik, Chairman of the Board at TU INTER POLSKA S.A., with a presentation on “Civil liability insurance for the dentist – examples of selected events”.

 

Workshops with state-of-the-art endodontic materials

The second day of the conference was devoted to endodontics. It started with lectures delivered by specialists from the School of Dental Medicine University of Pennsylvania: Su-Min Lee, DDS, MSD, DScD talked about “Vital pulp therapy and revascularization of the pulp”, and Bekir Karabucak, DMD, MS talked about “Root canal space preparation, disinfection and obturation” and “What about endodontic microsurgery as a minimal invasive procedure?”.

The lectures were followed by workshops run by the experts. One of them concerned pulp therapy and revascularization, the other was about root canal space preparation, disinfection and obturation. Participants had the opportunity to try a number of modern tools: endodontic microscopes, modern micro-engines and endodontic tools, as well as state-of-the-art materials currently used in endodontics. The work of the lecturers was streamed via video systems integrated with the microscopes, so workshop participants could watch it live on screen.

Organizers and co-organizers

The conference started at the initiative of Professor Janusz Piekarczyk, Rector of our University between the years 1999 and 2005; it has since been organized and continued by the MUW Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry. The organizational committee for this year’s edition included the following academics: Professor Agnieszka Mielczarek, Professor Izabela Domitrz, Professor Jolanta Kostrzewa-Janicka, Joanna Peradzyńska, PhD, Piotr Regulski, PhD, Professor Kazimierz Szopiński, Izabela Strużycka, PhD, Anna Hadamus, PhD, Maciej Janiszewski, PhD, Dariusz Paluszek, PhD, Jolanta Wielgoś, Agnieszka Bogusławska-Kapała, MD, PhD, and Katarzyna Brus-Sawczuk, MD, PhD. Also students from the Student Research Club at the Department of Integrated Dentistry got involved in organizing the conference.

This year, the conference was organized in cooperation with the Committee for Dental Physicians at the Regional Council of Physicians in Warsaw, Professor Jan Nielubowicz Regional Chamber of Physicians in Warsaw, and the Polish Dental Association. The event was held under the patronage of the MUW Rector.

Apart from the individuals already mentioned, the conference was also attended by: Professor Rafał Krenke, Rector, Professor Michał Grąt, Vice Rector for International Relations, Promotion and Development, Professor Paweł Włodarski, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, Łukasz Czyżewski, PhD, Vice Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences, Piotr Luliński, PhD, Dean of the Faculty of Pharmacy, Łukasz Jankowski, Chairman of the Supreme Medical Council, Dariusz Paluszek, PhD, Vice Chair of the Regional Chamber of Physicians for Dental Physicians, Professor Jerzy Jurkiewicz, Chair of the Warsaw Medical Society, Marzena Kowalczyk, Director of the UCC MUW, members of the university’s chancellery: Marta Kijak-Bloch, PhD, Wojciech Bogusz, Jarosław Prugar, and dean authorities of the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry: Professor Izabela Domitrz, Professor Jolanta Kostrzewa-Janicka, Joanna Peradzyńska, PhD, and Piotr Regulski, PhD.

Photos from the workshops: Martyna Tarmasewicz

 

A group of people sitting in a conference room. They are all elegantly dressed. In the background you can see more people who are also attending the event.
An elegantly dressed woman with light hair and wearing glasses, Prof. Agnieszka Cudnoch-Jędrzejewska. She stands behind the lectern and speaks. Behind her is a screen with a speech test in English. You can also see the wooden walls of the room.
The man in the suit Dr. Artur Drobniak. He stands behind the lectern and addresses the audience. A presentation screen with texts and images is visible in the background. The audience is seated in chairs.
The first speaker at the conference was Prof. Mark S. Wolff of the University of Pennsylvania. An older man with gray hair, wearing a suit. He stands at the lectern with a microphone. In the background you can see a screen with the words “MEDICAL UNIVERSITY OF WARSAW” and “West-East Conference 2025.”
A middle-aged man, elegantly dressed, holds a microphone in one hand and gestures with the other. In the background is a projection screen on which two images showing human faces are projected.
A young woman standing at the lectern. Elegantly dressed, wearing glasses. She is giving a presentation in front of an audience. On the screen behind her is displayed a slide with text in Polish and percentages. The audience is seated and facing the speaker.
One of the conference speakers. An elegantly dressed man with glasses. He stands at the lectern and speaks. Behind him is a screen with a projected slide entitled “Why is obesity a disease?”. The screen shows charts and text about the topic of the presentation. In the background you can see several people sitting in chairs, listening to the speech.
Two elegantly dressed women standing in front of a large screen. The screen displays information about the Endodontic Day held as part of the conference.
In the foreground is a group of people, located in a conference room. They are sitting on chairs and listening to a presentation. Two speakers are standing on the stage: a man at the lectern and a woman next to the projection screen. The screen displays slides with information about the conference.
Endodontic Day speaker. An elegantly dressed woman, wearing a green jacket, stands in front of a multimedia screen, holding a microphone in her hand, smiling. She stands next to an office with a computer monitor. On the wall behind her is a large emblem of WUM: a white eagle on a red shield, holding a scepter and Aesculapius' staff in its talons.
One of the conference speakers and presenter of the endodontics workshop. A middle-aged man, wearing a suit and glasses. He holds a microphone in one hand and has the other raised and gestures with it. He is speaking. A screen with a projected image is visible in the background.
The group consists of three people: two women - the organizers of the event and a man - one of the speakers. They are elegantly dressed and smiling at the camera. In the background is a large screen displaying text and an image of a building surrounded by greenery. - One of the speakers (right). They are elegantly dressed and smiling at the camera. In the background is a large screen displaying text and an image of a building surrounded by greenery.
A group of people - workshop participants. They are sitting in front of microscopes. Each person has various medical instruments on the table in front of them. Some people have protective gloves.
A hand wearing a blue glove holding a dental tool. The hand is working on something illuminated by a bright light. In the background are various dental tools, including several colored tips and a syringe.
A young man, a workshop participant. He is working on something precise with dental tools. Other people and medical equipment can be seen in the background.
The man, leading the workshop, is sitting at a desk with a microscope on it and looking through it. He is wearing a white shirt and tie. There are various objects on the desk.
A woman conducting a workshop. On the left, next to her, you can see a microscope. Behind her is a large multimedia screen. The screen displays images of teeth and a bar graph.
A young woman, a workshop participant. She is dressed in a light blouse and has long hair. She is looking through a microscope.