The “Eco-Energy, Innovation and the Future of Freedom. Wałęsa Invites” conference was organized by the Lech Wałęsa Institute to mark the 83rd birthday of the former President of the Republic of Poland and Nobel Peace Prize laureate. The event was held on September 29 at the National Museum in Warsaw and brought together representatives of academia, business, public administration and the energy sector.
One of the main highlights of the event was the ceremony presenting the Lech Wałęsa Energy Medals. The awards were presented in ten categories to individuals, teams and organizations recognized for their achievements, innovation, the impact of their work and leadership. Prof. Michał Grąt and the UCK WUM team received the award in the “Energy of Science” category.
About the award recipient
Prof. Michał Grąt is a transplant specialist and surgeon, National Consultant in the field of clinical transplantation, Head of the Department of General, Transplantation and Liver Surgery at WUM, and Vice-Rector of the Medical University of Warsaw for Internationalization, Promotion and Development.
His scientific and clinical work focuses on transplantation, liver surgery, and oncological surgery. The research that formed the basis of his doctoral dissertation led to the development of new criteria for selecting patients with hepatocellular carcinoma for liver transplantation. In subsequent years, he conducted research on transplant outcomes, liver tumors and ischemia-reperfusion injury to transplanted organs.
Since 2022, he has headed WUM’s Department of General, Transplantation and Liver Surgery, which has become one of the largest liver transplantation centers in Europe in recent years. The team currently performs nearly 400 liver transplants annually while continuing to develop the most advanced transplant surgery techniques.
Under the leadership of Prof. Michał Grąt, the program for transplanting liver segments from living donors to adult recipients has been further developed. The department also performed Poland’s first laparoscopic retrieval of a liver segment from a living donor and developed a program for split-liver transplantation involving two adult recipients.
A particular focus of the team’s work is the development of new transplant strategies for patients for whom standard treatment methods are insufficient. These include auxiliary liver transplant procedures, in which a segment of the donor’s liver temporarily supports the function of the recipient’s damaged organ, allowing it to regenerate. The team has used this strategy, among other cases, in patients with extensive, life-threatening liver injuries.
In 2026, the team led by Prof. Michał Grąt performed the world’s first chimeric liver transplant. In the patient, a remaining segment of her own liver was combined with a segment of an organ from a deceased donor. After her own liver regenerated, the temporary graft was removed, making it possible to discontinue immunosuppressive treatment.
The department is also developing liver autotransplantation and ex vivo organ perfusion programs, enabling advanced treatment methods to be used in patients for whom therapeutic options had previously been very limited.
The work of Prof. Michał Grąt and the team he leads combines scientific development with the direct implementation of new solutions in clinical practice. The strategies developed and used at WUM expand the possibilities of modern transplantation and liver surgery, creating new treatment options for the most challenging cases.
Prof. Michał Grąt is a graduate of the Medical University of Warsaw. He received his doctoral degree in 2013, his postdoctoral degree in 2016, and the title of professor in 2020.
Photo: Bartosz Kozłowski