Visit of a delegation from Nice to the Institute of Immunology and Experimental Therapy of the Polish Academy of Sciences
On 15 November 2025, a meeting was held at the Ludwik Hirszfeld Institute of Immunology and Experimental Therapy of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Wrocław with a delegation from Nice, representing the scientific and medical community of the University of Côte d’Azur and the University Hospital of Nice (CHU).
The delegation included:
- Marta Balińska, PhD – a specialist in public health, who has been associated with institutions in France and internationally for many years; currently a senior researcher at the Department of Public Health at Nice University Hospital and Vice-Chair of the World Health Organisation Ethics Review Committee,
- Prof. Jean Dellamonica – Dean of the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Côte d’Azur in Nice,
- Prof. Christian Pradier – Director of the Department of Public Health at the University Hospital of Nice (CHU).
The Institute was represented by:
- Prof. Andrzej Gamian, PhD, DSc – Director of IIET PAS,
- Prof. Aleksandra Klimczak, PhD, DSc – Head of the Laboratory of Biology of Stem and Neoplastic Cells,
- Bogumiła Szponar, PhD, DSc, from the Laboratory of Medical Microbiology, Head of the General Chemistry Laboratory.
During the meeting, selected research projects carried out at the Institute were presented and possibilities for developing cooperation were discussed, including staff exchanges, joint scientific initiatives, and future international projects.
The visit also had a symbolic dimension. Marta Balińska, PhD, is the great-granddaughter of Ludwik Rajchman, an eminent bacteriologist, the originator and co-founder of UNICEF, and the creator of the State Central Epidemiological Institute in Warsaw (today’s National Institute of Public Health). Rajchman was also a cousin of Prof. Ludwik Hirszfeld, the patron of our Institute. It is worth recalling that in May 2024, Ludwik Witold Rajchman Square was officially opened in Wrocław to commemorate his achievements and lasting influence on the development of international humanitarian activities.
The meeting provided an opportunity to strengthen scientific relations and highlight the historical links between Polish and French traditions of research in the field of public health.