Dr. Agnieszka Tusznicka-Pawlak and Dr. Damian Arabasz from the University Clinical Hospital in Wrocław received awards in the “Young Talents in Internal Medicine World Contest 2026.” The case presented by Dr. Damian Arabasz also qualified for the Grand Final featuring the 30 best clinical case reports submitted by young physicians (up to 35 years old) from around the world. Wroclaw Medical University was a co-executive partner of the 11th edition of the McMaster International Review Conference of Internal Medicine 2026 — a prestigious event dedicated to physicians and medical students from all over the world.
The paper How many drops of blood are needed to determine that the patient has crumpled paper in the liver?, presented by Dr. Damian Arabasz from the Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Internal Diseases at the University Clinical Hospital, achieved significant success — it was selected from among 147 case reports submitted from over 60 countries and advanced to the group of 30 best presentations qualified for the Grand Final of the competition. Although Dr. Damian Arabasz ultimately did not place on the podium in the Grand Final, qualifying among the best presentations was itself a major achievement and a prestigious distinction. Only three representatives from Poland reached this stage.
In addition, the paper won second place in the “Gastroenterology” category of the “Young Talents in Internal Medicine World Contest 2026.” It concerned an extremely rare and complex case of a 27-year-old patient admitted to the clinic with severe jaundice and symptoms suggesting developing liver failure. Despite extensive diagnostics — including imaging studies, endoscopic examinations, and numerous specialist consultations — for a long time it was impossible to determine the cause of the patient’s rapidly deteriorating condition.
“The patient’s condition was so serious that a liver biopsy and liver dialysis were necessary to reduce toxic bilirubin levels. Ultimately, thanks to cooperation between physicians from various specialties and support from the Department of Pathomorphology headed by Prof. Agnieszka Hałoń, we managed to diagnose a very rare genetic disease — Gaucher disease — which is usually diagnosed in children, but in this patient remained latent until the age of 27. We had to think outside standard diagnostic frameworks and reach for increasingly rare causes of disease. It was a case that required enormous teamwork and an interdisciplinary approach. After the implementation of modern enzyme replacement therapy, the patient’s condition improved significantly, and after several months the patient recovered,” explained Dr. Damian Arabasz.
Dr. Agnieszka Tusznicka-Pawlak from the Department of Diabetology, Arterial Hypertension and Internal Diseases at the University Clinical Hospital, who presented the paper Too tall, too young, too hypertensive – Abraham Lincoln’s disease in a 19-year-old patient. When should we suspect Marfan syndrome?, also achieved a podium finish in the “Cardiology” category of the “Young Talents in Internal Medicine World Contest 2026.”
The awarded abstract concerned the diagnosis of Marfan syndrome in a 19-year-old patient with arterial hypertension, dilation of the aortic root, and features suggesting connective tissue disease. The authors highlighted symptoms that should prompt deeper diagnostics in a young patient, including tall stature, chest deformity, joint hypermobility, and a family history of aortic disease. The paper emphasized the importance of genetic testing in confirming the diagnosis and the role of early diagnosis in reducing the risk of serious cardiovascular complications.
Dr. Bohdana Halunka from the Department of Rheumatology and Internal Diseases at the University Clinical Hospital also took part in the competition, presenting the paper Sudden vision disturbances with ANCA antibodies – is it always systemic vasculitis?
MIRCIM 2026
Since 2018, the competition has accompanied McMaster International Review Conference of Internal Medicine — an international educational conference dedicated to physicians and medical students. This year’s edition took place on May 7–9 at the ICE Kraków Congress Centre.
MIRCIM is the only event of its kind in Poland and one of the leading international meetings in internal medicine in Central Europe. The 2026 program included 11 clinical sessions with participation from more than 60 world-class experts, including authors of international clinical guidelines. The conference focused on presenting evidence-based medical knowledge directly applicable to everyday clinical practice, with extensive sessions devoted to cardiology, rheumatology, nephrology, and diabetology.
AIMed 2026
Alongside MIRCIM 2026, the conference Artificial Intelligence in Medicine 2026 took place — a three-day event focused on the use of artificial intelligence in healthcare. The conference was organized in cooperation with experts from the Big Data Institute, McMaster University, and Jagiellonian University Medical College.
The event brought together AI developers, physicians, researchers, technology specialists, and policymakers responsible for regulatory and ethical aspects of AI in healthcare, including representatives involved in European Union regulations.
A new feature of this year’s edition was the open call for abstracts (MIRCIM open call for abstracts), covering original studies, meta-analyses, and case series. Authors of accepted submissions presented their work during the conference in poster format, and the abstracts were published in the official abstract book.
MIRCIM 2026 was organized by the Polish Institute for Evidence Based Medicine and McMaster University in cooperation with Jagiellonian University Medical College.
WMU was among the conference’s co-executive partners. As in previous years, the university actively participated in the event by co-chairing scientific sessions, taking part in the Young Talents competition jury, and funding awards through the Foundation of Wroclaw Medical University.
The Technology Transfer Center of Wroclaw Medical University, together with Animativ Health, presented joint technologies, including Custom Med and Kid AID. Additionally, one hundred representatives of the university were granted free participation in the event, both onsite and online.
Photo: Conference organizers / Krzysztof Proć / Wroclaw Medical University