RSU Assoc. Prof. Harijs Čerņevskis receives the Kristaps Rudzītis Award

Photo credit: RSU

In recognition of his outstanding and long-term contribution to the development of internal medicine, this year, the Kristaps Rudzītis Award was presented to nephrologist and scientist Assoc. Prof. Harijs Čerņevskis from the Rīga Stradiņš Univeristy (RSU) Department of Internal Diseases. On 3 December, Assoc. Prof. Čerņevskis was awarded the highest award in Latvia in the specialty of internal medicine at a celebratory event in the RSU Senate Hall in the presence of his colleagues.  

RSU Assoc. Prof Harijs Čerņevskis is an outstanding nephrologist, researcher and educator whose work has significantly contributed to the development of medicine in Latvia. He has been working at RSU since 1986 and is also a nephrologist at P. Stradiņš Clinical University Hospital as well as a resident doctor at the Haemodialysis Department of the Kidney Transplant Centre. He received his doctorate in 1980 with a thesis on the treatment of chronic renal failure with haemodialysis in outpatient settings.

Assoc. Prof. Čerņevskis’ significant contribution to the development of Latvian medicine is also confirmed by other awards he has received, like the State Prize of the Latvian SSR (1980) for the development and introduction of new treatment methods of kidney and liver failure, the Latvian Medical Association’s annual award in the category Person of the Year in Medical Education (2016), the Professor Ilmārs Lazovskis Award (2018) for his contribution to the development of nephrology, as well as the title Honorary Member of the Latvian Medical Association (2022). In addition, he has received Letters of Commendation and Recognition from the P. Stradiņš Clinical University Hospital and RSU. 

About the Kristaps Rudzītis Award 

The Kristaps Rudzītis Award was established in 1999 to honour outstanding Latvian medical personalities in the field of internal medicine. The award has been presented five times so far. In its first year it was awarded to the eminent Doctor of Medicine, Prof. Ilmārs Lazovskis, for his invaluable contribution to the development of medical terminology and the field of internal medicine. In 2001, the award was presented to Prof. Nikolajs Skuja, a gastroenterologist and the pioneer of endoscopy in Latvia. In 2021, the award presentation was renewed, and it was presented to Prof. Ivars Siliņš – one of the legends in Latvian medicine among both medical practitioners and academics. In 2022, Prof. Aivars Lejnieks, Head of the RSU Department of Internal Diseases, was awarded, and in 2023 the award went to RSU Prof. Ludmila Vīksna. 

About Prof. Kristaps Rudzītis

Prof. Kristaps Rudzītis has earned recognition for his talent, his amazing mind, knowledge of medicine, and for his breadth of thought and intelligence. He has laid the foundations for medical theories that cannot be considered outdated even today. From 1950 to 1972, Prof. Rudzītis was Head of the Department of Therapy of the Faculty of Medicine at the Rīga Medical Institute (the former name of RSU). Prof. Rudzītis was Chair of the Scientific Society of Latvian Therapists (1958-1973), a senior research fellow and head of the sector at the Latvian Institute of Experimental and Clinical Medicine (1959-1962). His research interests included the physiology and pathology of connective tissue, the role of focal infection in the genesis of diseases, colloid chemistry reactions, the role of cholesterol in the development of atherosclerosis, changes in the body caused by meteorological and other factors, and medical terminology. Prof. Rudzītis passed away on 27 February 1978 in Riga and is buried in the Forest Cemetery (Meža kapi). An avenue in Ķemeri Park is named after him and is marked with a memorial stone.