Hematology

Starting with the academic year 1992/1993, the Discipline of Clinical Haematology was established within the internal medicine teaching of the University of Medicine and Pharmacy “Victor Babes” in Timisoara through the sustained effort of Prof. Dr. Hortensia Ionita. She was Head of Discipline until her retirement in 2018. Since the academic year 2014/2015 the discipline of haematology becomes a discipline in its own right.

In 1993 the Hematology Clinic was born within the Municipal Emergency Hospital Timișoara, by transforming the Hematology Department whose foundations were laid by Mr. Conf. Dr. Ludovic Roth, a leading figure in Romanian haematology and the founder of the Timisoara school of haematology. After the retirement of Conf. Dr. Ludovic Roth, Mrs. Prof. Univ. Dr. Hortensia Ioniță coordinated the activity of the Hematology Clinic until 2018.

Since 1994, a clinical laboratory department has been established next to the Hematology Clinic, which is dedicated both to performing tests for the clinic’s patients and to research activities. At present the clinic laboratory comprises three sub-units, namely: medullary haematological cytomorphology, peripheral blood cytomorphology and haemostasis. Currently the Clinical Hematology Laboratory has been incorporated into the SCMUT Laboratory. The laboratory is equipped with high-performance equipment and highly qualified staff, making it possible to train medical residents in the field of laboratory haematology, being the only unit of its kind in the south-west of the country. Currently the Hematology Clinic is equipped with a total of 55 beds. Since December 2019 the Hematology Clinic has a Flow-Cytometer extremely useful in the diagnosis of hematological malignancies and scientific research. From 2023 by the decision of the UMFVBT Senate no..246/31770/22.11.2023, on the modification of the names of the subdivisions of the departments, the Discipline of Hematology is renamed University Hematology Clinic.       

The staff of the University Clinic of Haematology is composed of eleven members, holders of the title of doctor of medical sciences or doctoral students, having as Head of the University Clinic Ms Conf. Univ. Dr. Ioana Ionita since 2018.  Prof. Dr. Hortensia Ionita has been a PhD supervisor since 1998, having so far 30 PhD theses supervised and validated with the title of Doctor of Medical Sciences.

The concerns of the staff of the University Clinic of Haematology are primarily directed towards the training of students in their fifth year at the Faculty of Medicine – compulsory haematology course and optional course (all series in Romanian and English and French series), AMG students (Timisoara, Lugoj, Deva) plus optional AMG course and, last but not least, the training of medical residents in haematology, but also in other specialties.

At the same time, the research activity is an integral and important part of the concerns of the University Clinic of Hematology, all members being involved in phase II and III clinical trials, participating as collaborators in various national and international grants.The research topics focus on the study of malignant lymphomas, acute and chronic leukemias, multiple myelomas and myelodysplastic, myeloproliferative, lymphoproliferative syndromes, both in clinical trials and as individual concerns.

Over the years, the team of the University Clinic of Hematology Timisoara has produced more than 140 papers in extenso and more than 380 papers in abstract published in specialized journals in the country, 10 papers in extenso and more than 110 papers in abstract published abroad.

The team of the University Clinic of Haematology has a very good collaboration with the Paediatric Onco-Hematology Clinic of the Loius Țurcanu Hospital directed by Ms Conf. Univ. Dr. Arghirescu Smaranda in order to train, select and guide patients with haematological malignancies in the Transplant Unit for children and adults in Timisoara. The haematology clinic works in close collaboration with the University Clinics of Timisoara.

There are also close collaborations with other Hematology Clinics in the country such as Fundeni Clinical Institute Bucharest, Colțea Hospital Bucharest, University Emergency Hospital Bucharest, Oncology Institute Prof.Dr.Ion Chiricuță Cluj-Napoca, Oncology Institute Iasi, Hematology Clinics in Iasi and Craiova, as well as abroad – Saint Loius Hospital Paris – Prof.Eliane Gluckman – Head of Medullary Transplant Department, Hammersmith Hospital London – Prof.Jane Apperley.

The members of the University Clinic of Hematology belong to a number of scientific and professional societies, such as the Romanian Society of Hematology, the European Society of Hematology, the International Society of Experimental Hematology, the European Society of Genetics, the Society of Immunology, the Timisoara Medical Scientific Society, the Romanian Society of Medullary Transplantation.