The traditional fields of research included neurological science, cardiology, the questions related to illnesses of civilisation, oncology, and others. The Faculty of Medicine worked out a general concept of research objectives and presented four proposals as to which research projects should be carried out while merging the approaches of basic research with those of clinical research. This concerns the questions of cardiology, oncology, the study of illnesses of civilisation, and the neurological sciences. The school was very busy in these fields of research, and a number of articles appeared in Czech and foreign periodicals and new monographs and teaching texts were published.

In 1998, the Grant Agency of the Czech Republic awarded fourteen grants to teachers at the school (two of which required joint co–operation with other institutions); the Internal Grant Agency awarded 58 grants. Teachers at the school took part in research projects organised by the Higher Education Development Fund. These included 85 research projects.

The school made further efforts to integrate its teaching standards with those of European universities, with the quality of education as its first and foremost concern.

The Rules of Study at the Faculty of Medicine were rewritten and considerably simplified. They came into effect starting with the new academic year 1998/1999. Study is now organised around a credit system, whereby each subject has a certain number of credits and students are allowed, within fixed limits, to meet the academic requirements at their own pace and can also exercise some influence over their curricula. From September 1998, further efforts were made to introduce formal changes in the Rules of Study and other regulations so that they would conform to the new Act on Higher Education.

The 1998/1999 teaching schedules were worked out very carefully. Efforts were made to minimise the effects of the moving on the quality of instruction and to prevent students from wasting time.

A system of teacher evaluation was introduced, whereby students assess the quality of teaching, always at the end of the particular course. The results of these evaluations are presented at the regular meetings of the Dean's Advisory Board, while possible conclusions are discussed with the heads of departments.

Apart from the traditional study of medical science, Bc. (Bachelor’s) courses of study were pursued at the Faculty of Medicine, including physiotherapy, optics and optometry, human nutrition, and nursing. A new programme for extramural students of nursing was introduced. This course is intended exclusively for workers with at least two–years’ work experience in given fields of healthcare. The demand for this course was very high and out of 101 applicants, 27 were accepted.

At the beginning of the academic year 1998/1999, an interdisciplinary Mgr. (Master’s) course in the science of healthcare was introduced for those who had finished the Bc. courses in optics and optometry, human nutrition, nursing and physiotherapy. Four this course, 49 students were accepted.

The school attempted to find accommodation for as many students as possible; however, the number of beds the Halls of Residence allocated to the Faculty of Medicine dropped again and a large number of students were left without a place to stay. A waiting list was worked out and strictly adhered to, while the criteria of preference included the students’ study results, their social background and the distance between the Faculty and their homes.

Last year, the departments and clinics of the Fa- culty of Medicine organised 25 conferences and other events, out of which sixteen were visited by foreign participants.

The Faculty continued to meet the standards of international co–operation as stipulated by twelve agreements signed with four institutions from the USA and various European countries. Our teachers went for 405 study trips abroad (352 in Europe and 53 overseas). Of these, 65 % involved active participation at conferences and 6 % were fellowships. The other cases included professional trips for partnership co–operation, lecture series given abroad, various courses and training, and trips to present critical reviews. Teachers at the Faculty of Medicine are members of approximately 100 international scientific societies and non-government organizations. They are committee members in thirteen international scientific organizations and honorary members of nine international scientific organizations.

During the holidays, our undergraduate students had a chance to enter temporary employment in foreign hospitals. Ten students took part in summer work placements in line with agreements with the University of Dijon, France. The Faculty provided some financial support to fifteen students travelling abroad. This assistance was mediated by the international student organisation IFMSA.

The teachers of the Faculty published a large number of articles in the Czech press as well as internationally. The very names of some of the periodicals attest to the high academic standards of these works. In the Czech press, 665 articles were published altogether, while in foreign periodicals, 254 articles appeared. Sixteen monographs and 47 textbooks were published. Scripta Medica, the faculty journal, became a reviewed periodical and as such gained remarkably in importance and prestige.

In 1998, three Medals of the Faculty of Medicine for long–term work for the Faculty were awarded, namely to Prof. Dr. Radomír Eihák, Prof. Dr. Milan Doskoeil, of the Department of Anatomy of the First Faculty of Medicine at Charles University, and Prof. Dr. Jan Wechsler, of the First Clinic of Surgery of St. Anne’s Teaching Hospital.

Our teachers were granted the following foreign awards in 1998:

1. Prof. Dr. Jiří Vorlíček was awarded the Gold Medal of the University of Trnava, Slovakia.
2. Prof. Dr. Petr Dítě was made a honorary member of the Polish Gastroenterological Society, and an honorary member of the Czech Society for the Use of Laser in Medicine.
3. Prof. Dr. Ladislav Pilka was granted the Award of the International Federation of Fertility and Sterility, San Francisco, USA, in October 1998.
4. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Jiří Vaněk was elected an honorary member of the Pierre Fauchard Academy, an international honorary dentist organisation. He was also elected an honorary member of EUCID (European Union of Clinical Dental Implantology).
5. Dr. Petr Janků received the Young Investigator Award of the International Society for the Study of Hypertension in Pregnancy (ISSHP), Kobe, Japan, in October 1998.
6. Dr. Jiří Paseka received the Young Investigator Award of the International Society for the Study of Hypertension in Pregnancy (ISSHP), Kobe, Japan, in October 1998.