Young pharmacists honour actress Emília Vášáryová
Bratislava, 22 November 2024: The Slovak Association of Pharmacy Students is launching an award named the Voice of Young Pharmacists. The first recipient of the award is Professor Emília Vášaryová. The award was presented at the first public screening of the film ‘Docentka z lekárne’ (Assistant Professor from the Pharmacy), in which Emília Vášaryová lent her voice to Assistant Professor Jarmila Zemanová Šimaljaková.
The physical representation of the award is a cracked megaphone. "Metaphorically, it reminds us that words and voice itself are very powerful and can move the world. The award itself is quite heavy. The path to success is not always easy, and is often beset by obstacles that test our grit and determination. It also represents the voice of young pharmacists - the award was conceived by us students who possess the ambition to advance patient care, healthcare and the field of pharmacy itself," said Ivana Radosová, vice-president of the Slovak Association of Pharmacy Students, while presenting the award.
In her address, she recalled student involvement in the events of November 1989, which set off the Velvet Revolution, precipitating the fall of the totalitarian regime in the former Czechoslovakia. "Let us learn from our past and our history. Let our voice and the voice of those who fought for freedom and democracy 35 years ago not be silenced," urged Ivana Radosová.
In her thank-you speech, Emília Vášaryová endorsed the legacy of November '89. "I am grateful for standing once again on academic soil. We were meeting here quite often those thirty-five years ago. Students from various faculties were coming to the auditorium and my son was a member of the strike committee. I greatly appreciate and see it as an honour to be here with you this evening," added the award-winning actress.
The Dean of the Faculty of Pharmacy (FPharm) Ján Klimas also spoke of the new award created by young pharmacists: "I am proud of our students. It is reassuring to see that the younger generation understands values and feels the need to remember them."
The film Docentka z lekárne (Associate professor from the pharmacy) was an initiative of the Slovak Chamber of Pharmacists in cooperation with FPharm. Its first screening in the CU's Auditorium which took place after the professor's lecture by Dean Ján Klimas, was attended by its creators. Their team was led by director Adriana Totiková, who spoke highly of the collaboration with Ondrej Sukeľ and Lenka Vasiľová from the Slovak Chamber of Pharmacists, and with Professor Klimas from FPharm. "Creating such a work of art was quite difficult. It took days, weeks and months of poring over archives. The resulting film is a proof that art can be combined with science. I am very pleased that Madam Vášaryová agreed to voice associate professor Zemanová Šimaljaková. Let the associate professor's legacy live on," said Adriana Totiková after the screening of the film.
Jarmila Zemanová Šimaljaková (née Raimanová) was a distinguished Slovak pharmacist who was the first woman in history to hold the position of vice-dean in Slovakia, the first female associate professor in the field of pharmacy in Czechoslovakia, the first woman on the Scientific Council of the Faculty of Pharmacy, and the head of the Department of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical-Industrial Operations at FPharm, which she also founded. At present, the faculty presents an award bearing her name to students who demonstrate exceptional preparedness for the profession of a pharmacist.