The Polish Neuroscience Society was founded in 1991 on the initiative of Prof. Marek Kowalczyk (Military Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology, Warsaw) and Prof. Małgorzata Kossut (the Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, PAS). The founding members included also scientists from different scientific centers of Warsaw: Julita Czarkowska-Bauch, Wojciech Danysz, Mirosław Mossakowski, Jolanta Skangiel-Kramska, Andrzej Wróbel.
At the beginning of 1991, Prof. Małgorzata Kossut published an important article in TINS entitled “Neuroscience in Poland” portraying the community of neurobiologists and reviewing the state of nervous system research in Poland. It was an introductory action aimed at establishing the Society.
Earlier this year I tried to locate and count the scientists who may possibly want to join the Polish Neuroscience Society. A first rough estimate indicated about 200-250 scientists, including graduate students, who do research on the nervous system. It seemed worthwhile to attempt to highlight their work so that Polish neuroscience might share in the impetus coming from the historical changes sweeping across Europe
(Trends Neurosci. 1991 Feb.,14(2): 52-4).
The founding meeting took place in Warsaw in April 1991. The organizers first proposed the name Polish Neurobiological Society which was then replaced by the Polish Neuroscience Society. To achieve its objectives, the Society established Sections of Neurology and Neuroimmunology, Neurochemistry, Neurophysiology and Anatomy, Molecular and Cell Neurobiology, Neuropharmacology, Neuropsychology, Neuroinformatics, Popularization of Knowledge on the Nervous System.
From left: Marek Kowalczyk, Małgorzata Kossut, Mirosław Mossakowski, Jolanta Skangiel-Kramska, Andrzej Wróbel, Julita Czarkowska-Bauch, Wojciech Danysz.
The program of the Founding Meeting has been preserved till today. The concept of the meeting reflects one of the crucial goals of the Society, i.e. integration of basic and clinical studies: link [dodać].
Prepared by: Katarzyna Nałęcz (2005), Julita Czarkowska-Bauch i Małgorzata Skup (2016)
Resources: PNS Archives; Statute of the Polish Neuroscience Society, Warsaw 1991; Statute of the Polish Neuroscience Society as amended at the General Assembly of Members. Warsaw 1997; Supplements and conference issues of “Acta Neurobiologiae Experimentalis” 1992-2015.
History of Polish neuroscience
Liliana Lubińska
(1904-1990)
