Prof. Dr. habil. Adam Lelbach

Specialist in internal medicine, gastroenterology and geriatric medicine, hypertonologist

Head Physician and Head of the V.I.P. Department of Dr. Rose Private Hospital

Dr. Lelbach has been a permanent member and participating in the work at Dr. Rose Private Hospital since December 2006. He joined our Institution right after it was established and he is the medical doctor working at our Institute for the longest time. Dr. Lelbach is the head physician and the head of the V.I.P. department at Dr. Rose Private Hospital.

In the past fifteen years among other things Dr. Lelbach has transformed the screening examination system of our Institution in accordance with innovative principles. He is also the one responsible for starting the foreign language medical service for our international patients and developed a special patient care system for our V.I.P. members. Dr. Lelbach started the involvement of medical students in the work of our Institution through a special mentoring system.

University studies and professional occupation in Europe and overseas

Dr. Lelbach carried out his university studies at Semmelweis Medical University, Budapest between 1989 and 1995. During these years he completed his professional internships at university clinics and teaching hospitals in Austria, Germany and Norway. In 1990 he was involved as a medical student in the organization of the largest conference organized by World Health Organization (WHO) in that year, the 1st European Conference on Food and Nutrition Policy. The acquired experience and relationships had a significant impact on Dr. Lelbach’s future professional career.

After graduating from Medical School Dr. Lelbach started his medical career at the 2^ndDepartment of Internal Medicine of Semmelweis University, which was the former „Haynal Clinic” (named after the famous professor Imre Haynal). The Clinic, at that time, was the leading institute of internal medicine in Hungary having the Center and Head of the National Institute of Internal Medicine at the same place.

During his clinical work Dr. Lelbach had the opportunity to improve his professional work in nearly every field of internal medicine (general internal medicine, endocrinology, diabetology, gastroenterology, hepatology, nephrology, cardiology and hypertonology, intensive care, hematology, oncology and immunology). With the help of the leading professionals in the country he acquired comprehensive knowledge on internal medicine and specialized patientcare through treating a high number of patients.

He actively took part in the organization and coordination of therapy for patients who required special treatments only available in certain university centers in Europe and Overseas, as it was one of the tasks of the National Institute of Internal Medicine.

Dr. Lelbach’s scientific supervisor, professor Janos Feher, organized several national and international congresses (even a World Congress in 1996 - IGSC) in which Dr. Lelbach took part in performing responsible operative tasks as a young doctor, which afforded him the opportunity to gain important experiences.

Dr. Lelbach successfully obtained the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) scholarship of the Federal Republic of Germany and between 1998 and 2000 he worked in a special research area at the University of Göttingen: Molecular and cellular hepato-gastroenterology led by Professor Jungermann and later by Professor Ramadori. As a member of the international research group in ’Clinical, cellular and molecular biology of internal organs’ coordinated by Professor Burckhardt he engaged in research and mentored medical students at the Centrum of Internal Medicine, Department of Endocrinology and Gastroenterology of the University of Göttingen - led by Professor Ramadori. In 2002 he was invited to the Institution again as a visiting researcher (Gastwissenschaftler).

Thereafter, Dr. Lelbach continued his work in patient care in Hungary at the 2^nd Department of Internal Medicine of Semmelweis University, which was led at that time by Professor Zsolt Tulassay, member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. In 2003 he successfully completed his specialization in internal medicine and in 2005 his specialization in gastroenterology. The Clinic had special national tasks in progressive patient care, thus he had the opportunity to treat a wide spectrum of illnesses of varying severity and requiring different levels of care, and to cure a large number of patients.

In addition to patient care and research, he also took part in teaching internal medicine to students in Hungarian, English and German languages. In 2005 he successfully defended his doctoral thesis on the correlation between the IGF (Insuline-like growth factor) system, inflammatory cytokines and the liver and obtained his Ph.D. degree.

In 2006 Dr. Lelbach was granted an American scholarship and started doing research in the United States of America at the Hepatology Department of the Internal Medicine Clinic of the University of Massachusetts.

Dr. Rose Private Hospital

Dr. Lelbach has been the senior internist of Dr. Rose Private Hospital since 2007 and later became the Head of the Outpatient Clinic of the Institution. Currently he is the Head of the V.I.P Department of the Institution. In the past decade and a half Dr. Rose Private Hospital has gained recognition not just in Hungary but internationally, as well. A good proof of that is the fact that patients from all continents and from more than 90 countries are still visiting doctor Lelbach in Budapest or asking his opinion regarding their treatments. Among these patients are famous international politicians, diplomats, well-known businessmen and people from the Gulf countries (appointed Royal Physician-in-Ordinary - Kingdom of Saudi Arabia), as well as world-famous sportsmen, entertainers, movie and theater directors and Oscar-winning actors.

Scientific research and teaching activity

Dr. Lelbach’s scientific work consists of more than 100 scientific presentations, including a monography in English published by Lambert Academic Publishing in Cologne, Germany [Adam Lelbach: Acute Phase Mediators and the IGF System, Lambert Academic Publishing, Cologne, Germany (2009)], 10 chapters for university textbooks in Hungarian and in English and countless scientific publications, as well as lectures presented on international conferences in Hungarian, English and German. He actively took part in the organization of many national and international congresses. The impact of Dr. Lelbach’s decade long pioneer work in establishing a program for mentoring medical students and young scientists is shown in their achievements in the Scientific Students’ Association (his students have won many awards for their activities).

During his time in Göttingen Dr. Lelbach discovered for the first time in the world the impact of proinflammatory cytokines on the insuline-like growth factor system in hepatocyte co-cultures. This mechanism has a role in the development of a number of catabolic diseases and conditions (cancer diseases, inflammatory diseases, aging process). He published his results in Europe’s leading scientific journal in the field of hepatology research (Journal of Hepatology). In Göttingen Dr. Lelbach had the opportunity to meet several Nobel-prize winning scientists, in Germany and in the United States of America he visited the laboratory of the Nobel-prize winning professors Erwin Näher and Craig Mello.

Since his time in Göttingen Dr. Lelbach has maintained a close friendship with the internist-radiotherapist Dieter Matthaei. As researcher of the University of Göttingen and the Max-Planck-Institut für biophysikalische Chemie Dieter Matthaei developed the FLASH MRI (fast low angle shot) imaging technique with his fellow researchers Axel Haase and Jens Frahm in 1985 making the MRI imaging technique available for clinical diagnostic purposes for the mankind.

Dr. Lelbach’s scientific interest turned towards the biological and physiological mechanisms of the aging process, in the past years more specifically the impact of physical activity as a possible therapeutic intervention on the cardiometabolic and aging processes. Dr. Lelbach issued scientific publications and textbook chapters together with Professor Bela Szekacs and Professor Akos Koller.

In 2015 Dr. Lelbach successfully passed his hypertonology license examination and in 2016 his specialization in geriatric medicine.

In 2019 Dr. Lelbach successfully defended his habilitation and has been awarded the title of habilitated doctor (Dr. habil.) at the University of Physical Education. The title of his habilitation dissertation was ’Adaptation of the cardiometabolic system in competitive athletes and its late effects - the role of regular physical activity in the prevention and therapy of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases’.

Because of their common scientific research on the aging of the vascular system with Professor Akos Koller, Dr.Lelbach became the member of the Microvascular Working Group of the European Society of Cardiology. He is currently pursuing scientific collaboration with the Dresden Working Group led by general secretary of the European Society of Microcirculation, Professor Henning Morawietz.

Dr. Lelbach is the member of the Public Body of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences (HAS), as well as the Society of Young Researchers of the HAS. He is is the editor in chief of the ”Idősgyógyászat” (Geriatric Medicine) scientific journal of the Hungarian Association of Gerontology and Geriatrics, as well as member of the editorial board of the ”Hypertonia és Nephrologia” scientific journal of the Hungarian Society of Hypertonology and Nephrology.

Over the past two decades he has performed lecturing and scientific activities in the following institutions: Semmelweis University, Faculty of Medicine, 2^nd Department of Internal Medicine, Departmental Group of Geriatrics (graduate and post-graduate levels), University of Pécs, Medical School, Institute of Translational Medicine (previously: Institute of Pathophysiology and Gerontology), Hungarian University of Sports Science, Institute of Natural Sciences, Research Group of Sportgenetics and Sportgerontology, Budapest, Szent István University, Faculty of Food Sciences, Budapest, Semmelweis University, Faculty of Health Sciences, Institute of Applied Health Sciences, Department of Physiotherapy and Institute of Basic Health Sciences, Department of Morphology and Physiology, Budapest. He is teaching and mentoring medical students in Hungarian, English and German languages.

In recent years the latest achievement of his academic career is that he has launched and become the lecturer of the course "Gerontology and Geriatrics" and the "Gerontology and Geriatrics Specialisation" at the Institute for Sports and Health Sciences, Department of Kinesiology, at the Hungarian University of Sports Science, Budapest.

Further professional studies and activities

Between 2009 - 2011 Dr. Lelbach studied at the Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences at the University of Technology and Economics in Budapest (organized as a common training programme with the Rochester Institute of Technology, Henrietta, New York, U.S.A.) and he successfully earned the master degree in economics (M.B.A.). The title of his thesis was: Hungarian health care system compared to the healthcare systems of the welfare states - reform ideas in the perspective of 20 years.

Dr. Lelbach is the vice president of the Hungarian Association of Gerontology and Geriatrics, full board member of the European Geriatric Medicine Society (EuGMS). As a full board member of EuGMS he has been invited to be a member of the Global Europe Initiative Working Group, the mission of which is to harmonize the opportunities of the geriatric care even more than before across Europe.

In 2019 a medical team led by Dr. Lelbach visited Csángóland in Romania with the purpose of conducting scientific health- and social studies on the request of the Association of Csango-Hungarians in Moldva with the support of the Hungarian Prime Minister’s Office.

Between 2021 and 2022 at the invitation of the State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade he completed the Diplomatic Leadership Training specialisation course of the Hungarian Diplomatic Academy at the Ludovika University of Public Service. This acquired knowledge also supports his work as a full board member in the international medical organisation (European Geriatric Society).

Dr. Lelbach is a requested expert by the Office of the Commissioner for Fundamental Rights at the OPCAT National Preventive Mechanisms Subcommittee, as well as at the Global Europe Initiative Working Group of EuGMS and an expert of the European Health Management Association in Brussels, on the SUSTAIN project (on improving healthcare for older people in Europe).

Dr. Lelbach has a strong interest also in Travel Medicine (he successfully earned a certification of Travel Medicine in 2013), he was invited to accompany official groups and delegations travelling to exotic places on several continents over the World (numerous countries in South-America, Central America, Africa and the Middle East). Inspired by his interest in different cultures and health- and social care systems he has visited more than 70 countries all over the World. Dr. Lelbach is especially interested in the culture of countries along the former ’Silk Road’, but he has also visited Japan, Oceania, Africa and the rain forests of the Amazonas region in Brazil. These travelling experiences helped Dr. Lelbach write his thesis about health care systems and also shaped his view on healthcare policy, as well as geriatric care.