New Head of the Centre for Postgraduate Studies: “I Will Strive to Recognise and Empower Every Member of the Team”

On 21 May, during a meeting of the Senate of the Lithuanian University of Health Sciences (LSMU), Dr Evelina Pajėdienė was elected Dean of the LSMU Centre for Postgraduate Studies. We spoke with the newly appointed Dean about her immediate priorities, the importance of teamwork, and her activities beyond the University.

A familiar unit, yet no shortage of challenges

Dr Pajėdienė has been working at the LSMU Centre for Postgraduate Studies for almost three years. For the past six months, she has served as Acting Dean, having previously spent two years as Vice-Dean of the Centre.

“During this period, I became thoroughly familiar with the activities and strategic priorities of the Centre for Postgraduate Studies, as well as the functions of other LSMU divisions and, most importantly, the people who work within them. I am grateful for the opportunity to learn from former Dean of the Centre for Postgraduate Studies Professor Juozas Kupčinskas, Vice-Rector for Clinical Medicine Professor Renaldas Jurkevičius, previous deans of the Centre, and many other members of the LSMU community,” she says.

According to the new Dean, the Centre will continue to focus on its core activities, including organising postgraduate courses, placements and conferences, ensuring the quality of internship and residency training programmes, promoting medical resident mobility within Lithuania and abroad, and supporting the professional development of medical residents and their mentors.

“What pleases me most is that, together with the team, we have united around a shared vision and identified strategic goals for the future. For the third consecutive year, LSMU medical residency training has been organised using the Entrustable Professional Activities and the Medical Residency Electronic Register. In the near future, we plan to conduct both quantitative and qualitative evaluations of this model, involving all participants in the process – medical residents, residential programme directors, coordinators, mentors and administrators,” explains Dr Pajėdienė.

One of the Centre’s new and significant areas of focus is preparing healthcare professionals for wartime threats and other emergency situations. A project is currently being developed in cooperation with various LSMU divisions and external partners.

Dr Pajėdienė also sees opportunities to expand online training in generic competences for healthcare professionals, with particular emphasis on psychological resilience, teamwork, ethics and healthcare management.

A professional team and new traditions

Speaking about her colleagues, Dr Pajėdienė emphasised that she is surrounded by highly experienced and professional specialists.

“Our team includes the exceptionally knowledgeable and experienced specialists Birutė Gaulienė, Inga Sribikienė, Eglė Čiupkevičienė, Lina Saltonaitė, Vaida Sudikienė, Kristina Vosylienė, Marija Ivaškienė, alongside IT specialist Rokas Pečiulis and the newly appointed Vice-Deans Arvydas Gelžinis and Lukas Šemeklis. I will strive to recognise and empower every member of the team, encourage the development of new areas of activity and strengthen cooperation with international institutions,” says the Dean.

Creative activities also play a role in team-building. Before the summer holidays, the team plans to visit a ceramics studio. According to Dr Pajėdienė, such activities help strengthen the sense of community and establish new traditions.

A career that began at LSMU

Dr Pajėdienė’s professional journey began at LSMU, where she completed her Master’s degree in Medicine, residency training in Neurology and doctoral studies.

“This academic, scientific and clinical experience shaped me as a neurologist, educator and researcher. My studies and work at LSMU and the Hospital of the Lithuanian University of Health Sciences Kauno Klinikos, together with placements at the Karolinska Institute and Uppsala University Hospital, as well as active involvement in national and international professional societies, enabled me to develop a broad range of competencies and gain a deeper understanding of the diverse applications of neurology, neuroscience and sleep medicine,” she explains.

Strong family support

When asked about her personal motto, Dr Pajėdienė mentions two favourite sayings. The first is linked to her clinical speciality and originates from sleep science pioneer Allan Rechtschaffen, who famously observed that if sleep were not a vital biological function, it would be the greatest mistake ever made by evolution.

“The second saying reflects my own character and approach to achieving goals. It can be translated as: ‘If you’ve jumped over the horse, jump over its tail as well,’” she says.

In her free time, the Dean enjoys staying active and engaging in cultural pursuits.

“I regularly attend Pilates classes, go running and rollerblading. I also enjoy escaping into activities unrelated to medicine, such as theatre, reading and ceramics. I have been interested in the arts for some time, and from the autumn I plan to attend non-degree art history lectures,” she shares her plans.

Above all, however, Dr Pajėdienė says that after work and business trips, nothing is more restorative and rewarding than returning home, where she can always rely on the strong support of her family.

We congratulate Dr Evelina Pajėdienė on her new appointment and wish her every success in achieving her goals!