Professor Eugene Joseph Kucharz studied medicine at the Medical University of Silesia (1968-1974) and graduated with honors in 1974. After graduation, he was assistant, lecturer and chairman of the Department of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Diagnostics of the Medical University of Silesia. He obtained Ph. D. in 1976 and habilitation degree (i.e. associate professor degree) in 1984. He was a visiting professor at the Arthritis Center of the Medical College of Wiscousin (USA) (1986-1988), and upon return to Poland, senior research associate at the Fourth Department of Internal Medicine of the Medical University of Silesia (1989-1995). In 1994, the President of the Republic of Poland awarded him with a title of professor. Since 1996, he is a head of the Department of Internal Medicine and Rheumatology of the Medical University of Silesia in Katowice.
Professor Eugene J. Kucharz is board certified in internal medicine, laboratory diagnostics, rheumatology, and angiology. He participated in several educational programs include training in Budapest, Vienna, Florence, York and Toronto. Professor Eugene J. Kucharz is an author of 126 books or book chapters, 310 original papers, 237 review papers, and 304 papers on history of medicine. He also publishes congress reports, book reviews as well as journalistic and literary papers. He published verses in English and Polish. He was a translator and editor of Polish versions of a few foreign medical handbooks. The main research achievements include: description of impaired collagen maturation in experimental collagen disease-like syndrome; modification of a method for hydroxyproline determination; description of impaired signal transduction in T cells of the patients with systemic lupus erythematosus in vitro and its reversal by lithium; description of a decreased secretion of interleukin-2 inhibitor in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus; description of disturbed collagen metabolism resulted from the thyroid dysfunction; description of dynamics of collagen accumulation in fibrotic liver and dynamics of an increase in collagen degrading enzymes and formation of the concept of “turning point” between reversible and irreversible hepatic fibrosis; description of enhanced secretion of prolactin in patents with systemic sclerosis, proposal of chronic inflammation-enhanced atherosclerosis syndrome. His department is the only Polish center treating systemic sclerosis patients with an autologous stem cell transplantation.
Professor Eugene J. Kucharz published a few books, including the monography “The collagens: biochemistry and pathophysiology” (New York 1992), the first book on role of collagen in clinical medicine. He is an co-author of main Polish handbooks of internal medicine and rheumatology. He also published a seven-language medical dictionary (including Esperanto).
Professor Eugene J. Kucharz is a member of national and international societies. He was a President of the Polish Society of Internal Medicine (2004-2008) and he was a chairman of centenary celebration of the society. He was the president of the Polish Society of Rheumatology (2014-2017). He was a member of the Executive Board of the International Society of Internal Medicine 1994-2000), and he is a honorary member of this society (since 2000). He participated in all ISIM Congresses since 1994. He is also a honorary fellow of the European Federation of Internal Medicine and member of the Administration Council of the Federation. In 2001, he was one of the first Poles elected the Fellow of the American College of Physicians. He is also a honorary members of the Czech, Slovak and Moldavian Society of Internal Medicine. He organized several national and international conferences and training courses (including the Central European Congress of Internal Medicine 1998, the EUSTAR Educational Course 2015).
Professor Eugene J. Kucharz is a member of several editorial boards of scientific journal, including: European Journal of Internal Medicine, Internists (Vilnius), Ukrainian Journal of Rheumatology (Kiev), Archives of Internal Medicine (Moscow) and Polish Archives of Internal Medicine, Medycyna Praktyczna (Krakow). He is the editor-in-chief of “Rheumatology/Reumatologia” (Warsaw).