Each year the Medal is awarded to only one scientist from Poland. The patron of the award, Prof. Andrzej Waksmundzki, was an outstanding Polish physicochemist considered to be the founder of Polish chromatography.
Prof. Joanna Kaluzna-Czaplinska conducts research at the Institute of General and Ecological Chemistry at the Faculty of Chemistry. She is a recognised authority in the scientific community in the field of metabolites, i.e. products of metabolism, carried out using chromatographic techniques. The results of her work have contributed significantly to the diagnosis of metabolic disorders in children with autism and the development of an individualized diet to improve their daily functioning.
- For several years I have also been conducting research on the role of metabolites in civilization diseases, such as Parkinson's disease," says Prof. Joanna Kałużna-Czaplińska. - In cooperation with Polish archaeologists, we are trying to reconstruct the diet of Slavs by analyzing organic remains preserved in ceramic vessels.
Professor Joanna Kałuż-Czaplińska heads the Poland Chemistry and Nutrition Research Group, which conducts research on the impact of diet and supplementation on the human body. The group is a part of the International Association - Council for Nutritional and Environmental Medicine (CONEM). She emphasizes, "The main research areas of CONEM are autism, oral medicine and research on trace elements in medicine, which perfectly fits in with the scientific work conducted by my team, allowing cooperation with other centres around the world.