Dr. Jan Slezak recieved his M.D. Degree in 1963 from the Medicine Comenius Univiversity, Bratislava, Czechoslovakia and completed his Ph.D. in 1968 at the same institute.  He received D.Sc. degree in 1984 in Functional Morphology from the University of Safarik, Kosice, Czechoslovakia. Dr. Slezak became Associate Professor in 1990 and Full Professor of Physiology at Comenius Univiversity since 1996. He became a Fellow of the IACS in 2002. He is currently head of the Department of Histochemistry and Electron Microscopy, Institute for Heart Research, Slovak Academy of Sciences and Vice-rector of the Slovak Medical University in Bratislava since 2010.  Dr. Slezak was the Vice-rector of Slovak Medical University from 2010-2014 and First Vice-President of Slovak Academy of Sciences  Bratislava from 1998 to 2009. He was also the Director and Chairman of the Institute for Heart Research, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovak Republic from 1988 to 1998. From 1978 to 1988, Dr. Slezak was Deputy Director of the Institute of Experimental Surgery, Slovak Academy of Science, Bratislava, Czechoslovakia.


Dr. Slezak has been a visiting Professor for several times at many different institutes including, Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences, St. Boniface Hospital Research Centre during 1990 to 1998, at the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery and Department of Pathology, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, USA (1979-1986) and at the Department of Anatomy, University of California, Los Angeles, USA (1970-1972). From 1991 to 2011, Dr. Slezak was the President of the Slovak League for Prevention and Treatment of Cardiovascular Diseases as well as President of the Slovak Histochemical and Cytochemical Society (President 1990-2000). Since 1971, his research interests have been primarily involved in a national cardiovascular research projects, and has been carrying out research into experimental and/or molecular cardiology. He has been involved in basic academic research problems, such as artificial circulation and heart transplantation with special emphasis on the study of histochemical, cytochemical, immunocytochemical and ultrastructural changes in the myocardium under various experimental conditions e.g. ischemia and reperfusion injury, calcium paradox, adaptation of the myocardium to ischemia, effect of radiation on cardivascular system and prevention of its adverse effect, molecular hydrogen effect and treatment. His teaching specialities are in the fields of morphology, histochemistry, electron microscopy, physiology, pathophysiology, experimental and/or molecular cardiology and has trained/supervised 22 Ph.D. students.


Dr. Slezak has received almost 60 Domestic and international honours and awards;  including the Gold Medal of Slovak Academy of Sciences (2005), 1st price of Academy of Education for popularization of science (2005), Gold Medal of University of Constantine Philoshopher for Scientific Achievements in Medical Sciences (2006), President of Slovakia – Presidental State Award of Slovak Republic – 1st Class Ľudovít Štúr Order (2006), Doctor Honoris Causa (Dr.h.c.) from the Žilina University (2008), Great Medal of Mikovíni for lifetime achievement in science and technology from the Minister of Education, Slovak Republic, Medal of Merit, Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences, ISHR (2001), Honorary Citizen of the City of Winnipeg, Canada (2001), IACS Norman Alpert Award for Established Investigators in Cardiovascular  Sciences (2002), Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences Vincenzo Panagia Distiguished Lecturer Award (2011), IACS Distinguished Leadership Award in Cardiovascular Sciences (2014), IACS Naranjan Dhalla Award for Innovative Investigators in Cardiovascular Sciences (2015) and Medal  for Outstanding Contributions to the IACS (2015). Dr. Slezak has over 550 publications as full length papers in journals, book chapters and proceedings with more than 3,000 citations. He has been an invited symposia speaker for national and international meetings over 50 times. Dr. Slezak is/has been council member/fellow of several organizations including IACS, ISHR, Slovak Cardiological Society, Slovak Physiological Society and serves on the editorial board of several international journals including Canadian Journal of Cardiology, Canadian Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology, General Physiology and Biophysics (Field Editor) and The Histochemical Journal.