Prof. Dr Rimantas Stukas. MF archive photo.
Prof. Dr Rimantas Stukas joined as Director in the Institute of Health Sciences (IHS) of the Faculty of Medicine at Vilnius University (VU MF).
The decision to appoint the new head of the institute was taken on the basis of a order by the Dean of the Faculty of Medicine at the meeting of the Council of the Faculty of Medicine held on 18 December 2024. The Council Meeting Resolution No (1.13 E) 150000-TPN-61 can be found here. The professor is currently serving in an temporary acting and will become the permanent Director of the Institute of Health Sciences of the Faculty of Medicine from 2 January 2025.
Prof. Stukas graduated from VU MF in 1986 as a hygienist-epidemiologist. He started his career at the Department of Hygiene, and defended his doctoral thesis in 1993. He became an associate professor in 1996, completed his habilitation in 2008, and was awarded the title of the professor in 2013.
From 2000 to 2018, Prof. Stukas was the Vice-Dean for Studies at VU MF, from 2007 to 2017 he was Head of the Institute of Public Health, and from 2017 he has been Head of the Department of Public Health. Since 2002, he has been an elected member of the Council of VU MF.
Prof. Stukas has been actively involved in national healthcare policy-making structures. During the years 2005 to 2017, he was a member of the National Health Council and from 2013 was the Deputy Chair of the Council for four years. From 2014 to 2016, he was a member of the Chamber at the Ministry of Health. In 2014, he was awarded the title of Most Meritorious Lithuanian Healthcare Worker for his services to public health.
The professor’s research interests include public health, epidemiology, nutrition and food safety. During his career, he has published more than 450 research papers, 11 educational books, co-authored two textbooks and one monograph. He has also made more than 130 presentations at various conferences.
In 2024, his students in the Bachelor of Public Health programme voted him Best Lecturer at VU MF. He has promoted healthy lifestyles and nutrition-related issues in the media, public lectures and popular books on nutrition.
Contact details for the Institute of Health Sciences are available here.