Students of the Medical University of Gdańsk achieved outstanding results in the 39th edition of the national anatomical competition SCAPULA AUREA 2026, organised by the Medical University of Silesia in Katowice. This year’s edition brought together participants from 16 universities across Poland, with the competition held in both individual and team categories, in Polish and English.
In the individual Polish-language category, first-year MUG medical students secured all three podium places:
1st place – Szymon Szulc
2nd place – Jan Fromm
3rd place – Apolonia Kasprowicz
This excellent individual performance also translated into victory for the Medical University of Gdańsk in the Polish-language team category. MUG representatives were joined on the team podium by students from the Jagiellonian University and the Medical University of Silesia.
MUG English Division medical students also achieved very strong results in the English-language part of the competition. The highest-ranked MUG representative was Abigail Zawadi Musembi, who took 4th place, finishing just outside the podium. MUG students were also ranked among the top ten in the individual classification, while the University team — which also included Hanna Solheim and Akshya Karthikeyan — won 3rd place in the English Division team category. The host university team took first place, followed by the Jagiellonian University in second place.
Academic supervision of the students was provided by staff of the Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology at the MUG and members of the Student Scientific Society at the Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology. The preparation process, organisation of the trip, monitoring of students’ progress before the competition, and on-site support were coordinated by Jan Spodnik, M.D., Ph.D. from the Department.
The SCAPULA AUREA competition is one of Poland’s largest national events devoted to human anatomy and serves as an important platform for the exchange of knowledge and experience among medical students. This year’s results confirm the very high level of preparation of MUG students and their strong commitment to the development of the basic medical sciences.
