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Prof. Alicja Bortkiewicz

Nofer Institute of Occupational Medicine
Department of Work Physiology and Ergonomics, Nofer Institute of Occupational Medicine
8 Teresy St
 

Brief Biography:


Education:

1976 – MSc, Department of Biology, University of Lodz, Poland

1983 - PhD (medical biology), Medical Academy of Lodz

2002 – doctor habilitus (occupational medicine and work physiology), Nofer Institute of Occupational Medicine

Postgraduate training:

  • Institute of Work Hygiene and Occupational Diseases, Kiev, Ukraine,1984
  • International course on “Applied work physiology with special emphasis on the evaluation on occupational workload”, Nordic Institute of Advanced Occupational Environment Studies (Niva), Stockholm, Sweden, 1986
  • Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, Helsinki, Finland, 1991
  •  Serial conferences of the Scientific Committee on Cardiology in Occupational Health,  ICOH (Copenhagen, 1995; Tel-Aviv, 1998; Duesseldorff, 2002; New Port Beach, California, 2005, Kraków-Poland 2009)
  • Congresses of ICOH (Milano, Italy 2006, Cape Town 2009)
  • WHO/ICNIRP International Seminar on Biological Effects, Health Consequences and Standards for Pulsed Radiofrequency Fields, Erice, Italy, 1999
  • Serial meetings: Congress of the International Society for Holter and Noninvasive Electrocardiology, International Congress on Cardiac Pacing and Electrophysiology, (Barcelona- Spain, 1994; Tokio-Japan,1996; Istambul-Turkey, 2000; Gda?sk-Poland  2005, Moscow-Russia, 2011)
  • Nara Women's University, Nara, Japan, 1999,  2002, -cooperation within bilateral agreement on collaboration in science and technology between Poland and Japan

 

 

Academic positions:


Professor, Head of Department of Work Physiology and Ergonomics, Nofer Institute of Occupational Medicine, Lodz, Poland

 

Research interests:


For the most part of my professional career I have been involved in research into the health effects, with special regard to cardiovascular response, of exposure to different occupational hazards, including the psychosocial factors, electromagnetic fields, chemical factors. I conducted a number of projects regarding the impact of life stress, work-related stress, and social status on the workers’ health, particularly on the cardiovascular function and its autonomic regulation. The subjects represented different professions including bus drivers, medical staff, managers in industry, call-centre staff, ground airport workers, policeman, and fire-fighters.  Over the last five years Iparticipated in many national projects, completed two projects within the Government Program on “Safety and Health in Workplace”, and an international project in collaboration with Nara Women’s University in Japan. The series of projects regarding the driving profession has yielded a number of training materials for the drivers, some of them devoted to the stress coping strategies. am specialist in the analysis of the cardiovascular effects of exposure to various occupational agents with the use of non-invasive methods (analysis of Holter ECG, heart rate variability, and late ventricular potentials, blood pressure monitoring etc.).

Participation in research projects:

(completed within the last five years)

  • Health effects of EMF exposure from mobile phones in GSM network workers
  • The cardiovascular effects of electromagnetic fields from mobile phones: An experimental study”, joint research project with Nara Womens’ University, Japan (Project Officer)  under bilateral agreement on collaboration in science and technology between Poland and Japan

  •  Health assessment of populations living in the vicinity of GSM base stations

  • Occupational exposure to fine particulate dust as a risk factor for cardiovascular abnormalities
  • Defining conditions for work in cold microclimate for elderly workers (project supported by the State Committee for Scientific Research in Poland)
  • Cardiovascular response to occupational workload in municipal transport drivers
  • Capability for working as tram driver among hypertensive workers
  • Prevalence of work-related diseases among municipal transport drivers
  • Occupational and environmental risk factors of myocardial infarction
  • Network of Experts in the Psychosocial Work Environment of Developing Countries, related hazards and work-related stress - expert
  • European Health Risk Assessment Network on EMF Exposure (EPHRAN)- member of Advisory Board
  • Innovative Economy Programme:  Priority 1 Research and Development of Modern Technologies Activity Integrated  system for monitoring the psychical and physical condition of road vehicle drivers to minimise hazards in road traffic” Projekt No.:POIG.01.03.01-10-085/09  (ccordinator)
  • Risk factors of work-related diseases – methods of evaluation and prevention  (REWARD) - People, Maria Curie Action , FP7-PIRSES-2008 (ccordinator)
  • Development of comprehensive projects for prevention of  cardiovascular diseases - Project co-financed  by European Union under the European Social Fund: Human Capital Programme  (coordinator)
 

Any other information:


Membership of international and Polish scientific organizations and societies

- International Society for Holter & Noninvasive Electrocardiology

- Polish Cardiac Society, Section of  Noninvasive Electrocardiology

- Polish Occupational Medicine Association

- Bioelectromagnetics Society

-  European Heart Association

-  International Commission on Occupational Health, Scientific Committee of Occupational Cardiology – member of  Board

Starting from 2003 yr I am a member and scientific secretary of  Scientific Council Institute of Occupational Medicine in Lodz, Poland

I lecture work physiology and new methods in non-invasive electrocardiology within the courses for students of Medical University, medical doctors specialized in occupational medicine, and within training in occupational health and safety.

I am a member of Editorial Board of the Polish scientific journal “Medycyna Pracy” and  reviewer in domestic and international scientific journals (Medycyna Pracy, Applied Occupational and Environmental Hygiene,  Archives of Medical Research,  Bioelectromagnetics, Biology,  International Journal of Occupational and Environmental Health,  Environmental Health Perspectives. 

I have been engaged as a reviewer in 3 Ph D process and as a tutor of 4 PhD students as well as a reviewer of  two dissertations for doctor habilitus degree.

I am an author of over 80 papers published in peer-reviewed Polish and international scientific journals and over 150 presentations during domestic and international conferences. I was a chairman and invited speaker during numerous Polish and international congresses and conferences.

List of selected publications

  1. Makowiec-D?browska T., Bortkiewicz A.: Relationship between perceived psychic work load and heart rate reactivity in industrial women managers. Pol.J.Occup.Med. 1989, 4, 397-407
  2. Makowiec-D?browska T., Bortkiewicz A.: Relationship between psychic workload and cardiovascular response in industrial men-managers. Pol.J.Occup.Med. 1990, 3, 323-332
  3. Makowiec-Dabrowska T., Bortkiewicz A., Radwan-Wlodarczyk Z., Koszada-Wlodarczyk W.: Physiological reaction to workload in women performing manual or mental work. Pol. J. Occup. Med. Environ. Health 1992, 5, 257-265.
  4. Bortkiewicz A., Makowiec-Dabrowska T., Gadzicka E.: Objective and subjective estimation of workload and fatigue in physicians in relation to age. Aging and Work, Ed.: Ilmarinen J., Institute of Occupational Health, Helsinki 1993, 127-133.
  5. Bortkiewicz A., Palczynski C., Makowiec-Dabrowska, Gorski P.: Cardiac arrhythmia in women performing heavy physical work. Int. J. Occup. Med. Environ. Health., 1995, 1, 23-31
  6. Bortkiewicz A., Zmyslony M., Palczynski C., Gadzicka E., Szmigielski St.: Dysregulation of Autonomic Control of Cardiac Function in Workers at AM Broadcast Stations (0.738-1.503 MHz), Electro- and Magnetobiology, 1995, 3, 177-191
  7. Bortkiewicz A., Gadzicka E., Zmyslony M.: Heart rate variability in workers exposed to medium-frequency electromagnetic fields. Journal of the Autonomic Nervous System, 1996, 59, 90-97
  8. Bortkiewicz A., Gadzicka E., Makowiec-Dabrowska T.: Determination of admissible workload levels for postmen. in: Environmental Ergonomics. Recent progress and new frontiers. Eds. Y. Shapiro, D.S. Morgan, Y. Epstein, Freund Publishing House, Ltd. London and Tel Aviv, 1996, pp. 27-31.
  9. Bortkiewicz A., Gadzicka E., Szymczak W. Heart rate variability in workers exposed to carbon disulfide. J. Autonomic Nervous System 66, 1997, 62-68
  10. Gadzicka E., Bortkiewicz A., Zmyslony M.: Signal-averaged ECG as a diagnostic method in workers exposed to 50 Hz electromagnetic fields (EMF). Med. Biol. Eng. Comput. Suppl.2, 1999, 37, 1326-1327.
  11. Bortkiewicz A., Palczynski C., Makowiec-Dabrowska T., Gorski P. Comparison of Cardiac Response to Managerial Workload between Men and Women. Appl Human Sci, 17, 1998, 139-144
  12. Szmigielski St., Bortkiewicz A., Gadzicka E., Zmyslony M., Kubacki R.: Alteration of diurnal rhythms of blood pressure and heart rate in workers exposed to radiofrequency electromagnetic fields. Blood pressure monitoring 1998, 3, 323-330
  13. Bortkiewicz A., Gadzicka E.: The usefulness of signal-averaged ECG as a diagnostic method in workers exposed to carbon disulphide (CS2). Medical & Biological Engineering & Computing, 37, suppl. 2. 1999, 1328-29
  14. Gadzicka E., Bortkiewicz A., Makowiec-D?browska T., Polit E., Koszada-W?odarczyk W., Radwan-W?odarczyk Z.; Cardiocascular changes in postmen and the season of the year. in: Environmental Ergonomics IX. Eds. J.Werner & M.Hexamer, Aachen 2000, pp. 231-234
  15. Bortkiewicz A., Gadzicka E., Szymczak W.: Cardiovascular Disturbances in Workers Exposed to Carbon Disulfide Appl. Occup. Environ. Hygiene, 2001, 16, 455-46
  16. Bortkiewicz A., Pilacik B., Gadzicka E., Szymczak W.: The secretion of 6-hydroxymelatonin sulfate in healthy young men exposed to electromagnetic fields emitted by cellular phone.An experimental study. Neuroendocrinology Letters, 2002, 23 (suppl 1), 88-91
  17. Jarupat S., Kawabata A., Tokura H., Bortkiewicz A.: Effects of the 1900 MHz Electromagnetic Field Emitted from Cellular Phone on Nocturnal Melatonin Secretion. Journal Physiol Anthropol  2003, 22, 1, 61-63
  18. Szyjkowska A., Bortkiewicz A., Szymczak W., Makowiec –D?browska T.: Subjective symptoms related to mobile phone use: A pilot study. Polski Merkuriusz Lekarski 2005, 112, 529-533 (in Polish)
  19. Bortkiewicz A., Gadzicka E., Zmy?lony M. Szymczak W: Neurovegetative disturbances in workers exposed to 50 Hz electromagnetic fields. Int J Occup Environ Health, 2006, 19, 53-60
  20. Bortkiewicz A., Gadzicka E., Szymczak W., Szyjkowska A., Koszada-W?odarczyk W., Makowiec-D?browska T.:  Physiological reaction to work in cold microclimate. Int J Occup Environ Health, 2006, 19, 123-131
  21. Karasek R., Collins S., Clays E., Bortkiewicz A., Ferrario M. / Description of a large-scale study design to assess work-stress-disease associations for cardiovascular disease. Int. J. Occup. Med. Environ. Health 2010, Vol. 23 nr 3 s. 293-312.

  22. Bortkiewicz A., Gadzicka E., Siedlecka J., Szyjkowska A., Viebig P., Wranicz J.K., Kurpesa M., Dziuba M., Trzos E., Makowiec-D?browska T. / Work-related risk factors of myocardial infarction. Int. J. Occup. Med. Environ. Health 2010, Vol. 23 nr 3 s. 255-

  23. Khurana V.G., Hardell L., Everaert J., Bortkiewicz A., Carlberg M., Ahonen M. / Epidemiological evidence for a health risk from mobile phone base stations. Int. J. Occup. Environ. Health, 2010, Vol. 16 nr 3 s. 263-267

  24. Bugajska J., Makowiec-D?browska T., Bortkiewicz A., Gadzicka E., Marsza?ek A., Lewandowski Z., Konarska M.: Physical Capacity of occupationally Active Population and capability to Perform Physical Work. Int J Occup Safety& Ergonomics. 17 (2) 2011

  25. Makowiec-D?browska T., Bortkiewicz A., Siedlecka J., Gadzicka E. Effect of fatigue on the fitness to drive  Med. Pr. 62 nr 3 s. 281-290,  2011 

 

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