Prof. V. Usonis Shares about His Year of Studies, His Professional Choice, and Life-Changing March 11th

“People often ask me as someone finishing their career, are you taking it easy now? Well, I’m not, but the nature of the activity is changing. My active cooperation with the university ends on August 31, 2022—I’ve become a professor emeritus. People see this stage in truly different ways but that’s only natural. Life is like a relay race—we take what’s best from our teachers, we pick up the pace with them, we work with them for some time and then we provide the momentum to young, talented, ambitious people, our students,” says Dr. Habil. Vytautas Usonis, professor emeritus at Vilnius University. Here, he shares his thoughts on his memorable study years, the choice of a career in paediatrics, and how the 11 March, 1990, marked a key transition in his life, and his daily joys.

Tell us, when did you decide to pursue becoming a physician? Did you feel an inclination towards medicine from the very young age?

Absolutely not. I didn’t treat dolls, puppies or kittens in my childhood—I had many different hobbies, as all children do. I liked sports, The Beatles’ music (which I would listen to, to learn English, by the way), and many other things. When I made a decision to apply to study medicine, there were no doubts that I was going to specialise in children’s diseases, in paediatrics. I graduated school with excellent grades, successfully passing the entrance exams for Vilnius University, so I didn’t choose paediatrics because there were no other options. It was a conscious decision, as much as that of an 18-year-old could be. It might have been influenced by the example of my fondly remembered aunt, Assoc. Prof. Jonė Usonytė, and conversations I had had with her.

And where does the specific choice of paediatrics stem from?

I think that paediatrics is important because children have their whole life ahead of them, they will replace us, therefore, healthy child development is one of the main objectives of a paediatrician. It is difficult to even describe that feeling when you see an ill child. So, it’s a great joy, if you can contribute to their recovery. This is critically important, not to mention all those arguments that we paediatricians are used to repeating, that the quality of life for the family and the whole society, depends on the health of the child. It’s a shame that this is gradually getting overlooked—I believe we’re now having the second government that doesn’t put children’s health as a priority in its programme.

How do you remember Vilnius University at the time when you were a medical student? Do you recall your study years with joy?

Of course! I entered the university when I was 18—that’s enough of a reason to celebrate! From the first study days, I was surrounded by many fantastic friends. Every generation probably says that their year was special, but ours was indeed so—I studied alongside Irena Degutienė, Gediminas Degutis, Prof. Dr. Habil. Aleksandras Laucevičius, Rimantas Keblas, and many others, who might be less widely known but who are all venerable physicians.

This life change after school was truly a delight! So many different stories come from that period, that one could live the rest of one’s life on those memories alone. I also joined a university ensemble the very first year, which brought together a wonderful mix of students from different faculties. Then the time of rehearsals, concerts, trips began...

Speaking of studies, it’s hard not to mention the fondly remembered Dean Prof. Salezijus Pavilonis and his inspiration, the head of the then Department of Children’s Diseases, Prof. Liudmila Steponaitienė, and legends such as Assoc. Prof. Petras Baublys working therein, who at the time, was a charismatic figure of authority; we only found out about him rescuing Jewish children and his other activities, many years later.

You qualified as a paediatrician in 1974 and started to work as an assistant at the Department of Infectious Diseases, at Vilnius University, in the same year. How did your interest in infectious diseases come about? Why was this field interesting to you?

This was influenced by many different factors at the Faculty of Medicine, and by people I met in the ensemble. In particular, I fondly remember Saulius Ročka, who worked for the Pharmacology Department at that time. He also played the birbynė (Lithuanian aerophone) in the university ensemble. He knew how to inspire, to spark the ambition to pass the exam season well, to reach a particular goal.

I achieved excellent grades, graduated university with honours and could choose which path to take next. It’s difficult to tell in which year of studies the dream of working at the university formed, but I wanted it badly (I don’t know why, but in case I wouldn’t be able to stay at the university, I planned to move and work in Šilutė). So I was overjoyed to receive the offer to lecture on the infectious diseases of children, from the then Head of the Clinic of Infectious Diseases, the fondly remembered Prof. Povilas Čibiras. The work offered was related to paediatrics, and it fit my hopes to stay at the university, so I stayed in Vilnius. Words can’t describe how happy I was! Although I later continued my studies in aspirantura (now doctoral studies) in Moscow for three years and trained in other countries too, Vilnius University has always been my main workplace.

What significance do the years spent studying and developing your knowledge and skills abroad, have for you?

Academically, I have always been very lucky with teachers. Under the referral by Vilnius University, I took on specific aspirantura studies at the 2nd Moscow State Medical Institute named after Pirogov. There, I was supervised by a fondly remembered academic, Prof. Nina Nisevič, a truly luminous person. Thanks to her authority, as an aspirant, I had a chance to work with prominent scientists, including those working in the field of clinical immunology. Those three years spent in Moscow were great schooling in all respects. Having finished my aspirantura, I came back to Vilnius, and back to Vilnius University.

Later, I spent a year in Frankfurt, in the then West Germany, where I worked at the Centre of Medical Virology (led by Prof. Hans Wilhelm Doerr) from 1984 to 1985 and conducted research into the western-standard vaccine against the hepatitis B virus for the first time, as well as made my first publication for an international journal. That was another very significant experience, scientifically, and especially living in the West.

I have enjoyed many kinds of international cooperation during my working years at Vilnius University, but the fundamental shift in my life took place on 11 March, 1990. Looking back from today’s point of view, I can say that that was the time when the qualitative change started, when the Soviet department transformed into the contemporary Clinic of Children’s Diseases. The same transformation occurred in other structures of the faculty and the university—the “provincial” university (as perceived by representatives of the “central” Soviet institutions) became an equal partner in the international arena. And it doesn’t seem that long ago that Prof. Dr. Habil. Aleksandras Laucevičius and I were wondering whether there would be residency studies held at Vilnius University some day! At the time, that sounded like the life on Mars question. But, look where we are now, what Vilnius University clinics we have, what the Clinic of Children’s Diseases has become, now celebrating its centenary this year!

After the Restauration of Independence, my list of publications radically changed. I instinctively eliminated all publications written between 1974 and 1990. I also erased those that were related to both of my dissertations, except the article published in a journal in West Germany in 1986, which contained the results of my work at Frankfurt University. All of my publications are under affiliation to Vilnius University. And now, in the series of autobiographies currently being published by its Emeritus Club, I begin mine with the statement that I’m Vilnian, that I was born here.

Are you proud to be a resident of Vilnius?

It’s very important to me, of course. Vilnius is the city of fairy tales! The more you travel, the more you notice and appreciate all the treasures that we have, in different senses of the word. Take a walk in the old town of Vilnius—isn’t it a Western European old town with its wonderful architecture and unique spirit? I grew up in the old town myself. As children, we never cared who was speaking what language, what nationality others were. We lived and thrived in such a melting pot, and if we did argue, it surely wasn’t because somebody was one or another nationality—such is the spirit of Vilnius, it’s an amalgam of Lithuanians, Poles, Russians, Jews and other nations. With the deepest respect to other places, I’m honestly very proud to be Vilnian and I’m happy to call Vilnius University my Alma Mater.

What event during your career at Vilnius University would you single out as the most memorable or significant?

It’s difficult to say. An event seems the most significant only at the time of its accomplishment. For example, I defended my first doctoral thesis in Moscow—it’s now funny to remember how I was going down the street and could not believe how nobody seemed to notice that here was a Candidate of Sciences (now a Doctor of Philosophy) walking along. It seemed to me then that defending a dissertation was the summit of all achievements. And yet, appetite comes with eating... Defending my second doctoral thesis was again a major event. My traineeship in the then West Germany (1984–1985) was an incredible challenge. My first publication in a high-ranking journal was another significant event.

I’ve already mentioned the 11th of March, which completely changed our life. What followed was a kaleidoscope of challenges: we got involved in international trade organisations; I chaired the Lithuanian national committee of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) from 1997 to 2003; an annual conference of the European Society For Paediatric Infectious Diseases (ESPID) was held in Vilnius in 2002, which at that time was the first and largest international event in Lithuania, attracting some 1,500 participants from around the world; from 2007 to 2015, I was a lecturer at the part-time programme of the Postgraduate Diploma in Paediatric Infectious Diseases at Oxford University; and I was the Head of the Clinic of Children’s Diseases, Medical Faculty, at Vilnius University, for two terms. I must not forget to mention here, all my doctoral students and their work.

It’s wonderful to witness that the goals we set some time ago, are being realised today. I’m delighted that the things we could only dream of, are now happening! What could be better? However, I don’t know whether there was something I could name as the biggest moment in my career and work even after all these years. New work, new duties, new cooperation, etc., are always a big deal in the moment, but time moves on, other work and challenges appear. And looking back, the events that were significant at the time become a mere brief line in the CV.

What have your days been looking like recently? What are the joys of your daily life?

People often ask me as a person finishing his career, are you resting now? No, I’m not! My active cooperation with the university ends on the 31 August, 2022—I’ve become a professor emeritus. People see this stage in truly different ways but that’s only natural. Life is like a relay race—we take what’s best from our teachers, we pick up the pace with them, we work with them for some time and then we provide the momentum to young, talented, ambitious people, our students. It’s a very natural process. Especially since, if you want to keep riding the wave, you have to work intensely. It’s like there is a parallel between science and paddling upstream—as long as you paddle with all your might, you will move forward. But the moment you stop, you no longer stay where you are, the stream is dragging you back, and that’s genuinely the way it works.

The idea that work is everything to someone, that they are devoted to their job, sounds very nice and patriotic, of course, but isn’t this view a bit narrow, if the person doesn’t notice anything else apart from their work?.. As years go by, the nature of our work changes. Having finished my active scientific career, my scientific activity today consists of experimental work. I’m also a member of several international and Lithuanian expert groups. The research contacts I made during my time, the accumulated experience in research project development, applications preparation and later in project assessment, the information I’m still receiving through my channels about calls for funding research projects, all come in handy for the younger colleagues. I engage in the activities of the Professor Emeritus Club at Vilnius University. I’m glad that more time can be devoted to the family and a variety of interesting things—there is so much to be interested in in this world!

Tell us about your interests. What are you spending the most time on at the moment?

First and foremost, the family. The children are already grown up, but what a joy the grandchildren are! Seeing them grow, I’m starting to feel—gnawed by conscience—that I might not always have had so much time for my own children and that I didn’t devote the necessary attention to them.

I also like travelling. Until I was 40, we lived in a closed society and escaping to Europe, even if only for a few days, used to be the most special thing...Today we’re travelling the whole world, enjoying the diversity of countries we can visit, and communicating with various people. I have travelled a lot on business. But that follows the same formula: plane–hotel–venue–plane. It’s a completely different story when you travel slow, with family or friends, when you have time to get to know the country better and to experience its charm.

The company of friends and cooking bring joy as well—I know how to make a few dishes which are truly delicious. Cooking is similar to science: first, it’s the idea, then information search (a book, the internet or YouTube), then the experiment, the result and, finally, fun time with friends.

So, I have a broad range of activities, there’s no time to be bored. If a person has many activities from a young age and learns how to manage their time, that remains true later too—it’s different for a 15-year-old, then during your studies and different stages in your career, but you can always find things to do and all stages of life are charming in their own way!