Elena Pieckova, Slovakia

Personal info

Elena Pieckova, MPH, PhD. is an Associated Professor of Public Health and Senior Scientist at the Slovak Medical University in Bratislava, Slovakia. There she is heading the certificated laboratory of environmental mycology since 1997, while having several international experiences (The Netherlands, Belgium, USA) as well.

She is an internationally recognized specialist mainly in indoor mycology and mycotoxicology, author/co-author of more than 250 scientific papers, co-ordinator of 9 longlasting scientific grants from the European Commission, bilateral ones within Europe and domestic projects to date.

Education

• MSc – technical microbiology and biochemistry, Slovak Technical University, Bratislava, Slovakia
• MPH – Master of Public Health, WHO School of Public Health, Bratislava
• PhD – environmental and pharmaceutical microbiology, Comenius University, Bratislava
• Senior Scientist Position – Institute of Preventive and Clinical Medicine, Bratislava
• Assoc. Prof. – public health, Slovak Medical University, Bratislava

Professional Career

Institute of Preventive and Clinical Medicine/Slovak Medical University, Bratislava:

• since 1997 – head of mycology,  since 2003 – the certificated lab of environmental mycology (international approval) & deputy chief of microbiology
• coordinator of 10 longlasting scientific grants (EC, European bilateral, domestic), and investigator in 12 scientific and 2 educational projects (dtto)

International experience (Flamish Prime Minister, FEMS, US CSMC working&fellow financial grants):

• Faculty of Pharmacy, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium (1999 – 2000)
• Centraalbureau voor Schimmelcultures, Baarn/Utrecht, The Netherlands (1997, 1998)
• Institute of Agricultural Medicine, Lublin, Poland (2002)
• Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, USA (2005)

Teaching activity

• establishing and leading of the national postgradual course on environmental myco-/mycotoxicology, Slovak Medical University, Bratislava
• individual postgradual students, incl. international participants
• pregradual education: courses of myco-/mycotoxicology/microbial toxicology – Slovak Medical University, Comenius University, Slovak Technical University, Bratislava, Slovak Agricultural University, Nitra, Slovakia, supervisor of 6 PhD-theses, 25 MSc- and Bc-dissertations
• member of the National Commission for PhD-State Exams in Mycology

Others

• expert in mycology for project evaluation (EC, national grant agencies) and for accreditation and certification (Slovak National Accreditation Service)
• member of the Editorial Board of the Annals of Agricultural and Environmental Microbiology
• member of the Main Committee of the Czechoslovak Society for Microbiology (2001 – 2005), the Executive Board of the Slovak Mycopathological Society (2006 – 2010), the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (1997 – 1999), member of the International Society of Indoor Air Quality and Climate, Czech Scientific Society for Mycology, Croatian Microbiological Society, Slovak Mycological Society and Slovak Society of Clinical Microbiology
• deputy of the Ministry of Health in the Industrial Property Office of the Slovak Republic Commission for evaluation of patents, utility models and designs
• member of the Program Committees of several international conferences on myco-/microbiology
• awards: Slovak Technical University Rector´s Prize for the best graduates, Czechoslovak Society for Microbiology Prize for the best young microbiologists, Czechoslovak Society for Microbiology Svec Family Prize

 

Scientific interest areas

Indoor mycology and mycotoxicology.

 

Publications

• over 250, first author: 132 – 4 monography chapters, 105 scientific papers
• citations SCI: 140

The most cited last decade publications:

• Piecková, E. Jesenská, Z.: Microscopic fungi in dwellings and their health implications in humans. Ann. Agric. Environ. Med. 6, 1999, 1: 1 – 11.
• Valík, Ľ., Piecková, E.: Growth modelling of heat resistant fungi: the effect of water activity. Int. J. Food Microbiol. 63, 2001, 1-2: 11 - 17.
• Šegvič-Klarič, M., Kosalec, I., Mastelič, J., Piecková, E., Pepeljnjak, S.: Antifungal activity of thyme (Thymus vulgaris L.) esential oil and thymol against mould from damp dwellings. Lett. Appl. Microbiol. 44, 2007, 1: 36 – 42.
• Piecková, E., Wilkins, K.: Airway toxicity of house dust and its fungal composition. Ann. Agric. Environ. Med. 11, 2004, 1: 67 – 73.
• Piecková, E., Kunová, Z.: Indoor fungi and their ciliostatic metabolites. Ann. Agric. Environ. Med. 9, 2002, 1: 59 – 63.