Limas Kupcinskas, MD, PhD

Biography

Limas Kupcinskas is a Professor of Medicine at Lithuanian University of Health Sciences in Kaunas. He trained in Gastroenterology under Dr Jonas Simanauskas, at Kaunas University Hospital, Dr Richard Mountford, at the Bristol Royal Infirmary England, and Dr Ali Keshaverdzan, at Loyola University, Chicago, USA. In 1992 (till 2018) he was elected a head of Department of Gastroenterology at Lithuanian University of Health Sciences. In 2011 (till 2022) he becomes a head of the Institute for Digestive Research at the same university.

His field of the research interest was in the investigation of disorders associated with Helicobacter pylori infection, such as peptic ulcer disease, functional dyspepsia, and gastric cancer, as well as inflammatory bowel disease, rare gastrointestinal and liver diseases. A team of researchers (gastroenterologists, geneticists, molecular biologists, paediatricians, pathologists, microbiologists) headed by Professor Kupcinskas, are currently investigating epidemiology, genetic and clinical characteristics of inflammatory bowel diseases. They are also researching molecular pathogenesis of premalignant gastric conditions and gastric cancer. He organised laboratory of Clinical and Molecular Gastroenterology in 2007 which was reorganised to Institute of Digestive Research in 2011.

His research papers were published in number of prestige high-rating international journals including Nature (2012; IF-38,4), Nature Genetics (2010, 2011; IF-36), Nature Structural & Molecular Biology (2016, IF 13.3), Nuclear Acide Reseach (2017; IF 10,0) Lancet (2016, 2019; IF-45,2), Gastroenterology (2005, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2019; IF-19,0); Journal Hepatology (2021, 2023 IF-21) Gut (2006, 2014, 2014, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021; IF-17.0), American Journal of Gastroenterology (2014, IF-9.1), Annals of Oncology (2014; IF-7.3), Journal of Crohn's and Colitis (2008, 2010, 2010, 2011, 2014, 2014, 2014, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018; IF-8,3), Inflamatory bowel diseases (2013, 2014, 2015; IF-4,5), International journal of cancer (2016; IF-5.0), Molecular cancerogenesis (2016; IF-4.8), Scientific reports (2014, 2017, 2018; IF-3,8), Cancer epidemiology biomarkers & prevention (2017, IF-4,7), Plos One (2014, 2015, 2018;), Physiological Genomics (2009), and others.

The papers more than 14600 times cited in Clarivate analytics Web of Science all database journals (h index - 46), including more than 13300 citations (without selficitation - more than 13200) in Clarivate analytics Web of Science Core colection joutrnals (h index-48).

L.Kupčinskas was a chairman of organising committees of several international meetings including "6th European Bridging meeting in gastroenterology" (2004, Kaunas), "European Board of Gastroenterology & Hepatology" annual meeting (2009, Vilnius), 1st Baltic Gastroenerology Congress (2014, Kaunas), 1st LUHS Medical Molecular Biology Conference (2015, Kaunas), European Association of Gastroenterology, Endoscopy & Nutrition Postgraduate course "Inflammatory and Premalignant Disorders in Gastroenterology and Hepatology" (Kaunas, 2015) , "Baltic symposium in Inflammatory Bowel Diseases" (2007, 2011, 2015, Kaunas), XXXIth International Workshop on Helicobacter & Microbiota in Inflammation & Cancer (2018, Kaunas), European Hepatitis C Elimination Summit (2024, Vilnius), etc.

Limas Kupcinskas was aPresident of the Lithuanian Association of Gastroenterologists (2009-2014), and founding member of European Crohn's and Colitis Organisation (2002), chairman of the Lithuanian Crohn's and Colitis organization (since 2002), a member of European Board of Gastroenterology (since 1997), a consultant of European rare liver disease network (ERN R-Liver), since 2018; chairman of Lithuanian Viral Hepatitis C screening and elimination working group (since 2021).

He was among authors of ECCO guidelines for diagnosis and treatment of Crohn's disease (2006, 2010), ulcerative colitis (2008), European Helicobacter study group Maastricht III and IV consensus guidelines of diagnosis and treatment of Helicobacter pylori infection (2007, 2012, 2016), European Association Sudy of Liver (EASL) Clinical Practice Guidelines on the management of liver diseases in pregnancy (2023).



Together with collaborators, he has prepared international academic Phare-Tempus projects, financed by the European Commission. These included: The Reform of Continuing Medical Education in Lithuania (1995-1998); The Reform of Gastroenterologists Training in Lithuania (1997-2000); and The Reform of Medical Studies in Lithuania in accordance with the EU Directives (1998-2000). Acknowledgement of these projects has enabled him to create a modern Gastroenterology Training Centre at the Kaunas University Hospital. Here, specialists are trained in practical skills in accordance with the requirements of the European Gastroenterologists Diploma.

Awards: 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2010 elected the best LSMU researcher. In 2008 become a laureate of award for the scientific activity "Tree of Life" devoted by the Lithuanian Ministry of Industry and the Lithuanian Confederation of Industrialists. In 2009 awarded the name of "Lithuanian honorable doctor" by Lithuanian ministry of health. In 2010 - laureate of the Lithuanian Science Prize (for the cycle of scientific works: "Diseases of the Digestive System: The Role of Microflora and Genetic Factors in the Etiopathogenesis of Diseases, New Aspects of Diagnosis and Treatment, 1996-2009). He was elected the best Lithuanian scientist in medicine by the magazine "Veidas" for the period 2002–2012. In 2016, he was awarded the Kaunas Best Scientist Prize, and in 2020 - the akad. Vladas Lašas Prize of the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences, 2023 - Memorial medal of Lithuanian Academy of Sciences, 2024 - Hepatitis C global elimination alliance award, 2024 - Baltic assambly Science award.

He is married to Eugenia Kupcinskiene, a Professor of Botany and Plant Ecology at Kaunas University of Vytautas Magnus. They have 2 sons Kazys (economist) and Juozas (medical doctor).