College of Medicine Professor Michal Masternak, who focuses his research on healthy aging and cancer, has been honored as a Professor Belweder, his native Poland’s highest academic honor.

Polish President Andrzej Duda presented the award to Masternak at Poland’s Presidential Palace. The award is given based on an exhaustive review of a nominee’s research and scholarly activities by Poland’s top scientists and academics. Unlike university titles and tenure, which associated with and given by a specific institution, the Professor Belweder is a lifetime appointment, sometimes referred to as a White House professorship in the U.S.

“It was very exciting, especially  to receive the diploma right from the president’s hands,” Masternak says, adding that the celebration was also special because it happened his father’s 72nd birthday. Both his parents were in attendance and after the formal presentation, President Duda took selfies with the Masternak family.

“My father is fighting lung cancer and he has good days and bad days. I’m thankful he was able to be there,” Masternak says. “It was a very special day for him.”

Masternak is a professor of medicine at the College of Medicine’s Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences and is involved in multiple research areas.

He has linked senescent cells in the body, also known as “zombie cells,” to aging. These non-dividing cells appear to offer no support to the body but refuse to die. Like a rotting strawberry in a package, they soon cause other cells to go bad. Masternak and his team are looking at developing therapies to stop senescence and to understand the role of fat and insulin resistance in aging. He is also looking at the role senescence plays in cancer.

Recently, he began working in the medical school’s aerospace medicine program and is responsible for processing all astronaut body samples from commercialized space flights to determine how space travel impacts the body. Those studies are examining the health impacts of radiation and zero gravity on inflammation, body, brain and eye health.

Masternak hopes his new honor will encourage more medical research collaborations between the College of Medicine and the world. Through his efforts, UCF is one of two American universities participating in a European scientific exchange designed to bridge the gap between academic research and the development of tomorrow’s medical therapies. And through his connections in Poland, Masternak has help create multiple research partnerships between Polish and College of Medicine cancer researchers.

“These partnerships allow us to see different approaches to understanding cancer and ways to improve care,” he says. “We are trying to learn from each other.”