Professor Rektor has spent his professional career at the First Department of Neurology at FNUSA and the Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University. He has dedicated his career to neurology, particularly to the research and treatment of epilepsy and movement disorders. For two decades (1992–2012), he headed the First Department of Neurology and significantly influenced the direction of Czech neurology. Thanks to him, surgical treatment of epilepsy, deep brain stimulation for patients with Parkinson’s disease, and the use of botulinum toxin began to develop in the Czech Republic.
In addition to his scientific work, he was an exceptional educator. He shaped generations of physicians, served as vice-rector of Masaryk University, was a long-standing member of its Scientific Council, and played a key role in the founding of the neuroscience program at the CEITEC MU institute. He published over 400 scientific papers and was the first Czech to become a member of the American Academy of Neurology. For his lifetime contributions, he received the City of Brno Award (2020), the FNUSA Director’s Award (2025), and the MU Gold Medal for his lifetime contributions to teaching, scientific research, and the development of MU in the field of neuroscience. He also received international recognition from the European Academy of Neurology, which last year awarded him honorary membership—the first scientist from Eastern Europe to receive this honor—for his lifetime contributions to science and medicine.
His scientific legacy, his compassionate approach, his wisdom, and his unwavering inspiration will remain with us forever. May his memory be honored.
