About us

The first Hungarian Twin Registry was established in Budapest in 1970 through the mandatory reporting of multiple-births. In the 1980s a second, volunteer adult registry was also founded. Unfortunately, both registries ceased to exist in the 1990s. Efforts started in 2006 to revive a Hungarian twin registry. The team spearheading this effort reports here on this progress. Currently, the voluntary Hungarian Twin Registry consists of 1000 adult twin pairs and multiplets. Current research focuses on cardiovascular and respiratory health and yielded multiple awards and publications. Efforts are on the way to expand into social, psychological, and obesity studies. Currently the Hungarian Twin Registry transforms to population based registry in Semmelweis University.
Website of International Society for Twin Studies: http://www.ists.qimr.edu.au/
Source: Littvay L, Métneki J, Tarnoki AD, Tarnoki DL. The Hungarian Twin Registry.
Twin Res Hum Genet. 2012 Oct 19:1-5. [Epub ahead of print] IF: 1.994   http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23084033

Researchers

Dr. Júlia Métneki, PhD 

Biologist, MZ twin, author of the book „Book of Twins", leader of numerous Hungarian and international twin studies, twin researcher. She was the colleague of Dr. Andrew Czeizel (between 1971-1998) and the leader of  the Department of Human Genetic and Teratology of the „Johan Béla” National Epidemiology Centre (until 2006); currently she works at National Centre for Healthcare Audit and Inspection. Her twin brother is dentist.

Published books:
Book of twins I.
Book of twins II.
One or two?

Contact:
Biologist, scientific advisor
National Institute for Health Development, Budapest, Hungary
Address: 2-6 Gyáli street, Budapest, H-1097
Phone.:+36-1- 476-1129
Email: metneki.julia@gmail.com

Dr. habil. Ádám Domonkos Tárnoki, PhD

He was born in 1983 in Budapest. He graduated at Semmelweis University in 2008 and works currently at the Semmelweis University as radiologist fellow and PhD student. He has English and German language exams. His hobbies are swimming, gardening and traveling. He is currently the leader of some twin studies in Hungary with his twin brother. He is member of the ISTS.

AREA OF INTEREST
Cardiovascular twin studies

PRESENTATIONS
Over 100 presentatons

PUBLICATIONS
Over 60 publications

AWARDS
1. 1st prize, Conference of Student Scientific Association, 1st prize, Semmelweis University, Budapest, 2007
2. Special award, Medal of South-Pest Hospital, Forum of Young Scientists, South-Pest Hospital, Budapest, Hungary (June 2009)
3. 7th best lecture award, Bridges in Life Sciences US – CEE 5th Regional Networking Meeting, RECOOP HST Consortium. Lvov, Ukraine, April 2010
4. Best lecture award (1st prize), 6th International Symposium on Arterial Stiffness. 15-17 April, 2010, Pécs, Hungary
5. Alex Chao MD Young Investigator Award, Society for Vascular Ultrasound conference 2010, Boston, MA, USA
6. European Atherosclerosis Society, Travel grant, 2010, Hamburg, Germany
7. Annual Inflammatory Airway Diseases and Clinical Allergy Grant, European Respiratory Society, 2010, Barcelona, Spain
8. Outstanding Accomplishments in the name of the HMAA, Hungarian Medical Association of America, 2010, Balatonfured, Hungary
9. 4th place of the CSMC – RECOOP HST Consortium Young Scientists Competition in Bratislava, during the the Bridges in Life Science 6th Annual Meeting, Bratislava, Slovakia, April 2011
10. Best lecture award (among best 3 lectures in the oral presentation session; appreciate and award), PhD Scientific Days, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary, April 2011
11. Accomodation Grant, Annual scientific meeting of European Society of Hypertension (ESH). June 2011, Milan, Italy
12. “Alberto Ferrari” Poster Prize, European Society of Hypertension (ESH), June 2011
13. „Brigitte Laloux” Bursary award, Artery Society, October 2011 (David Tarnoki)
14. Elected to be Member of the „Kerpel Frónius Talent Maintenance Program” and the „Excellent list of Semmelweis University” from 2011
15. Markusovszky Award for the best articles published in Orvosi Hetilap (Hungarian Medical Journal) in 2011 (Jermendy G, Littvay L, Steinbach R, Jermendy A, Tárnoki A, Tárnoki D, Métneki J, Osztovits J.Heritability of the risk factors for the metabolic syndrome: a twin study. Orv Hetil. 2011 Aug 7;152(32):1265-71.), May 2012
16. Special award for best lectures at FiRaFó (Forum of Young Radiologists) session at 26th Congress of Hungarian Society of Radiologists. Debrecen, Hungary, June 2012: for Tárnoki DL, Tárnoki ÁD, et al. Heritability of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in a Hungarian twin cohort
17. Special award for best lectures at FiRaFó (Forum of Young Radiologists) session at 26th Congress of Hungarian Society of Radiologists. Debrecen, Hungary, June 2012: for Tárnoki ÁD, Tárnoki DL, et al. Genetic background of carotid plaques in twins

Contact:
Department of Radiology and Oncotherapy, Semmelweis University
78/a Ulloi street, Budapest, H-1082, Hungary
Cell: +36-30-6401183
Email: tarnoki4@gmail.com
Website: http://www.orvostudakozo.hu/DrTarnokiAdamDomonkos_English

Dr. habil. Dávid László Tárnoki, PhD

He was born in 1983 in Budapest. David graduated at Semmelweis University in 2008 and works currently at the Semmelweis University as radiologist fellow and PhD student. He has English and German language exams. His hobbies are swimming, gardening and traveling. He is currently the leader of some twin studies in Hungary with his twin brother. He is the member of the ISTS.

AREA OF INTEREST
Respiratory twin studies

PRESENTATIONS
Over 100 presentatons

PUBLICATIONS
Over 60 publications

AWARDS
1. 1st prize, Conference of Student Scientific Association, 1st prize, Semmelweis University, Budapest, 2007
2. Special award, Medal of South-Pest Hospital, Forum of Young Scientists, South-Pest Hospital, Budapest, Hungary (June 2009)
3. 7th best lecture award, Bridges in Life Sciences US – CEE 5th Regional Networking Meeting, RECOOP HST Consortium. Lvov, Ukraine, April 2010
4. Best lecture award (1st prize), 6th International Symposium on Arterial Stiffness. 15-17 April, 2010, Pécs, Hungary
5. Alex Chao MD Young Investigator Award, Society for Vascular Ultrasound conference 2010, Boston, MA, USA
6. European Atherosclerosis Society, Travel grant, 2010, Hamburg, Germany
7. Annual Inflammatory Airway Diseases and Clinical Allergy Grant, European Respiratory Society, 2010, Barcelona, Spain
8. Outstanding Accomplishments in the name of the HMAA, Hungarian Medical Association of America, 2010, Balatonfured, Hungary
9. 4th place of the CSMC – RECOOP HST Consortium Young Scientists Competition in Bratislava, during the the Bridges in Life Science 6th Annual Meeting, Bratislava, Slovakia, April 2011
10. Best lecture award (among best 3 lectures in the oral presentation session; appreciate and award), PhD Scientific Days, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary, April 2011
11. Accomodation Grant, Annual scientific meeting of European Society of Hypertension (ESH). June 2011, Milan, Italy
12. “Alberto Ferrari” Poster Prize, European Society of Hypertension (ESH), June 2011
13. „Brigitte Laloux” Bursary award, Artery Society, October 2011 (David Tarnoki)
14. Elected to be Member of the „Kerpel Frónius Talent Maintenance Program” and the „Excellent list of Semmelweis University” from 2011
15. Markusovszky Award for the best articles published in Orvosi Hetilap (Hungarian Medical Journal) in 2011 (Jermendy G, Littvay L, Steinbach R, Jermendy A, Tárnoki A, Tárnoki D, Métneki J, Osztovits J.Heritability of the risk factors for the metabolic syndrome: a twin study. Orv Hetil. 2011 Aug 7;152(32):1265-71.), May 2012
16. Special award for best lectures at FiRaFó (Forum of Young Radiologists) session at 26th Congress of Hungarian Society of Radiologists. Debrecen, Hungary, June 2012: for Tárnoki DL, Tárnoki ÁD, et al. Heritability of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in a Hungarian twin cohort
17. Special award for best lectures at FiRaFó (Forum of Young Radiologists) session at 26th Congress of Hungarian Society of Radiologists. Debrecen, Hungary, June 2012: for Tárnoki ÁD, Tárnoki DL, et al. Genetic background of carotid plaques in twins

Contact:
Department of Radiology and Oncotherapy, Semmelweis University
78/a Ulloi street, Budapest, H-1082, Hungary
Cell: +36-30-6401183
Email: tarnoki4@gmail.com
Website: http://www.orvostudakozo.hu/DrTarnokiDavidLaszlo_English

Dr.  Levente Littvay, PhD

Statistician
Central European University

Levente (Levi) received his PhD in Political Science from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 2006 where he also studied Survey Research and Methodology. He has held visiting positions in multiple departments of the Eotvos Lorand University and the University of Zagreb, Faculty of Psychology. He has taught a number of workshops on missing data. Predominantly a methodologist, Levi’s research strives to find new analytical strategies to complex problems and research questions in any field of science. Past research has included evolutionary game theory through agent based computer simulations and macro-comparative exploration of the relationship between corruption and democratic performance. Current research includes exploration of a number of statistical questions, assessment of electoral systems and the genetics of social and political behavior. Active member of the American Political Science Association, Behavior Genetics Association and the International Society for Twin Studies. Levi also plays bluegrass and has two cats.

Website: http://web.ceu.hu/polsci/faculty/personal/littvay.htm

Email: littvayl@ceu­budapest.edu

Dóra Melicher, MD, Ph.D.

Twin researcher
Curriculum vitae (pdf)

She obtained her Ph.D. degree in 2018, followed her research in the Ph.D. School of Molecular
Medicine, Semmelweis University in the Human Molecular Genetics and Gene Diagnostics Program,
with research topic: Twin studies - Genetic and epigenetic trends in telomere research, immuno-
epigenetics, mitochondrial epigenetics

Since 2017 she works as research associate in the MTA-SE Immunproteogenomics Extracellular
Vesicle Research Group at Semmelweis University, Department of Genetics, Cell- and
Immunobiology, led by Prof. Dr. Edit Buzás.
She has been an active researcher of the Hungarian Twin registry since 2010, board member since
2015.
She is executive of EDUVITAL Non-profit Society for Health Education since its establishment in 2012.
She obtained her Medical Doctor degree at the Faculty of Medicine, Semmelweis University with
Summa cum laude qualification.
In 2009 she graduated from Corvinus University of Budapest and obtained her Master's degree with excellence as a specialist of international relations. She is fluent in English, German, Russian and also speaks French.


Email: melicher.dora@med.semmelweis-univ.hu