The Santaros Clinics community has lost an extraordinarily bright personality, a longtime colleague, a talented scientist, educator, and exceptional doctor – Professor Nomeda Rima Valevičienė.
Brought many medical innovations to Lithuania
The professor was not only an authority in her field but also one of those personalities who changed the face of Lithuanian medicine with her ideas, innovativeness, and boundless dedication. Her professionalism, sincere care for every patient, collegial support, and inner warmth left an indelible mark in all our hearts. We express our deepest and most sincere condolences to the deceased’s relatives, colleagues, students, patients, and the entire medical community. The memory of the professor will remain in the stories of the patients she saved, the ongoing work, and the professional paths of the students she inspired,” states the condolence message from the Santaros Clinics community.
Prof. Dr. Nomeda Rima Valevičienė worked at Santaros Clinics for more than three decades – since 1990 (completed radiology internship, and from 1992 worked as a radiologist). From 2008 to 2023, she headed the Magnetic Resonance Specialized Research Department at the Radiology and Nuclear Medicine Center, and later served as the senior radiologist of the Cardiothoracic Department. In 1995, she defended her doctoral dissertation in medical sciences, and from 1996 actively taught at Vilnius University Faculty of Medicine, where she held the position of professor.
The professor was a pioneer of cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) and telemedicine in Lithuania and the Baltic countries. In 2001, by introducing CMR into clinical practice at Santaros Clinics for the first time in Lithuania, she, together with a team of cardiologists and radiologists, turned this examination into the gold standard for diagnosing heart diseases, saving many lives. On her initiative, the most advanced parametric imaging methods were introduced in the country, and projects applying artificial intelligence in medicine were developed.
To her students, residents, and doctoral candidates, the professor was not only a demanding scientific supervisor but also a true ideological teacher and mentor, able to inspire courage to undertake the most complex scientific directions. She constantly encouraged interdisciplinary collaboration – bringing together medical, physics, and information technology sciences.
The young scientists she supervised or consulted successfully defended innovative doctoral dissertations: Prof. Dr. Sigita Glaveckaitė studied the significance of cardiac MRI after myocardial revascularization, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Darius Palionis examined the possibilities of non-contrast MRI for diagnosing aortic diseases, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Donatas Austys studied changes in epicardial adipose tissue, Dr. Giedrė Balčiūnaitė researched myocardial fibrosis features in aortic stenosis, and medical physicist Dr. Kristina Kristinaitytė, together with Vilnius University Faculty of Physics, developed the application of 3T MRI spectroscopy and functional studies in the clinic.
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Even in recent years, the professor actively led the new generation of researchers – she supervised Žygimantas Abramikas’s dissertation on the integration of artificial intelligence in cardiac imaging and Karolina Gaižauskienė’s research on structural changes in the myocardium, always believing in her students’ potential and opening paths for them to international scientific arenas, according to the Santaros Clinics condolence message.
Prof. Dr. N.R. Valevičienė published dozens of significant scientific publications in prestigious international journals, prepared and published textbooks, teaching books, and methodological recommendations (“Diagnosis of congenital heart defects by magnetic resonance imaging,” “Cardiovascular magnetic resonance parametric mapping: methodological recommendations,” etc.). She led important scientific projects, was the head of radiology residency for many years, and supervised student scientific works.
The professor was actively involved in the international and Lithuanian medical fields: she was president of the Baltic States Magnetic Resonance Association, a board member and honorary member of the Lithuanian Radiologists Association, represented Lithuania in the Radiology section and Educational Committee of the European Union of Medical Specialists (UEMS), and served as the chief radiologist of the Vilnius region at the Ministry of Health.
For her contributions to science and medicine, Prof. Dr. N.R. Valevičienė was awarded multiple times, and the greatest recognition of her professional activity was the love and gratitude of patients. In 2011, she received a certificate of appreciation for restored health, warm words, and extraordinary care (event patron Alma Adamkienė), and in 2025, in the “Thank You to Medics” project, the professor earned the title of “Favorite Medic” with the greatest patient support.
Where can you say goodbye?
You can say goodbye to the deceased at the Funeral Services Center (M.K. Paco St. 4, Vilnius, hall 2) on Monday from 4:00 PM.
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The coffin will be taken out on Tuesday, September 1, at 11:30 AM.
