Department of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Immunology

History

The Department of General and Clinical Immunology and Allergology was established in July 1994, one year after the opening of the School of Fundamental Medicine, in accordance with Order No. 185 of the Ministry of Education of Ukraine dated November 20, 1992. The first Head of the Department was Doctor of Medical Sciences, Professor Mykola Mykolaiovych Popov. Since September 2019, the Department has been headed by Doctor of Medical Sciences, Professor Tetyana Ivanivna Liadova.

The origins of the Department are inseparably connected with the history of the School of Medicine of the Imperial Kharkiv University, founded on the initiative of V. N. Karazin in 1805. The lecturers of the first years of the University made an enormous contribution to the development of modern microbiology and immunology both in Ukraine and abroad.

Among them, the most renowned is Dushan Fedorovych Lambl, who discovered a new parasite species found in the small intestine and liver, later named in his honor — Lamblia intestinalis.

One of the founders and “fathers of bacteriology” was also Professor Lev Semenovych Tsenkovskyi, who discovered the phenomenon of symbiosis and worked on improving vaccination methods against anthrax.

An invaluable contribution to the development of microbiology and immunology was made by Nobel Prize laureate Illya Illich Mechnikov, a graduate of the Natural Sciences Department of Kharkiv University. His scientific legacy includes the original theory of the origin of multicellular organisms, the discovery of phagocytosis, and studies of the epidemiology of cholera, typhoid fever, tuberculosis, and other infectious diseases.

I. I. Mechnikov founded the first national school of microbiologists, immunologists, and pathologists.

Until 2009, the Department included various disciplines of clinical and sanitary-hygienic profiles. After reorganization, the main disciplines currently taught are microbiology, virology, general and clinical immunology, infectious diseases, epidemiology, dermatology, and phthisiology.

Until September 2019, the Department of General and Clinical Immunology and Allergology was headed by Professor Mykola Mykolaiovych Popov, a Doctor of Medical Sciences and a well-known specialist in general and clinical immunology in Ukraine and abroad.

Professor Popov graduated with honors from Kharkiv Medical Institute in 1974, majoring in General Medicine. From 1974 to 1991, he worked as a postgraduate student, junior researcher, doctoral candidate, and leading researcher at the Institute for Problems of Cryobiology and Cryomedicine of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine.

In 1980, he defended his PhD dissertation, and in 1990 his doctoral dissertation entitled “Cryopreservation and Transplantation of Lymphoid and Bone Marrow Cells in Radiation Pathology” in the specialty of Allergology and Immunology. In 2002, he was awarded the academic title of Associate Professor (Senior Research Fellow).

From 1991 to 1993, he served as Head of the Immunology Laboratory at the Kharkiv Research Institute of Microbiology and Immunology named after I. I. Mechnikov. From 1994 to 2019, he headed the Department. In 2003, he was awarded the academic title of Professor and has been a permanent member of the Academic Council of the School of Medicine.

For his high professionalism and significant contribution to education and science, Professor Popov was awarded the Honorary Certificate of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, the I. I. Mechnikov Scholarship of the Kharkiv Regional State Administration, a letter of appreciation from the Mayor of Kharkiv, the Rector’s Certificate of Honor, and the V. N. Karazin Medal.

Professor Popov conducted extensive teaching activities, delivering lectures and conducting practical and seminar classes in general and clinical immunology, as well as clinical case discussions involving patients with severe immunodeficiency conditions.

He is the author of 3 textbooks approved by the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, 8 textbooks and monographs, 12 study guides, more than 40 teaching manuals, over 50 articles in international peer-reviewed journals with impact factors, and more than 150 articles in national professional journals. Under his supervision, more than 20 scientific conferences were organized, including 16 international ones. He is also the author of 18 patents and copyright certificates.

Under Professor Popov’s supervision, 12 PhD and 2 doctoral dissertations were successfully defended. His scientific interests focus on immunology, particularly immune system protection and rehabilitation in frequently ill children, vaccine development, post-vaccination immunity, and prediction of immune-dependent diseases.

On April 28, 2021, by Order of the Rector of Karazin University No. 3501-1/184, the Department was renamed the Department of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Immunology.

Facilities and Resources

The material and technical facilities of the Department fully comply with international standards. Lectures are delivered in multimedia-equipped lecture halls with Internet access.

Practical and seminar classes are conducted in university classrooms equipped with multimedia systems, personal computers, microscopes, laboratory equipment, and demonstration materials, as well as at the premises of the Mechnikov Institute of Microbiology and Immunology and clinical bases of the Department.

Educational activities are supported by laboratory equipment, colorimeters, centrifuges, microscopes (Primo Star, MICROMed), and audiovisual teaching aids.

Academic Staff

The Department employs 5 Doctors of Medical Sciences (Professors), 20 Candidates of Medical Sciences (Associate Professors), 19 assistants without academic degrees, 3 postgraduate students, and 4 senior laboratory assistants. Full-time staff constitute 65%, while part-time staff account for 35%. The average teaching experience is 8 years.

Staff members regularly undergo professional development courses, specialization programs, and pedagogical training, including courses on innovative Internet technologies and distance learning.

Teaching Activities

Teaching is conducted in Ukrainian and English across six disciplines, with a total workload of 28,500 academic hours. The educational process follows national standards and the Bologna Process guidelines and actively integrates modern digital and distance-learning technologies.

Students gain hands-on experience through participation in clinical examinations, case discussions, ward rounds, symposia, and consultations.

Special emphasis is placed on preparation for the licensing examinations KROK 1 and KROK 2, with consistently high results placing the Medical Faculty among the top-ranked medical institutions in Ukraine.

Disciplines

1. Microbiology, Virology, and Immunology (Years 2–3)

2. Phthisiology (Years 4 and 6)

3. Dermatology (Year 4)

4. Clinical Immunology (Year 5)

5. Epidemiology (Year 5)

6. Infectious Diseases (Years 5 and 6)

Methodological Work

The Department provides comprehensive methodological support for all disciplines. Educational materials are available online and in print. Over its history, the Department has produced 5 textbooks approved by the Ministry of Health, 7 by the Ministry of Education and Science, 15 university-approved textbooks, 5 monographs, and over 40 teaching manuals, including 5 in English.

Research Activities

Research focuses on immunological aspects of infectious and somatic diseases. Since its establishment, the Department has supported 15 PhD and 3 doctoral dissertations. Current research includes national-funded projects on immune, autoimmune, and metabolic disorders in infectious diseases.

Staff members have published over 20 articles in international journals with impact factors and more than 300 articles in national journals, and hold 20 patents. The Department has organized over 20 scientific conferences, including 18 international events.

Student scientific groups actively participate in research, conferences, and publications.

Clinical Bases

The Department’s clinical bases include leading healthcare institutions of Ukraine, where lectures, practical training, and clinical research are conducted with student participation.