Department of Surgical Diseases

History

The history of the Department of Surgical Diseases is closely connected with the history of the Imperial Kharkiv University, which was opened on January 17, 1805, and its School of Medicine, where teaching began in 1811. As early as 1814, P. M. Shumliansky established a School Surgical Clinic, where surgical diseases were taught.

For more than 100 years, until the dissolution of universities in Ukraine in 1920, the Department of Surgery at Kharkiv University was headed by prominent scholars whose names have permanently entered the history of national and world surgery, including V. F. Grube, I. K. Zarubin, M. S. Subotin, A. H. Podriez, and M. P. Trinkler.

In 1992, following Ukraine’s independence, the Ministry of Education decided to restore medical training at Kharkiv University. In March 1993, the School of Medicine was re-established under the name “School of Fundamental Medicine,” and in 2008 it was renamed the “School of Medicine.”

At present, the School comprises six departments. One of the most powerful is the Department of Surgical Diseases, which was established on February 23, 1994.

Academic Staff, Research and Teaching Activities

The Department’s academic staff includes 3 Professors (Doctors of Medical Sciences), 4 Associate Professors, and 5 Candidates of Medical Sciences — highly qualified educators and clinicians.

The Department has conducted and continues to conduct research projects such as:

Development of minimally invasive surgical procedures using low temperatures for the treatment of patients with cholelithiasis, gastric ulcer disease, and duodenal ulcer disease;
New technologies in the comprehensive treatment of diabetes mellitus;
Study of the effects of physical methods and the morphofunctional state of vessels, gastric tissue, and the small and large intestines during dissection and coagulation in gastrointestinal surgery.

The results and conclusions of these studies are recognized as being at an international level.

All lectures are delivered using multimedia and other supportive technologies. The educational process includes active learning formats, such as brief analytical presentations on the most relevant topics, new classifications, diagnostic methods, and treatment guidelines; as well as reviews of complex and rare clinical cases with demonstrations of laboratory and instrumental findings, based on evidence-based medicine.

Computer-based testing has been introduced for final classes, pass/fail assessments, and the written part of examinations to ensure deeper learning and to prepare students for the national licensing examinations KROK 1 and KROK 2.

Across all disciplines, independent work is предусмотрено at the Department’s clinical bases and in the ’s computer classrooms with Internet access. In addition to the curriculum topics, students are assigned tasks to independently review School's scientific periodicals and guidelines of the World Health Organization and European and American medical societies, followed by preparing the material in the form of a multimedia presentation. During independent work, Department staff provide consultations and guidance on the structure and presentation of students’ work.

The Department also hosts a Student Scientific Society. Its members actively participate in research and, together with academic staff, take part in clinical activities at the Department’s clinical bases. Students regularly participate in city, national, and international scientific and practical conferences. A total of 20 scientific publications have been produced independently or co-authored with Department staff.

Courses, Thematic Plans and Syllabi

The Department delivers the following courses: General Surgery, Surgical Diseases, Faculty Surgery, Hospital Surgery, Oncology, Pediatric Surgery, Urology, Traumatology, Ophthalmology, Anesthesiology and Intensive Care, Otorhinolaryngology, Dentistry, and Neurosurgery.

Department Achievements

Patents, Publications, Conferences

The staff of the Department of Surgical Diseases are active researchers and authors of more than 300 published works, including 3 monographs, 15 methodological guidelines for physicians and students, and 16 patents.

Department staff develop and implement new diagnostic and treatment approaches using modern minimally invasive technologies. The following surgical interventions have been introduced into clinical practice using laparoscopic and endoscopic techniques: laparoscopic cholecystectomy; endoscopic papillosphincterotomy with lithoextraction; laparoscopic vagotomy; laparoscopic xenotransplantation of cryopreserved pancreatic islet cell culture for diabetes mellitus; laparoscopic procedures for liver and pancreatic cysts; laparoscopic splenectomy; the use of low temperatures in the surgical treatment of duodenal ulcer disease and cholelithiasis; and the use of an ultrasonic scalpel in abdominal surgery.

Every year, Department staff participate in and present research results at scientific and practical conferences, congresses, and professional meetings held in Ukraine, the CIS countries, and abroad.