Department of General and Clinical Pathology

History

The Department of General and Clinical Pathology was established in 1996 through the reorganization of the Department of General and Clinical Biophysics. At that time, the Department was assigned responsibility for teaching the following disciplines: Human Anatomy, Histology, General and Clinical Pathology, Topographic Anatomy and Operative Surgery, Forensic Medicine, as well as special courses in General Pathology and Medical Biomechanics.

The first Head of the Department was Associate Professor O. A. Hutsol, who held the position until 2003. During the initial years of the Department’s existence, the establishment of the Museum of Human Anatomy and Pathological Anatomy began. An archive of histological and pathological micropreparations was created, and research into receptors of malignant breast tumors was initiated.

During the period when the Department was headed by O. A. Hutsol, its main research focus was the study and comparative analysis of normal skulls and skulls with acquired deformities in Ukraine. Together with academic staff, students participated in archaeological excavations of burial sites dating back to the Khazar Khaganate period and studied skeletal features within the framework of the Student Scientific Society in Human Anatomy.

The course Topographic Anatomy and Operative Surgery was founded at the Department by the prominent scholar Professor H. M. Toporov, author of numerous works on human anatomy and topographic anatomy. The course Human Anatomy was headed by Associate Professor Ella Oleksandrivna Naumova, who made a significant contribution to the development of teaching in this discipline. From the first years of the Department’s activity, Pathological Anatomy was taught by Professor T. P. Yakymova, who fostered strong student interest in the discipline.

Development Directions

Since 2003 and to the present day, the Department has been headed by Candidate of Medical Sciences, Associate Professor O. S. Protsenko. Under her leadership, the Department of General and Clinical Pathology has become a strong fundamental and clinical base of the School of Medicine.

Under her supervision, two PhD dissertations have been successfully defended, and two more are currently in progress, focusing on the morphological study of tissues and organs. Active research is conducted within a joint research project with the Institute of General and Emergency Surgery of the National Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine entitled “Study of the heterogeneity of metabolic and immune disorders and their correction before and after thymectomy in patients with myasthenia gravis.”

The Department delivers a wide range of disciplines, including Human Anatomy, Operative Surgery and Topographic Anatomy, Pathological Physiology, Forensic Medicine, Histology, Cytology, and Embryology.

All lectures are delivered using multimedia equipment. The Department has developed its own methodological materials for all courses. Faculty members actively create and use electronic teaching resources and regularly update computer classroom software to enhance teaching methodologies. Outside classroom hours, students are involved in developing modern information databases in various fields of medical science using Internet resources and maintaining their continuous updating.

Original computer-based testing programs (including tests provided by the Testing Center of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine) have been implemented in the educational process. These tools enable students to prepare more thoroughly for assessment and allow instructors to more effectively monitor the quality of knowledge acquisition.

Student Engagement and Academic Motivation

The Department places strong emphasis on student selection and encouragement to increase motivation for independent learning. This includes student ranking by groups and academic years, encouragement to participate in student scientific conferences and Olympiads, involvement in scientific societies, recognition of high-achieving students and those actively engaged in research and community activities, and nomination of outstanding students for named scholarships.

Currently, work is ongoing to create new exhibits for the Museum of Human Anatomy and Pathological Anatomy.

International Cooperation

Department staff maintain joint research projects with European universities. In particular, the Department actively cooperates with the Department of Anatomy at University of Witten/Herdecke (School of Dentistry, Witten, Germany), studying the morphological characteristics of skulls of individuals who lived in the Kharkiv region during the Khazar Khaganate period.

Within the framework of the joint research project with Witten/Herdecke University, a comparative analysis of normal skulls and skulls with acquired deformities in Ukraine is being conducted.

List of Courses

Human Anatomy (Assoc. Prof. S. O. Sherstiuk)
Histology, Cytology and Embryology (Lecturer: Assoc. Prof. V. I. Padalko; Practical classes: Senior Lecturer O. V. Shapoval)
Pathomorphology (Lecturer: Assoc. Prof. O. S. Protsenko; Practical classes: Assistant V. F. Omelchenko)
Pathological Physiology (Assoc. Prof. N. O. Remniova)
Operative Surgery with Topographic Anatomy (Senior Lecturer O. V. Shapoval)
Forensic Medicine (Assoc. Prof. N. O. Remniova)
Autopsy Course (Assoc. Prof. O. S. Protsenko)

All courses offered by the Department are fully supported by syllabi, thematic plans, methodological materials, and assessment tasks (including test-based assessments) for current and modular knowledge control in accordance with ECTS requirements.