History of the Department of Internal Medicine

The history of the Department of Internal Medicine is interesting, multifaceted and closely connected with the history of Kharkiv University and its School of Medicine and has deep roots in the past. Teaching at the School of Medicine began at Kharkiv University in 1811.The founder of the Therapeutic School was the Department of Pathology, Therapy and Clinic.Students got the opportunity to comprehend the therapeutic sciences and perfect their practical skills under the supervision of experienced doctors. Outstanding medical scientists – professors Dreisig V.F., Knigin I.D., Brandeis G.F., Reipolsky I.M., Blumenthal A.I., Openhovskiy F.M. and many others – worked, created, treated patients and taught young future doctors.

In 1920, all Universities the staff of which did not support the Soviet government were closed. At the same time the School of Medicine of Kharkiv University stopped the existence too.

Only when Ukrainian independence was declared and democracy became the key principle of the governance the restore of the classical university medical education was possible.On November 20, 1992, the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, by order № 185, instructed the University to restore the training of medical specialists with the provision of the right to practice medicine.In March of 1993, the School of Medicine was opened (until 2008 – the School of Fundamental Medicine) and the second stage of the training of doctors in Kharkiv University has begun.

The Department of Internal Medicine (until 2008 – the Department of Internal Diseases) was one of the faculty-building and its age is completely the same as that of the School of Medicine.

The scientific and educational activity of the Department is based on the best traditions of the world-famous Kharkiv Therapeutic School, created since the foundation of the School of Medicine of Kharkiv Imperial University.

Since its foundation till September 2018, the Department was headed by the first Dean of the School of Medicine, Doctor of Medical Sciences, Professor Mykola I. Iabluchanskyi. On his initiative, the teaching of the propaedeutics of Internal Medicine is based on the syndromic principle, and instead of faculty and hospital therapy, internal diseases are studied. Subsequently all other medical institutions of our country began to use this approach.

Under the guidance of Prof. Iabluchanskyi M. I.more than 40 candidates and 8 doctoral dissertations have been completed and defended. More than one generation of doctors considerthemselves to be disciples of Prof. Iabluchanskyi M. I.His scientific works on cardiovascular pathology, in particular heart rhythm disorders, are well-known not only in Ukraine, but also abroad. Being a certified mathematician, Professor Prof. Iabluchanskyi M. I.widely used mathematical models in his medical researches. Prof. Iabluchanskyi M. I.is the author of more than 650 scientific works, including 35 monographs. Under his editorship 85 scientific manuals and about 60 publications were published.

At present, the staff of the Department teaches the disciplines «Internal Medicine (including endocrinology)» for the students of 4th year, «Internal Medicine with military therapy» and «Occupational medical practice» for 5th year students, «Internal Medicine with infectious diseases and phthisiatry» for the students of 6th year. Since 2009, the teaching of the disciplines of the department is conducted in English.

Clinical bases for training students at the Department are Kharkiv Clinical Hospital № 1 on railway transport and the Kharkiv City Polyclinic № 24.

Along with experienced teachers, young talented scientific-educational assistances work at the Department. There are a lot of graduates of the School of Medicine of V.N. Karazin Kharkiv National University among them. Since its foundation, more than 30 dissertations for the degree of candidate of medical sciences and 3 doctoral dissertations in various areas of modern Internal Medicine has been prepared and successfully defended at the Department.Today, the staff of the Department under the leadership of Doctor of Medical Science, Professor Tetiana M. Tykhonova continues the work of outstanding predecessors. With the same love, devotion to the cause and the patient they continue to treat, reach the depths of medical science and educate new generations of doctors.

Useful links