About us

The Department of Propaedeutic of Pediatrics of Kharkiv National Medical University was created in 2023, uniting the Departments of Propaedeutics of Pediatrics No. 1 and Propaedeutics of Pediatrics No. 2.

The first head of the Department was Samuel Y. Shafershteyn. Under his leadership, the staff of the Department engaged in studying the functional state of the liver in rheumatic disease in children and the role of lambliasis in the clinical picture of hepatocholecystitis in children, as well as in developing the principles of treatment of infants with pneumonia.

The organization of the educational process is carried out according to the requirements of the European credit transfer and accumulation system with the use of modern teaching methods.
In practical classes, every student has the opportunity to work both in phantom and in computer classes. Lecturers pay attention to theoretical training of their students with preservation of the best traditions in teaching this course unit for each student. Our department is the first clinical department where students master the methods of general clinical examination and semiotics of major disorders of the organs and systems of the child, it is mandatory to master the issues of ethics and deontology.
In the conditions of martial law, the department’s employees conduct lectures and practical classes on the Moodle, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, and Zoom platforms. Computer-based testing of students on the Moodle platform has been implemented in accordance with the topics being studied. Person-oriented technologies are widely introduced: interactive and simulation games, analysis of clinical cases and trainings for the formation of clinical thinking in students.
The lecture course is accompanied by multimedia presentations, original educational videos. Contents of lectures are constantly updated with new data, new lectures on topical issues of modern Pediatrics.
The staff of the department constantly updates educational and methodical literature for students, made and introduced into the educational process 2 films and 8 videos.
Over the past 5 years, 12 training manuals at the level of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine and 24 methodological instructions for teachers and independent work of students have been issued.

Priority research areas of the department are the features of clinical manifestation and formation of chronic somatic diseases, breastfeeding, eco-dependent pathology, mineral profile, physical development and structural and functional state of bone tissue in children.
The department staff conducts scientific researches on problems of population health in children, ecology dependent pathology in children, the study of the peculiarities of the mineral profile of compensatory and adaptive mechanisms of children at different age groups; definition of mineral predictors on the formation of chronic somatic pathology in children in modern environmental conditions; analysis of the characteristics of the immune response of children with different levels of physical development in patients with community-acquired pneumonia; modern issues of feeding in children of different age groups; determination of correlation between Vitamin D supply of children and general morbidity; peculiarities of the formation of the structural and functional state of bone tissue in the children with consideration of the actual diet, physical activity, environmental conditions and the presence of chronic somatic pathology.
In 2022, the comprehensive scientific research work “Optimization of prevention and forecasting of the recurrent course of respiratory diseases in children based on the study of the mineral profile and vitamin D level” was completed. Comprehensive scientific work was carried out within the framework of the National Research Center of KhNMU “Medical-biological aspects of adaptation of children with somatic pathology under current conditions” in cooperation with the departments: of Propaedeutics of pediatrics No.2, Pediatrics No.1 and neonatology, Pediatrics No.2 and Children’s infectious diseases.
Under the leadership of prof. Tetyana V. Frolova were defended 1 doctoral dissertation, 3 candidate dissertations, 2 qualification scientific work for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy.
The results of scientific research were presented and discussed at the numerous international conferences and scientific forums of pediatricians and family doctors. The staff of the department regularly conducts scientific and practical forums at the national and international levels.
Some members of staff constantly attend the Salzburg Medical Seminars in Pediatrics with support of the American Austrian Foundation (Open Medical Institute, Austria).
Students were actively participated in research work of the department and the results were reported on annual International Students’ Interdisciplinary Conference, Kharkiv, Annual Young Medical Scientific Conference, Kyiv, where they took first places.

The clinical and consulting work of the Department was conducted on the basis of children’s and traumatological departments at Multitype Clinical Hospital No. 17, at the Children’s Urological Department of the Regional Clinical Centre of Nephrology and Urology, Children’s out-patient clinics No. 2, 14, 24, Kharkiv General educational sanatorium boarding school No.13.
The department has modern diagnostic equipment: ultrasound densitometer “Sonost-2000”, diagnostic center “Sphere-4”, electroencephalograph.
In order to provide independent monitoring of state of children’s health and giving a qualified medical care for children who live in rural areas, the medical staff of the Department regularly visits Kharkiv and districts schools of the Kharkiv Region.
In the conditions of martial law, the staff of the department conduct medical and advisory work online. They are actively engaged in volunteer activities and medical assistance to the population, taking into account the conditions of the military invasion.

Employees of the department are full members of the European Association for the Study of Vitamin D, the International Association of Medical Elementology, the American Association of Pediatricians, the International Association for Adolescent Health, the European Nephrological Association, the International Union of Cardiorheumatologists, the European Dialysis and Transplant Association. Every year the staff of the department takes an active part in the work of international scientific forums of various levels and internships to improve professional skills in institutions of Poland, Austria, Great Britain and others.