About us
The scientific direction of the department includes the study of the influence of maternal-fetal infection on the morphological structure of the respiratory, gastrointestinal, endocrine, cardiovascular systems of the fetus and newborn to expand pathological knowledge and develop pathogenetically based preventive measures.
In addition to scientific activities, effective methodological work is carried out, the creation and publication of guidelines for students and methodological guidelines for teachers (in Ukrainian and English), an album for practical classes in pathomorphology for students of medical and dental faculties in two languages (in Ukrainian, English) with original microphotographs has been created and published. In 2019, the staff of the department published the second edition of the textbook “Pathomorphology” for English-speaking students. The teachers of the department actively participate in methodological and scientific-practical conferences, including international (USA, France, Great China, Italy, etc.), in international internships in European countries, etc.
Clinical bases of the department:
- Department of pathological anatomy in the municipal non-profit enterprise of the Kharkiv Regional Council “Regional Clinical Hospital”.
- Department of pathological anatomy in the municipal non-profit enterprise “City Clinical Emergency Hospital named after prof. O.I. Meshchaninov”.
- Department of pathological anatomy in the municipal non-profit enterprise of the Kharkiv Regional Council “Regional clinical specialized dispensary of radiation protection of the population”.
- Department of pathological anatomy in the municipal non-profit enterprise of the Kharkiv Regional Council “City Perinatal Center”.
Private enterprise “Consultative polyclinic”.
The Department of Pathological Anatomy was founded in 1867. The first head of this department was Vilém Dušan Lambl (years of life: 1824–1895), but the teaching of pathological anatomy was carried out in 1861, when he began to deliver lectures on this subject.
The Department of Pathological Anatomy boasts a highly qualified team of 11 teachers. Each of them holds an advanced academic degree, including a Candidate of Sciences, Doctor of Philosophy, or Doctor of Medical Sciences. Furthermore, 5 of our faculty members have been awarded the title of Professor, while 4 hold the title of Associate Professor. Our department places a strong emphasis on language proficiency, with 2 of our teachers holding a certificate for English proficiency at B2 level and one at C1 level, according to the All-European recommendations on language education. Additionally, and 4 of our teachers have received a second higher pedagogical education”
The department trains students of the first bachelor’s level of education in educational and professional programs “Nursing”, “Physical therapy, ergotherapy”, “Laboratory diagnostics” and teaches the main educational components: “Pathomorphology and pathophysiology”, “Pathomorphology with sectional course”, “Basics of general pathology “; for the second master’s level of education in educational and professional programs “Medicine”, “Dentistry”, “Pediatrics”, the main educational components are: “Pathomorphology”, “Pathomorphology with special features of childhood” and selected educational components “Sectional-biopsy course”, “Contemporary issues of clinical pathology”, “Clinical pathology”, as well as training of applicants for the third level of education “Doctor of Philosophy” (PhD) in the educational and scientific program “Medicine” (specialty “Pathology”). Modern teaching methods are used, such as the Moodle KNMU and the USMLE-RX Step1 program, etc.
The Department of Pathological Anatomy is renowned for its expertise in prenatal and perinatal pathology. The current focus of the department’s research is “Pathological anatomy of the fetus and newborn in case of maternal-fetal infection” which is being conducted between the years 2020-2024. In recent years, the department has made significant contributions to the field, with the successful defense of 3 doctoral theses (M.S. Myroshnychenko, O.V. Kykhtenko, S.M. Potapov) and 4 candidate’s theses (G.O. Sakal, I.S. Zvereva, M. Baranova, Tovazhnianska V.D.). In 2023, Assistant Professor Talapova P.S. successfully defended her thesis for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy.
Our department is actively engaged in collaborative research projects with practical healthcare institutions of the Kharkiv region, the Ministry of Health of Ukraine, the National Academy of Sciences, and other government agencies, as evidenced by the 12 agreements for scientific and practical cooperation. In recent years, the department has also made significant contributions to the field through the publication of 2 volumes of the Ukrainian translation of the textbook ” Robbins Basic Pathology – 10th Edition”; the publication of a textbook for English-speaking students on the discipline “Pathomorphology”; 6 chapters in collective monographs; 156 articles in domestic and foreign scientific publications; 5 patents for inventions and utility models; and 86 abstracts of conference presentations at All-Ukrainian and international events.
The department is also dedicated to nurturing the next generation of scientific leaders, having organized 8 scientific and practical conferences for students and young scientists of the Kharkiv National Medical University and participating in the organization of the All-Ukrainian Olympiad in Pathomorphology. In 2018, Professor V.V. Gargin represented the department by participating in an international project organized by the Medical University in Vienna, Austria aimed at studying the links of the pathogenesis of malignant tumors.
The members of our department hold membership in prestigious organizations such as the International Academy of Pathology, the European Association of Pathologists, the European Association of Pediatric Nephrologists, and the European Network of Gastrointestinal Pathologists. The department’s employees have also been recipients of 7 international grants, awarded by organizations such as the American-Austrian Foundation, the Threat Reduction Agency of the US Department of Defense, and the international organization “The Observational Health Data Sciences and Informatics”. Our department is dedicated to continuous learning and professional development, with members having undergone internships in Austria, the Netherlands, the USA, and Poland.
The Clinical Work of the Department of Pathological Anatomy is performed on several clinical bases, including:
- Communal Non-Commercial Enterprise of the Kharkiv Council’s Regional Clinical Hospital;
- Communal Non-Commercial Enterprise of the Kharkiv Council’s City Clinical Hospital of Rapid and Emergency Medical Care named after Prof. O.I. Meshchaninov;
- Communal Non-Commercial Enterprise of Kharkiv Council’s Regional Clinical Specialized Dispensary for Radiation Protection of the Population;
- Communal Non-Commercial Enterprise of Kharkiv Council’s City Perinatal Center;
- The Private Enterprise “Consultative Polyclinic”.
The department’s employees carry out approximately 300 autopsies and over 15,000 biopsy studies annually on these clinical bases. The department also operates a city advisory center that provides expert advice to medical and preventive institutions in the city, region, and other parts of Ukraine.
The professors, associate professors, and assistants of the department take an active role in preparing and conducting hospital-wide clinical and anatomical conferences, as well as specialized and departmental conferences. They also participate in the “Specialist’s Days” alongside the clinical base doctors, and regularly hold meetings of the pathologist community to analyze gross sectional material and discuss current issues in pathological anatomy.
The department’s employees make efforts to continuously improve their medical knowledge and qualifications, participating in thematic improvement courses and maintaining their medical category. Professors and associate professors of the department perform up to 30 demonstration autopsies and 25 demonstrative processing of surgical and biopsy material for basic examination. They also advise clinical department scientists in implementing morphological sections for dissertations. The department continuously introduces new methods of pathological-anatomical diagnosis and regularly delivers lectures on relevant medical topics to pathologists and the public.
Head of the student scientific society at the Department of Pathological Anatomy – Prof., MD Gubina-Vakulik G.I. This guide is with the help of prof. kaf. pathological anatomy, MD Kikhtenko O.V.
The general meeting of the circle is the first, ie organizational, takes place at the beginning of each school year. But the group includes not only third-year students who study pathological morphology during the 5th-6th semesters, but also senior students. In the future, students in the performance of research consult with supervisors in a free schedule. In the same way is writing a thesis or article, making a presentation.
Topics of student research are diverse: 1) it is a fragment of research performed by an employee of the department and 2) self-directed experiment. The beginning of the work on the given topic is the study of scientific literature, then microscopic research with obligatory morphometry, statistical processing of morphometry results and formulation of conclusions.
The Department of Pathological Anatomy holds abstract student scientific conferences with reports on interesting topics of pathological anatomy. And the results of independent research students who have completed their work, report at the student scientific conference of KhNMU or other universities, in other cities of Ukraine or even abroad.