About us

An independent department of pathological physiology of Kharkiv National Medical University was organized in 1871 as a department of general and experimental pathology of Kharkiv University.
The founder of the independent department of general pathology was a graduate of St. Petersburg Medical and Surgical Academy, professor І.М. Obolenskyi (1841–1920), who headed the department from 1871 till 1886. Under his leadership, the formation of the department began, it was equipped with the necessary items for carrying out experiments. Practical vivisection classes were introduced for the first time. After the transition of I.M. Obolensky to the separate Department of Pathology and Therapy in 1886-1895, the Department of General Pathology was headed by Prof. S.D. Kostyurin (1853–1898), who came from the Military Medical Academy in St. Petersburg. During this period education process had the expressed physiological character. In 1895–1925, the department was headed by a prominent scientist and educator, Professor of Tomsk University, O.V. Repryov (1853–1930), who is known as one of the founders of domestic endocrinology; he created a large school of pathophysiologists with more than 20 professors. During the work of O.V. Repryov in 1918–1920 at the Crimean University (as professor of the Department of General Pathology and Dean of the Medical Faculty) the department was headed by Associate Professor D.P. Grinyov (1889–1934), who (in 1922) became the first head of the Department of Microbiology, and later a well-known microbiologist. In 1925–1929 the department was headed by a student of A.B, Repryov, M.M, Pavlov (1882–1967), known for his research on the pathology of the endocrine and digestive systems.
From 1929 the department was headed (1929–1968) by a student of O.V. Repryov Danylo Ovsiyovych Alpern (1894–1968) for 40 years. He is one of the most prominent domestic pathophysiologists, widely known for his work on pathology of neuroendocrine regulation, pathogenesis of inflammation and allergies. His textbook was the main one in the country’s medical universities for more than 30 years, it has survived 6 editions and has been translated into many foreign languages. D.O. Alpern is the author of more than 200 scientific papers, including 8 monographs. He edited 8 collections of scientific papers on pathology of the nervous system and allergies. More than 20 reviews on autonomic vegetative nervous system, diencephalo-pituitary system, trophic function of the nervous system, inflammation, the main areas of study of allergies, neurohumoral regulation in the body and more were published. D.O. Alpern has created a large school of pathophysiologists.
From 1968 to 1987 the department was headed by a student of D.O. Alpern, Professor R.U. Lipschitz (1920–2010). Preserving and developing the scientific traditions of the school of D.O. Alpern, the main area of research of the department are as follows: pathogenesis of inflammation, pathologic chemistry of inflammation, inflammatory mediators. R.U. Lipschitz has published about 150 scientific papers, under her guidance 10 dissertations have been completed. Professor R.U. Lipschitz was nominated by the American Biographical Institute for the title of Woman of the Year 2001, 2003, Great woman of the 21st Century. Her name is included in the monumental biographical publication “Great Minds of the 21st Century”.
From 1987 to 2011 the department was headed by a student of R.U. Lipschitz, professor M.O. Klymenko. The main direction of scientific research of the department were problems of inflammation, in particular cellular and humoral mechanisms of its development, reactions of the blood system, immune and nervous systems in inflammation, mechanisms of inflammation in the conditions of irradiation of the body. M.O. Klymenko trained 12 MDs and 19 PhDs. He is the author and co-author of about 500 scientific and educational works, including 7 monographs, 18 patents, 5 textbooks, 6 textbooks.
Since 2011, the department was headed by Professor O.V. Nikolaeva – the student of academician V.S. Prykhodko, a graduate of Kharkiv School of Pediatrics, one of the oldest in Ukraine. She is the author and co-author of more than 300 scientific and educational works, including 2 monographs, 9 patents, 6 proposals, 5 textbooks. Under her supervision 5 PhD dissertations, 1 scientific and qualification master’s thesis have been performed; 2 MD and 2 PhD dissertations are in process.
Since 2014, the department is named after the outstanding scientist D.O. Alpern – one of the founders of pathological physiology, whose works played an important role in the development of theoretical medicine. D.O. Alpern was a talented educator, a brilliant lecturer who made an invaluable contribution to the formation of pathophysiology as a discipline. Traditions of the school of D.O. Alpern are carefully preserved and developed by the staff of the department even after his death.
In 2019, the name of the Department of Pathological Physiology named after D.O. Alper was changed. Currently, it was the following name: Department of General and Clinical Pathophysiology named after D.O. Alpern. Since 2021, the department was headed by Professor M.S. Myroshnychenko – a graduate of Kharkiv School of Pathomorphologists.

At present, the department has 14 teachers, including 4 professors, 8 associate professors and 2 assistants.

The following disciplines are taught at the department:

• “Pathological Physiology” for domestic and foreign students studying in the specialties of “Medicine” (second (master’s) level) – 3rd year, “Dentistry” (second (master’s) level) – 2nd-3rd year, “Medical Diagnostic and treatment technologies ” – “Laboratory diagnostics” (first (bachelor’s) level) – 2nd-3rd year,
• “Pathophysiology with features of childhood” for domestic students studying in the specialty “Pediatrics” (second (master’s) level) – 3rd year,
• “Normal human physiology and pathological physiology” for domestic students studying in the specialty “Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy” (first (bachelor’s) level) – 2nd year,
• “Pathomorphology and pathophysiology” for domestic and foreign students studying in the specialty “Nursing” (first (bachelor’s) level) – 2nd year,
• “Clinical pathophysiology” (elective) for domestic and foreign students studying in the specialties “Medicine” (second (master’s) level) – 4th year, “Dentistry” (second (master’s) level) – 4th year, “Nursing” – 1st course (correspondence form of study).

The texts of lectures on disciplines have been prepared in accordance with the programs, the content of which is constantly updated and supplemented in accordance with achievements in various fields of pathology and related sciences. Lectures are provided with modern technical means, including demonstration material. Teaching of disciplines is carried out in Ukrainian and English (for the relevant contingent of higher education students).
Much attention is paid to improving the methodology of practical classes, some of which are experimental. To optimize the educational process for higher education students, methodological developments (electronic and paper), textbooks, sets of test tasks (375 tasks), a variety of illustrative material (including 54 videos), programs with basic tests KROK-1 (18 basic components in two languages for each topic of the discipline) have been developed for each topic. This material is constantly updated with new scientific data and new literature. Modern technical means are widely used in the educational process: telemonitors, interactive whiteboards, computer class, to which the students have free access to ensure their effective preparation for the licensing exam KROK-1.
Attention is constantly paid to creating favourable conditions for self-training of higher education in pathophysiology. For each practical lesson there is a list of the recommended literature, which is constantly updated, the basic questions on a subject and technological maps. Students have the opportunity to master various issues in the discipline both offline, working with teachers, and online, using the online resources of the platforms Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, Moodle, ZOOM. On the page of the department on the Moodle platform students can find information for independent extracurricular training: lecture presentations, guidelines for practical classes, a list of questions for each practical lesson and final lessons, illustrative materials for practical classes, blocks of test tasks for each topic and each final lesson. There is a program of on-line preparation of test tasks within the framework of intermediate certification of higher education applicants during the academic year.
The department has created for students 30 methodological instructions for preparing for practical classes and 28 methodological instructions for independent training.

The main directions of scientific research of the department are various aspects of the problem of chronic inflammation, pathophysiology of the central nervous, cardiovascular, digestive, genitourinary and reproductive systems, the influence of various negative factors on the “mother-placenta-fetus” system.
Summarizing the results of experimental and theoretical research in recent years made it possible to prove the leading role of the blood system in the implementation of inflammation, create a scheme and determine the general pathogenesis of inflammation, classification of mediators; determine a modern approach to understanding damage and protection during inflammation, the possibility of pharmacological correction of reactions of the blood system and endothelial dysfunction using the introduction of mesenchymal stem cells, deepen the understanding of the relationship of such universal reactions as the general adaptation syndrome and typical pathological processes; study the pathogenesis of damage of the “mother-placenta-fetus” system.
In total, the department has trained 45 MDS and 68 PhD who work at the departments of KhNMU and at the research institutes of Kharkiv, Kyiv, Zaporizhia, Luhansk, Poltava, Sumy. 19 monographs, 12 collections of scientific works have been published. 32 patents for inventions and utility model have been received. KhNMU has a specialized scientific council for the defense of doctoral theses, whose members are professor Myroshnychenko M.S., professor Shevchenko O.M., professor Pavlova O.O.
Over the past 5 years, the teachers of the department have participated in 349 scientific forums in Ukraine and abroad, published 112 articles (56 in foreign journals indexed in Scopus, Web of Science).
Full-time and part-time graduate students and applicants are completing 1 doctoral and 5 candidate dissertations.

Employees of the department underwent advanced training with our foreign partners: Shiller International University in the direction of “Education process, innovative methods and education technologies”, Department on Yeditepe University Hospital medical board in the direction of “Medical education & internal diseases”, “Modern approaches to the educational process for medical education seekers” in Lublin (the Republic of Poland),“To participate in our English Language and Culture course” at West Finland College (Huittinen, Finland). Employees of the department also underwent internships in Yeditepe clinics in Turkey, Schiller University of France, Prague Institute for Advanced Training in the Czech Republic, Centre for Biotechnology of Pennsylvania USA, European Interbaikan Medical Center of Greece, Geling-SPP, НRB 79934 in Register of Justice Dusseldorf Germany, Cuiavian University in Wloclawek Poland, Lublin Medical University of Poland, West Finland College, Huittinen, Finland. We also support fruitful cooperation with partners from the universities of Geling-SPP Gmbh (Germany), Personalized oncotherapeutics inc. (Pennsylvania, USA).