The Department of Histology, Cytology and Embryology at Kharkiv national medical university was founded in April 1867, when the Histology Unit, opened at the Medical Faculty of the Kharkiv imperial university in autumn 1866, was trasformed to the Histology department.

The founder of the Department of Histology was professor, doctor of medicine Nicanor Khrzhonshchevskyi, who made a major contribution to the study of adrenal morphology.

Over the years, the Department was headed by prof. K. Kuchin, prof. M. Kulchitsky, privat-docent M. Kashchenko, prof. P. Polyakov, prof. V. Rubashkin, prof. N. Chasovnikov.

From 1937 to 1974 the department was headed by an outstanding histologist, honoured worker of science and technology, laureate of the Ukrainian SSR state prize, Doctor of Biological Sciences, professor Alyoshin Boris.

Alyoshin investigated important theoretical problems of modern neuroendocrinology. He has been concerned with issues of hypothalamic regulation of adenohypophyseal hormonopoiesis. The results of his research were published in his monograph “Histophysiology of hypothalamic-pituitary system” (1971). B. Alyoshin took an active part in creation of the chapter “Endocrine system” of the textbook on Histology for students of medical high schools, which was edited by V. Eliseiev in 1963 and was repeatedly republished. B. Alyoshin supervised 19 doctoral theses and 68 candidate theses.

From 1976 to 1995, the department was headed by Doctor of Medical Sciences, professor Evgeny Pankov, who made a great contribution to the doctrine of reparative bone regeneration. He studied problems of fracture healing and osteosynthesis modelling. He published over 300 scientific papers and trained 21 candidates and 4 doctors of medicine.

From 1996 to 2014, the Department was headed by an outstanding neuromorphologist, Doctor of Medical Sciences, professor Sergey Maslovsky. S. Maslovsky focused his scientific interests on studying the structure of brain structures at the macromicroscopic level.

Since 2014, the department has been headed by Doctor of Medical Sciences, professor Olexandr Stepanenko.