Deans of the Pediatric Faculty of Saint Petersburg State Pediatric Medical University: from the source to the 100th anniversary

Abstract

January 2025 year marks the 100th anniversary of the opening of the Leningrad Scientific and Practical Institute for Maternal and Infant Protection — currently the Federal State Budgetary Educational Institution of Higher Education “Saint Petersburg State Pediatric Medical University” of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation. In 1932, the institute began training pediatricians from the student bench — 107 students were enrolled in the first year (in 1933 — 100 students, in 1934 — 164 students). Organizational and methodological approaches were actively developed to ensure the functioning of the entire educational process. Thus, educational departments, scientific laboratories, administrative structural divisions were opened, including the dean’s office was created. The figure of the dean is critically important for the successful functioning of the faculty and the university as a whole. His activities in the educational process include a combination of academic leadership, administrative skills and a strategic approach, which contributes to the effective work of the faculty and the formation of a favorable environment for learning and research. In the sources available to us, the name of the teacher who served as dean of the institute in the very first years of students’ education was not found. It is reliably known that in 1936-1938. The duties of the dean of the Leningrad Pediatric Medical Institute were performed by the head of the department of pharmacology, Professor Karasik V.M. Subsequently, the following were successively elected to this position: Associate Professor Levitina R.P., Associate Professor Kucharians A.G., Associate Professor Semenova E.P., Associate Professor Bystrov S.S., Associate Professor Kapitanaki A.L., Associate Professor Nezhentsev M.V., Professor Miroshnikov B.I., Professor Mikirtumov B.E., Professor Kornev M.A., Associate Professor Matveev S.V., Associate Professor Sobkovich O.A., Professor Timchenko V.N., Associate Professor Grechany S.V. From 2017 to the present, the Dean of the Faculty of Pediatrics is again headed by Professor V.N. Timchenko.