About KSMU

Kursk state medical university was established in 1935 by order of the Council of People’s Commissars No 89 dated 9 February.

The order of people’s commissar health service dated 7 May, 1935 read “Proceed to organize medical institute in Kursk with admission for the first year of 250 people and establish beginning of classes on the 1st of September, 1935”.

The first director of the medical institute was appointed physician V.I. Deshevoi.

The pre-war period

On the 20th of May, 1935 the general committee of Kursk regional board of the deputies Soviet arrived at a decision, which obliged the directorate of the medical institute and public health administration to implement the order of the People’s Commissariat of the RSFSR immediately.

Some buildings, belonging to a college, were given to the institute for allocation of the main university’s elements. These buildings required big job in their reconstruction, equipment and additional construction.

The completion of the university’s construction had to be in 1940, but by the beginning of the first academic year everything necessary has been prepared. The main theoretical departments — anatomy, biology, general chemistry and physics — are located in buildings next to the main building. The auditorium with 300 seats and anatomical museum were also there. The first heads of the departments were candidates of medical sciences L.A. Shangina, A.D. Bernshteyn, M.F. Mihaylov, V.I. Popov. Lecturers of the medical college and experienced medical practitioners were involved as assistants.

The first clinical departments were placed in the regional clinical and railway hospitals, the municipal hospital named after N.A. Semashko, the Republican psychiatric hospital and maternity homes. The experienced specialists were involved to guide clinical departments: N.S. Smirnov, I.A. Chernogorov, A.G. Butylin, H.N. Levitan, F.A. Rachevsky, N.D. Nikolaev, N.I. Golik, I.Ya. Deyneka, V.V. Shostakovich, A.V. Shteyn and others.

On the 30th of June, 1940 there was held the first graduation ceremony of 186 young physicians.

The war period

In the spring of 1941 the university prepared for the second graduation of physicians. On the 22nd of June, 1941 during the summing up of the university’s work, a peaceful working life was broken.

In the first days of the war 32 lecturers were off at the front: Ya.S. Androsov, A.N. Glinsky, G.P. Istomin, E.Ya. Kuperman, D.P. Smirnov, T.O. Kremlev, S.M. Kuklin, A.V. Holod, M.G. Chursanov, A.A. Rappoport, A.P. Chernaya, G.P. Smirnova, M.N. Lure, M.V. Moshkin and 210 graduates, who have passed state exams. The war didn’t let the students of the third enrolment (1937) to complete a full course of education. In September of 1941 they were graduated as warrant doctors and 231 of them went to the army.

On the 8th of October, 1941 in the heat of the fights at the approaches to Kursk more than 300 employees and students, part of equipment, workbooks and other things were evacuated to Alma-Ata. During this evacuation from December 1941 to January 1944 students, lecturers and professors formed a part of Kazakh Medical Institute.

After the war

At the beginning of 1943 Soviet troops defeated a German group in Kursk district and on the 8th of February liberate the city.

On the 12th of January, 1944 there was issued an order of the All-Union Committee for Higher Education of the USSR, which read:

1) to restore Kursk medical institute from the 1st of January, 1944;

2) to organize classes in all courses from the beginning of 1944-45 academic year;

3) to approve the plan of admission for the first year of 200 people; to nominate A.V. Rudchenko as temporarily assuming the responsibilities of the director of the institute.

Here began an active work in reconstruction of the institute.

On the 5th of July, 1944 the employees of the institute and the property were delivered to Kursk from Alma-Ata.

On the 1st of September, 1944 650 students began studies from the first and the next four years. Many of them were former vets, soldiers of guerrilla bands, armies of citizens, awarded orders and medals.

The first graduation ceremony after the institute’s reconstruction was held in 1945.

In 1954 the institute was qualified for training of academic staff through postgraduate training program for the first time. First postgraduates were his graduates –participants of the Great Patriotic War N.F. Krutko G.M. Tkachenko.

By 1955 there was completely restored the academic building, were built two student hostels, a building for the department of physical education, equipped a sport hall, dining room and the library was expanded and enriched.

The institute grew and developed, having overcome difficulties of the war time successfully: the material and technological base strengthened, research and clinical basis were expanded and academic activity constantly improved.

Many departments were headed by the pupils of the institute, who have passed within its walls the way from the members of the Students’ Scientific Circle to famous scientists, heads of collectives. Among of them are professors I.G. Kotsyubinsky, V.A. Leonov, N.F. Krutko. G.M. Tkachenko, V.V. Belsky, L.G. Prokopenko, B.S. Monahov, A.D. Myasnikov, V.V. Gladkih, V.D. Zatolokin, E.F. Firsov, D.N. Evnin, V.V. Pichugin, E.A. Gubarev, I.M. Suslov, M.I. Medvedeva, S.Z. Piskunov, Yu.K. Kromarenko, associate professors A.P. Nepochatyh, A.P. Dolzhikov, A.V. Bulgakov.

In 1985 Kursk state medical institute was awarded an order of the Red Banner of Labour for merits in training of physicians and pharmaceutists and contribution to the development of public health service and medical science.