History

Andrei Leonidovich Gurin, Dean of the Faculty, holds quite clear and established views: "When I became the dean of the Pediatric Faculty in 2006, I was overwhelmed with doubts, as I didn't know the specifics of teaching and raising future pediatricians. Our patients are also quite unusual. Children are a special group; they are so similar to us, but they are still children. They need different nutrition, a different daily routine, they change very quickly, and, unfortunately, they get sick often and in a different way. Therefore, our most important task over six years of study is to turn yesterday's high school students into qualified pediatricians. During illness, a child needs increased attention and care, a manifestation of love and compassion. Being a pediatrician is a way of life, and medical knowledge alone is not enough to cure a child. Without false modesty, we can say that our faculty is unique. We are now worthily continuing the work begun in the 70s of the last century and hope that all students who enroll with us sincerely and with a pure heart want to help children."

Initially, there was no such concept as a pediatric faculty at our university. Pediatricians were raised and gained knowledge at the General Medicine Faculty.

In 1968, the first pediatric subordinator group was formed. These were students who were assigned as pediatricians. The training lasted for three months at the Department of Pediatrics. Subsequently, a one-year residency in pediatrics was created, for which 1-2 student groups were formed. Random people did not get in. Student performance was an important criterion. Special attention was paid to the results of the pediatrics exam in the fifth year. Only students who received an "excellent" grade on the exam could fulfill their dream of becoming pediatricians. They were given a corresponding recommendation, and as a subordinator, they dedicated a whole year to studying childhood diseases.

Historically, future pediatricians were assigned to the Grodno and Brest regions.

Among the pediatric residents who became healthcare organizers were V.M. Zenevich, I.M. Logach, and S.A. Kornikova. N.I. Chernyak, V.S. Malanova, E.K. Kapitonyan, K.U. Vilchuk, T.A. Yakuta, S.A. Lyalikov, N.S. Paramonova (Veraksich), A.I. Paltseva, L.N. Rolovets, N.I. Yankovskaya, M.P. Aldokhina, O.F. Pyzhik, R.N. Kulak, L.N. Gurina, A.V. Glutkin, T.S. Protasevich, M.G. Myslivets, N.V. Tomchik, E.A. Konyukh, A.N. Berdovskaya, A.A. Karchevsky, A.V. Ivantsov, O.A. Gorustovich were engaged in scientific work and defended their dissertations. A.I. Semenova and I.S. Sarlay work as teachers in medical colleges. K.U. Vilchuk headed the Republican Scientific and Practical Center "Mother and Child".

And so, after a long journey without its own separate faculty, an important decision was made.

In 1979, in accordance with the Resolution of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Belarus and the Council of Ministers of the Belarusian SSR dated 23.12.1977, No. 416 "On the work of healthcare bodies and measures for further improvement of medical services to the population in light of the requirements of the XXV Congress of the CPSU," the Pediatric Faculty was opened with 100 students in the first year.

This became a separate, full-fledged faculty. Applicants could confidently enroll here, which gave them a win-win option: after 6 years of study, they could enter medicine as pediatricians. The first intake consisted of 10 groups of students.

A special program was created: future doctors studied pediatric disciplines for 4 years. Propaedeutics of childhood diseases was studied in the 3rd year, pediatrics in the 4th year, and pediatric endocrinology, hematology, physiotherapy, and neonatology in the 5th year. The first lecturer of the Pediatric Faculty was Mikhail Petrovich Sheibak. In 1985, the institute gave a start in life to 85 pediatricians for the first time.

A new development was the introduction of classes in clinical pharmacology at the Department of Pediatrics in 1987, and in medical genetics since 1993. After completing the 6th year, students took a state exam in pediatrics.

For the first time since 2008, residencies in pediatric surgery, obstetrics and gynecology (pediatric), anesthesiology and reanimatology (pediatric), and neonatology have been introduced at the faculty.

The residency program is constantly being improved. Training takes place according to a cyclical schedule, which includes the following sections: neonatology, early and older childhood pathology, polyclinic, reanimatology, childhood infections, phthisiology, non-traditional treatment methods, and others. Students have the opportunity to monitor the treatment process of patients, attend surgeries and examinations, and manage patients.

At the departments of the Pediatric Faculty, it is common practice for residents to hold educational clinical conferences. The topics of the conferences are developed in advance by the teachers, and thematic patients are selected. The conferences are held at a high methodological level with the use of demonstration materials, and new technologies are successfully applied. Each group conducts up to 8-10 such conferences during their training at the departments of the Pediatric Faculty.

However, despite the active start of work, in 1991, the Pediatric Faculty at the Grodno and Minsk Medical Institutes was closed. It took five years to come to the only correct decision - pediatricians should be trained according to a special program and at a separate faculty. And in 1996, the Pediatric Faculty at the Grodno Medical Institute resumed its work.

At different times, the deans of the Pediatric Faculty were:

• Voitekhovsky Gennady Iosifovich (1979 – 1985)

• Pyatkevich Mikhail Mikhailovich (1985 – 1997)

• Marmysh Gennady Grigorievich (1997 – 1998)

• Vilchuk Konstantin Ustinovich (1998 – 2004)

• Paramonova Nelly Sergeevna (2004 – 2006)

• Gurin Andrei Leonidovich (2006 – present)

Deputy deans at different times were: Associate Professors Volchkevich Dmitry Aleksandrovich, Koleshko Sergey Vladimirovich, Gonchar Elena Petrovna, and Glutkin Sergey Viktorovich.

Currently, the dean's office is represented by: Dean - Associate Professor of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology Gurin Andrei Leonidovich, Deputy Dean - Associate Professor of the 1st Department of Internal Diseases Karpovich Yulia Ivanovna, Deputy Dean for Ideological and Educational Work - Associate Professor of the Department of Normal Anatomy Gorustovich Olga Anatolyevna, and academic secretaries - Anisko Tatyana Aleksandrovna and Golovko Svetlana Vladimirovna.

The faculty includes a Faculty Council and a Methodological Commission. The key departments of the faculty are: the 2nd Department of Children's Diseases (Head Paramonova N.S.), Pediatric Surgery (Head Kovalchuk V.I.), and the Department of Polyclinic Pediatrics (Head Tomchik N.V.).

A Student Self-Government Council has been created at the faculty, whose duties include organizing student work in extracurricular time, organizing concerts and holidays, holding campaigns and faculty days, and participating in sports and city events. There is a student trade union committee that provides social protection for students, health improvement in the form of sanatorium and resort treatment, assigning allowances and bonuses, and paying social scholarships.

Student Participation in University Life

One of the priority areas of activity for students of Grodno State Medical University is their active participation in the social life of the university. After classes, the university continues to host various creative and sports groups, such as a vocal studio, a theater group, a fashion theater, and a dance ensemble.

The annual "Pediatric Faculty Days" are of particular importance to the faculty, and preparations for them begin well in advance. Within the framework of this event, traditional student wall newspaper exhibitions, round tables with the participation of teachers and students, evenings of bard songs, photo exhibitions, photo-crosses, paintball competitions, the faculty KVN, and sports events are held. Students organize visits to children's institutions as part of the "We are for Children" campaign. The traditional game "Live Chess" held annually as part of the "Pediatric Faculty Days" is of particular interest. The cycle of events concludes with a concert program in which students demonstrate their creative abilities.

Since 2008, the faculty has initiated a tourist rally on the border of the Grodno and Minsk regions, which united students of the Pediatric Faculties of Belarusian and Grodno Medical Universities.

The KVN team "DePo," formed by students of our faculty, is the winner of the Grodno KVN League and a participant in the Euroleague KVN. In 2008, it won the highest award at the KVN Higher League festival. Today, its work is continued by a new KVN team, "Alfare."

Students of the Pediatric Faculty are actively involved in volunteer activities within the Republican Society of the Red Cross. The faculty dean's office provides comprehensive support in organizing and holding events, as well as in implementing ambitious student projects.

Scientific activity occupies an important place in the life of the faculty. The Student Scientific Society, headed by a graduate of our faculty, attracts more and more students to participate in scientific research. Thanks to the conditions created by the departments, students can engage in scientific work both theoretically and practically. Students of the Pediatric Faculty have repeatedly become winners of various student conferences, and have also taken first places at republican and international olympiads.

Special attention is paid to charitable projects aimed at helping children. It has become a tradition to hold festive events in orphanages and to organize campaigns such as "Crush the Cigarette" and "Help the Forester," aimed at promoting a healthy lifestyle and environmental protection.

In recent years, the faculty's students have achieved significant success in various competitions and events, such as "Mister GrSMU," "Miss GrSMU," and "Queen Spring GrSMU." In 2018, 5th-year student Anton Lemesh became the winner of the "Student of the Year-2018" competition at the republican level. In 2022, Anna Bushunova, a 3rd-year student, became "Queen of Studenthood GrSMU" and took first place at the regional stage of the competition, and also received the title of I-Vice-Queen of Studenthood at the republican stage. In 2023, 4th-year student Abramova Victoria became the second runner-up in the "Miss and Mister Studenthood-2023" competition at the republican level.

Our faculty's students actively participate in international competitions and festivals. For example, in 2019, the KVN team "Pediatric Faculty" became a prize-winner at the International Festival of KVN Teams "KiViN-2019," which allowed it to join the interregional KVN league.

The faculty's students also become winners of various dance and creative competitions, such as "Art Vacations 2020," "Miss Belarus 2021," and "Queen of Studenthood GrSMU-2022."

The Dean's Office of the Pediatric Faculty supports student initiatives to create their own projects, such as "Opening Glass Doors," "Healthy Conversation," and others. For convenience and prompt information exchange, an Instagram and TikTok account of the faculty was created, where student activities are covered and up-to-date news is published.

Faculty and Staff

Many students of our faculty do not want to say goodbye to the university and, thanks to excellent academic performance and an active position at the university, stay to work as teachers. In recent years, many university departments have been replenished with our students. These include:

• Department of Anatomy: Ivantsov A.V. - Associate Professor, Candidate of Medical Sciences; Gorustovich O.A. - Associate Professor; Lutseva A.L. - Assistant.

• Department of Pathological Anatomy: Shiman O.V. - Senior Lecturer.

• Department of Normal Physiology: Biletskaya E.S. - Assistant.

• Department of Pediatric Surgery: Glutkin A.V. - Associate Professor.

• Department of Anesthesiology and Reanimatology: Lemesh A.V. - Assistant.

• 2nd Department of Children's Diseases: Volkova O.A. - Senior Lecturer; Protasevich T.S. - Senior Lecturer; Myslivets M.G. - Senior Lecturer; Gurina L.N. - Associate Professor; Konyukh E.A. - Associate Professor; Berdovskaya A.N. - Associate Professor; Kovsh D.A. - Intern.

• Department of Polyclinic Pediatrics: Tomchik N.V. - Head of Department; Karchevsky A.A. - Associate Professor; Matusevich V.I. - Assistant; Novitskaya A.O. - Assistant.

• Department of Radiation Diagnostics and Radiation Therapy: Strok T.A. - Assistant.

• Department of Infectious Diseases: Potapchik A.L. - Senior Lecturer.

• Department of Pediatric Surgery: Gnedova A.V. - Assistant.

• Department of Public Health and Healthcare: Levinskaya Yu.V. - Assistant.

In addition, it is worth noting the students who are part of various state advisory structures: Maria Dmitrievna Vasilevskaya - Deputy of the Youth Council at the City Council of Deputies; Karina Andreevna Khvisyuchik - Deputy of the Youth Parliament at the Grodno Regional Council of Deputies; Natalia Viktorovna Mishota - member of the Republican Youth Council at the Ministry of Health.

Today, 898 students are studying at the faculty. Annually, 1-2 people receive the Dubko scholarship, several students receive the University Council scholarship, the Francysk Skaryna scholarship, and the Peace Foundation scholarship.