In 2017, there comes the 85th anniversary of Dagestan State Medical University. This age is considered to be the age of maturity and wisdom, of the covered way realization and its further progress. So much trouble and experiences should those people, who were at the forefront of our wonderful institution, have had! But they endured all the difficulties and succeeded in the opening of Dagestan Medical Institute. Here are some names of them: Muslim Yusupovich Nakhibashev, Omar Aliyevich Bairashevsky, Khadzhi Omarovich Bulach, Georgy Pavlovich Rudnev, Yakov Grigorievich Savitsky, Petr Aristarkhovich Mavrodiadi, Anatoly Viktorovich Rossov and others.

In 1932 the Council of People’s Commissars adopted a historic resolution of Dagestan State Medical Institute foundation in order to prepare the medical staff for Dagestan itself and other North Caucasus republics. Special attention was paid to the medical staff training of the indigenous republic nationalities. Initially, Dagestan State Medical Institute had the limited theoretical and clinical base and the only department of general medicine.

Annually, there were accepted about 150 people for the first course. The Institute departments were mainly headed by the Candidates of Sciences.

Over the years of its activity, our Institute experienced formation period severity and hardships, epidemic trouble, famine and devastation brought by the Great Patriotic War, the difficult years of post-war reconstruction, the hard reorganization period and it has not only survived but all this time it has been working with extraordinary dedication, strengthening its positions and increasing its glory.

At different times the fate of the University was ordered by the devoted to their duty people, who dedicated their lives to the service of medicine. They possessed good citizenship, keenness, artistic creation, but the most important thing was that they were distinguished by extraordinary kindness, cordiality and decency.

The high point of the Institute development was in 1970th-1980th. There were built morphological body, teaching and laboratory facilities, and a number of ancillary facilities. The Republic Clinical Hospital expanded significantly, dental and pediatric departments came into service. All this allowed the dental and pediatric departments to have been opened.  The institute qualified teaching staff has changed qualitatively. Almost all the departments have been headed by Doctors of Sciences, Professors mostly by those who were our institute graduates.

Initially, the Institute and now the University used to participate and nowadays is still participating in scientific research sectoral matters, projected by the head scientific institutions of the Russian Federation Ministry of Health.

Dagestan State Medical Institute has its unique history, glorious and good traditions, decades of experience in training and educating the specialists.  All this gives it the right to be proud of its success and achievements in various medicine areas. In the history of the Medical Institute there inscribed the names of educators and scientists whose creative, scientific and pedagogical authority contributed to its formation and development, its transformation into a large scientific and medical center of the North Caucasus. Rightfully it takes its deserved place among the best Medical Universities of the Russian Federation.

Many employees and institute graduates have become outstanding figures of medicine and held prominent positions in the Soviet Health Care System:  An Academician O.V. Baroyan –  the chief epidemiologist of the Soviet Union; corresponding member of the USSR Medical Sciences Academy A.F. Serenko- Deputy Minister of Health Care System; G.P. Rudnev-  an Academician-secretary of the USSR Medical Sciences Academy.

Dagestan State Medical University graduates work in various medical institutions of the republic, so as of Russia and foreign countries, they also head the large medical and scientific research centers. Among those :  D.G. Saidbekov- Doctor of  Medical Sciences (D.M.S.),  the Medical Faculty Professor  of the Rome University “LaSapienza” , K.M. Abdulkadyrov – D.M.S, Professor of  The Russian Hematology and Blood Transfusion Scientific Research Institute (Saint Petersburg), O.M. Makhachev- D.M.S. ,Professor, Head of the Scientific Center of Cardiovascular Surgery Laboratory named by A.N. Bakuliev,  V.Y. Khanaliev- D.M.S., Professor, Deputy Director for Clinical Work of  SI ” the National Medical and Surgical Center named by N.I. Pirogov MH  SD the RF”, P.A. Klimenko- D.M.S., Professor, the chief forensic expert of the Russian Federation in obstetrics and gynecology, Z.S. Alekberova – D.M.S., Professor ,the Head  of the RMSA Rheumatism Institute department, G.Sh. Davudov – D.M.S., Professor , Deputy Director  of  SI”Research and Clinical Otolaryngological Center MH  SD the RF”, M.D.Dibirov- D.M.S., Professor , the Head of the Surgery Department SEI of  HE  ”MSU of  MD MH  SD the RF ”,honored scientist of the RF.

Medical Schools enjoy a good reputation: the USSR MSA Corresponding Member and Professor R.P. Askerkhanov’s Surgical school, Professor M.M. Maksudov’s Dental School, Professor Kh. E. Gadghiev ‘s and the USSR State premium laureate Professor Shamov’s therapeutic schools, RMSA Corresponding Member, Professor S-M.A. Omarov’s Obstetricians and Gynecologists School.

Support and development of creativity and sport, young talents’ realizations are traditionally in the focus of the University Administration.

Dagestan Medical Institute is a major physical culture and sports center in the republic. Among its graduates there are five-time world champion A. Aliyev, the world champion and two-time Olympic medalist M. Aratsilov and more than 40 USSR and the Russian Federation Masters of Sports.

In 1995, according to the Russian Federation Medical Schools rating results, Dagestan State Medical Institute was renamed as Academy, and in 2016 received the University status.

Great attention is paid to the University educational services scope expanding by reference to the Healthcare practical needs of the republic. So, in recent years there have been 2 new faculties opened: medical-prophylactic and pharmaceutical, in which the medical science is developing rapidly and scientific researches are not only of practical importance, but also of fundamental one to obtain the international recognition. The university scientists work closely together with the leading research centers in Russia and abroad.

Within a period of last 5 years the university staff members have published 101 monographs, more than 60 textbooks and manuals with the Russian Federation Educational Methodical Association of Health and Social Development signature stamp, 3- with the Federal Institute of Educational Development signature stamp and about 260 teaching aids with a signature stamp of the Central Coordinating Methodical Council of Dagestan State Medical Academy.

At the Medical University there successfully operates a protection system of intellectual activity results (IAR), there also an electronic data base of IAR has been created. The fact of carried out in DSMU scientific studies high value, is that every year scientists receive more than 80 patents for inventions and about the same number of certificates for utility models that have been successfully implemented in practical public healthcare of Dagestan republic, and delivered to the Russian medical market.

Annually more than 60 scientific innovations of our university staff workers are exhibited at various exhibitions. Since 2001, there has been fruitfully working the Internet classroom, whereby researchers, teachers and students can conduct scientific research.

Currently, scientific researches are being carried out at the University on 9 complex issues. In recent years, the number of defended theses has been increased and their quality has also been improved. During the specialized Council work, 166 theses, including 32 doctoral and 134 candidates were defended. Annually on the average 4 doctoral and 15 candidate theses are defended at the University.

Over the past years DSMU has become a real school of the Medical Art. It has graduated more than 27 000 doctors who work in all parts of our country and hold political office. Many of them are known far beyond the borders of the republic. DSMU graduates honestly fulfill their medical obligations, they contribute their knowledge and ability to the people health promotion, constantly improves their skills, keep gratitude to their teachers.

At DSMU there a highly qualified teaching staff has been formed, which is characterized by high professionalism and dedication to their profession. It supports and develops the traditions established by the university old-stagers. There are 706 teachers working at the university, including 66 Professors, 179 Associate Professors, 418 Candidates of Medical Sciences, and 116Doctors of Medical Sciences.

University scientists are constantly involved in many annually held international conferences, congresses, symposia, congresses (Moscow, St. Petersburg, Sochi, Chicago, Geneva, Basel, Stockholm, Vienna, Cyprus and others).

The percentage of teachers with scientific degrees (74.7%). University is at a level with the Russian central medical universities.

Currently, more than 5,000 students study at the university, among them there are more than 100 foreign students from 12 countries. Over 1,700 doctors annually improve their skills at the Faculty of Advanced Medical.

During its progressive development, the university has become a multi-functional institution. There are 75 departments in the structure of DSMU, each of which cherishes the names of those who have written glorious pages in the history of the university. They built themselves no pyramids of copper and didn’t set bronze obelisks. Their inheritance has been contained in their works, books, and textbooks. The memory of them will remain forever.

Reflecting on the ongoing changes, the medical university staff realizes that it is about to enter a new era in which there expected the new realities, new challenges and that its main responsibility for the future is to leave behind a generation of educated professionals, strong research schools aiming at creativity and knowledge. And so today the university staff sees its mission not only in the training the highly qualified personnel, but also in the active participation in the public health system reforming, so as in the information technologies implementation in educational, medical and scientific processes.

The University Administration has prepared DSMU development plan comprising priorities for improving the quality of the educational process, innovative development, scientific research expansion and intensification, medical work improvement, the postgraduate professional education systems development, education quality management, the world educational space integration, the corporate culture formation, student’s personality harmonious education.

In nowadays DSMU scientist’s team there is great intellectual potential, significant experience of scientific, clinical, and innovation activities.

Currently, Dagestan State Medical University is a large educational, scientific and medical center, its structure consists of 5 departments,   of its own  large enough  base for fundamental and practical disciplines, an extensive network of all profiles clinical sites (over than 40) , 75 departments, headed by Doctors and  Professors  , Scientific – Research Institute of  mountainous territories human ecology, consultative – diagnostic clinic, medical college,  employment center  university graduates, information and  computing department, logistical support center, an analytical department, internet center, scientific medical library, sports complex, publishing and – polygraphic center.

Today, Dagestan State Medical University is a recognized innovative educational, scientific and cultural center of the region; it retains the best native traditions and enriches them with a new experience of the world educational and scientific space.

S.N. Mammaev,
rector of DSMU,
professor