Objectives
1. To plan, organise and deliver educational, methodological, clinical and student development activities, and to conduct ongoing, interim and final assessments in accordance with the curricula for Medicine, General Medicine, Paediatrics and Dentistry, as well as internship and residency programmes in Internal Medicine (Therapy).
2. To train highly qualified medical and academic personnel, develop the professional competencies of undergraduate, intern and resident trainees, and provide continuing professional development for general practitioners and internists in current issues of internal medicine and geriatrics.
3. To plan and conduct research in priority and emerging areas of internal medicine, geriatrics, immunology and the human microbiome, and to integrate research findings and innovative technologies into teaching and clinical practice.
4. To improve the quality of medical education by introducing modern educational technologies and interactive learning methods that develop clinical reasoning, practical skills and professional competencies.
5. To strengthen students’ research capacity, support the student scientific society, and organise research clubs, conferences and research projects.
6. To improve clinical training at healthcare institutions, develop the department staff’s clinical and consultative activities, and strengthen cooperation with practical healthcare services.
7. To ensure continuous professional development of academic staff, advance teaching and clinical competencies, enhance research qualifications, and introduce leading national and international practices into the department’s teaching and clinical activities.
History of the Department
In autumn 1965, one of the university’s first departments of internal medicine—the Department of Propedeutics of Internal Medicine—was established at the regional and railway hospitals in Tselinograd. Its founder and first head was Associate Professor M. V. Kropelnitskaya. Today the department operates at the Main Military Clinical Hospital of the Ministry of Defence of Kazakhstan, Multidisciplinary City Hospital No. 3, Multidisciplinary City Hospital No. 1 and City Polyclinic No. 14.
Over more than five decades, numerous faculty members contributed to the development of the department and are remembered with gratitude: G. V. Konoshenok, V. I. Neklyudova, I. D. Rachinsky, L. A. Pleskacheva, A. Z. Petskalev, B. S. Kalimurzina, S. L. Malevich, V. I. Chernomasentsev, E. A. Yamshchikova, V. A. Ikonnikova and others. Professor V. Z. Pilipenko worked at the department for forty years and headed it for fourteen years (1972–1984).
From 1984 to 1988, the department was headed by Professor Roza Rakhimovna Bektaeva.
From 1989 to 1990 — Doctor of Medical Sciences Ivan Danilovich Rachinsky.
From 1991 to 1992 — Professor V. Z. Pilipenko again.
From 1992 to January 2004 — Professor Bayan Alkenovna Ainabekova.
From January 2004 to November 2023 — Professor Viktor Alekseevich Tkachev.
From 6 November 2023 to March 2026 — Aliya Kurmanbekovna Smagulova, PhD.
From 17 March 2026 to the present — Gaukhar Serikovna Kuanyshbayeva, PhD.
Activities
The Department of Internal Medicine with a course in Geriatrics teaches undergraduate courses in Propedeutics of Internal Medicine and Fundamentals of Propedeutics of Internal Medicine for Medicine, General Medicine and Paediatrics programmes; Fundamentals of Internal Medicine for Kinesiotherapy and Dentistry; and Internal Medicine in General Practice for General Medicine interns. Postgraduate training is provided through the residency programme in Internal Medicine (Therapy). Continuing education courses in Geriatrics are offered to internists and general practitioners.
Innovative teaching methods are actively implemented at the department. PBL, TBL, CBL, RBL and TPCBL are widely used in the educational process.
Since its establishment, the department has produced 2 monographs, more than 500 scientific articles and 22 teaching and methodological manuals. Two doctoral dissertations, 11 Candidate of Sciences dissertations and 4 master’s theses have been defended. More than 20 clinical trainees and 8 residents have been trained at the department.
A student scientific society operates at the department. Each year, 3–4 research papers are presented at the final student conference.
The department’s clinical training sites include the Main Military Clinical Hospital of the Ministry of Defence of Kazakhstan, Multidisciplinary City Hospitals No. 3, No. 1 and No. 2, City Polyclinic No. 14, and the Central Hospital with Polyclinic of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Kazakhstan.
Department staff participate in scientific and practical conferences, clinicopathological conferences, seminars, clinical rounds and multidisciplinary consultations.
Faculty members regularly enhance their professional skills through continuing education courses in pedagogy and medicine.
Achievements
The department’s academic staff have a high level of professional training. The proportion of faculty members holding academic degrees is 50%: 1 Doctor of Medical Sciences, 3 Candidates of Medical Sciences, 2 PhD holders and 2 Masters of Medicine. Faculty members hold professional medical qualification categories and specialist certificates and are actively involved in clinical consultation; outreach consultations are conducted in the regions to train medical professionals. All department staff (100%) have completed courses in Communication Skills in Clinical Disciplines and Medical Ethics and Innovative Technologies in Medical Education. Innovative teaching approaches—including PBL, TPCBL, CBL, RBL and TBL—are used with second- and third-year students in General Medicine, Medicine, Paediatrics, Kinesiotherapy and Dentistry. An ECG School is available to learners, and the student research club meets monthly. Students supervised by department staff have repeatedly won prizes at scientific and student conferences.
Department members A. K. Smagulova, S. Zh. Kubekova, A. T. Kazbekova and N. L. Zagorulya participate in a project of the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Education and Science of Kazakhstan.
Each year, department staff publish 2–3 articles in international peer-reviewed journals. Cooperation continues with Nazarbayev University’s Human Microbiome and Longevity Laboratory, and Zh. B. Borakbay has successfully defended a master’s thesis. The department participates in the scientific and technical programme “Immunological Profile and Microbiome Markers in Assessing the Effectiveness of Probiotic Therapy in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis.” The department actively delivers continuing education: in 2022, six Geriatrics courses were held for general practitioners. A. T. Kazbekova received the Excellence in Healthcare award, while G. S. Khusainova and Zh. B. Akhmetova received the badge “For Contribution to Healthcare.” In recent years, 21 residents have graduated from the Department of Internal Medicine No. 1 in Internal Medicine (Therapy). Research is currently underway on the doctoral work of N. L. Zagorulya and the master’s thesis of A. M. Mazhitova.
Contact information
Email: kuanyshbaeva.g@amu.kz
