DEPARTMENT OF PHILOSOPHY, BIOETHICS AND HISTORY OF MEDICINE
History of the department
The activity of the department of Philosophy, Bioethics and History of Medicine is an integral part of a strong tradition of philosophical and humanitarian education that emerged in our university.
Courses of philosophical disciplines were taught at the medical faculty from the very beginning of its existence at the University of St. Vladimir.
Department of Philosophy provided teaching philosophy, logic, psychology, history of philosophy and natural law etc.
After the reorganization in 1920-1921 and foundation of the Kyiv Medical Institute (KMI) there was the Department of Marxism-Leninism (1925) among the newly established departments of KMI. Courses of political economy, history of socialism, dictatorship of the proletariat, dialectical and historical materialism were taught. In 1956-1957 department of Marxism-Leninism was transformed into three independent departments, including the department of Dialectical and Historical Materialism, which later was renamed the department of Marxist-Leninist Philosophy.
The historical name “department of Philosophy” was returned according to the KMI’s order No 128 of July 11, 1990. Department of Dialectical and Historical Materialism (Philosophy) has launched a substantial research into the philosophical problems of medicine, which is reflected in the two collections of KMI works entitled “Some philosophical questions of medicine and science” in 1957-1960. Among the authors of collections were not only philosophers, but also leading experts in the field of medicine and biology: academician M.M. Syrotynin, academician L.V. Hromashevskyi, Corresponding Member of the AMS H.Kh. Shakhbazian, Professors V.V. Frolkis, Ya.P. Frumkin, V.P. Rudin and others. This was the first and very fruitful attempt to restore joint development of current methodological problems of medicine, the origin of which dates back to the foundation of Medical Faculty of the Imperial University of St. Vladimir that is considered to be founded by Nikolay Pirogov.
The founders of the newly created department were associate professor L.V. Harkusha (head of department from 1956 to 1962), associate professor M.O. Logvyn, A.I. Klevtsov, S.S. Hurvych.
In April 1963 Professor Eugene H. Fedorenko was appointed to the position of the head of the Department of Philosophy. Specializing in issues of ethics, Eugene H. Fedorenko paid dominant attention to the research of problems of medical ethics and deontology, traditional philosophical questions of medicine. Resulting this work, Fedorenko in collaboration with his postgraduate student O.I. Smolniakov have been issued the first in the USSR monograph “Medical Ethics” (1978).
The second direction of work of the department headed by Fedorenko was the preparation and publication of the “Philosophical Questions of Medicine and Biology” interagency scientific collection. The first issue of scientific collection was published in 1965, and the last, the 23rd – in 1991.
Associate professor H.A. Rubtsov was acting head of department in 1969-1973.
Mykola V. Popov (1930-2015), Head of the Department of Philosophy of the NMU (1973-2008), Doctor of Philosophical Science, Professor
Doctor of Philosophical Science, Professor Mykola V. Popov headed Department of Philosophy from 1973 to 2008. Mykola V. Popov is known philosopher, author of more than 280 works, including 5 textbooks, 12 scientific monographs. His research interests covered a wide range of issues, including philosophical issues of biology, ecology and medicine, scientific methodology and pedagogy of higher education, philosophy of religion and others.
Among the last works of Professor Popov it should be noted: the monographs “Axiology and Medicine” (2003); “Bioethics: Philosophical and Methodological, Social and Health Problems” (co-authored, 2005); textbook “Philosophy of Religion” (2007); “The Creative Heritage of Ibn Sina and Modernity” (collective monograph: Executive editors – Professor M.V. Popov, Doctor M.S. Vatankha, 2009); finally, textbook “Logic”, was published just before the philosopher passed away.
Professor Popov was diverse creative personality. His significant achievements were translations into Ukrainian of Persian poets – Hafez, Saadi Shirazi, Omar Khayyam, and the other representatives of Eastern, European and Russian literature (Petrarca, Shakespeare, Mickiewicz, Pushkin, Lermontov, Vysotsky, Brodsky), as well as compilations of anthology of world poetry.
During the years of independent Ukraine the teaching staff of the Department undertook a fundamental revision of all educational programs on philosophical disciplines. Basing on the typical program of philosophy for students of medicine in 1994 Department for the first time published in Ukrainian a textbook of philosophy that has been released in almost all medical universities in Ukraine. In 1999 textbook “Philosophy” for students of higher medical institutions of Ukraine received the Yaroslav the Wise award of the Academy of Sciences of High School of Ukraine. Basing on the new typical program of philosophy (2000) a textbook of philosophy for students of medicine approved by the Ministry of Public Health of Ukraine was published in 2005 (executive editors – M.V. Popov and O.O. Zakordonets).
In 1991, the multidisciplinary Department of Sociology was established at the KMI. Department was headed by: professor Nina I. Pasko, since 2000 – associate professor Ivan M. Sakharchuk, 2003-2008 – professor Volodymyr P. Liakhotskyi.
Nina I. Pasko, Head of the Department of Sociology of the NMU (1991-2000), Doctor of Philosophical Science, Professor
The change of content of subjects of Social Sciences and forms of their application had a great importance in the work of the multidisciplinary department, particularly scientific and methodological support and implementation of new normative disciplines as the History of Ukraine, the Principles of Economic Theory, Political Science, the Fundamentals of Constitutional Law of Ukraine, Ukrainian and Foreign Culture, and elective courses – the Problems of Intellectuals and Intelligence, World Culture, the Power Studies (developed by associate professor Sakharchuk) and others.
The significant merit of the department staff was the introduction to the system of higher medical education of Ukraine of normative Sociology course, and since 2005 – Sociology and Medical Sociology, and conduction of applied social researches at the NMU. Acting as the supporting department of sociology, according to the order of the Ministry of Public Health of Ukraine, Department of Sociology constantly gave methodical help to the similar departments of higher medical institutions of Ukraine.
In 2008 according to the decision of the Academic Council of the NMU, the Departments of Philosophy and Sociology were reorganized to the Department of Philosophy and Sociology. Since August 2008 the Department of Philosophy and Sociology of the NMU is headed by Iryna V. Vasylieva, Doctor of Philosophical Science (2011), Professor (2014).
Iryna V. Vasylieva, Head of the Department of Philosophy and Sociology of the NMU, Doctor of Philosophical Science, Professor
Employees of the Department of Philosophy and Sociology, 2009
Department of Philosophy and Sociology of the Bogomolets National Medical University is supporting department on philosophy for medical universities of Ukraine. Teaching staff of the created department prepared new typical programs on philosophy and other philosophical disciplines (“Logic, Formal Logic”, “Ethical Issues in Medicine”, “Theory of Cognition and Medicine”, etc.) for the students of medical, dental and medico-psychological faculties for credit-modular and credit-transfer systems that have been discussed and approved at the meetings of heads of departments (courses) of philosophy of medical and pharmaceutical universities of Ukraine. In 2016 according to the Law of Ukraine “On Higher Education”, recommendations of the Ministry of Education and Science and Ministry of Public Health of Ukraine educational programs for doctors of philosophy were developed – “Philosophy of Science and Bioethics”, “Philosophy and Methodology of Scientific and Medical Cognition”.
In addition to normative disciplines – “Philosophy”, “Basics of Bioethics and Biosafety” – department provides teaching of 12 elective disciplines: “Ethics”, “Aesthetics”, “Religion Studies”, “Sociology and Medical Sociology”, “Political Science” etc. in Ukrainian, Russian and English.
One of the priority directions of teaching and educational work in the NMU is providing continuous humanitarian education, including ethical, spiritual development of medical students. Implementation of free choice for humanitarian disciplines from 1st to 5th year of studying in the curriculum of the NMU significantly contributes in achievement of these goals. For example, learning of general ethical principles and norms by first-year students later deepens with the help of fundamental philosophical knowledge, continues during the senior courses when studying normative discipline “Basics of Bioethics and Biosafety”, elective course “Ethical Issues of Medicine” (3rd year), “Fundamentals of Christian Ethics” (4-5 years). Teachers of the department (K.Ye. Kachan, O.O. Kudyn) developed a program for parallel course on the Fundamentals of Islamic Ethics considering the students’ confession and interest. Teaching philosophy and other humanities is based on the principles of dialogue, polemic, equal representation of different directions and conceptual approaches, tolerance and religious impartiality.
Head of the Department of Philosophy and Sociology, Professor Vasylieva (center) discusses the issues of departmental life with Professor Popov (head of department 1973-2008), associate professor Sakharchuk (head of the department of Sociology 2000-2002), and associate professors Nikiforova and Yezikian (from right to left).
The creation of sociology group on the basis of the Department of Philosophy and Sociology (2008), which included not only teachers-experts in social sciences, but also the representatives of student self-government, contributed optimization of teaching and educational process, as well as other directions of work on the University. For example, in the 2014-2015 academic year anonymous survey with 9680 respondents has been conducted, in 2015-2016 academic year – 10200 students, graduates, inters were surveyed on the quality of educational services provided by the departments of University. To evaluate the quality of scheduled sociological studies the external audit is used. It is conducted by experts of the Institute of Sociology of NAS of Ukraine, Center for Social Technologies “Sociopolis”, experts in the implementation of quality management systems according to standards ISO 9001:2008. The results of the anonymous survey are regularly discussed at meetings of the Academic Council of the NMU, taken into account by the University management for improving the system of analysis and proper decision-making.
In 2018 according to the decision of the Academic Council of the NMU, Department of Philosophy and Sociology was reorganized into the Department of Philosophy, Bioethics and History of Medicine, which made the Department the supporting one for “Philosophy” and “History of Medicine” for medical universities in Ukraine. “History of Medicine” joined such normative disciplines as “Philosophy” and “Basics of Bioethics and Biosafety” and number of elective disciplines increased up to 18.
Considering the further study of the philosophical problems of medicine and given the multidisciplinary nature of the department particular attention is paid to the development of initiative-search topics of scientific and research works “Problem of human health: socio-cultural factors” (2010 – 2013), “Methodological aspects of the social-humanitarian component of high medical education” (2014 – 2016), “Modern social concepts: socio-philosophical and religious aspects” ( 2017 – 2019), “The phenomenon of medicine: philosophical, religious, and historical dimensions” (2020 – 2022). The research resulted release of more than 10 monographs, textbooks and manuals (Vasylieva I.V. “A Man in Religious Dimension”, Sakharchuk I.M. (co-authored) “Mykola Kudrytskyi: Physician. Teacher. Scientist”, Hololobova K.O. “Philosophy of the Near and Middle East of the 7th – 14th Centuries”, Ishchuk N.V. “Modern Orthodox Theory of Dialogue”, Shevchenko S.L. (co-authored) “Transformation of the Foundations of Philosophy in the Postmodern Era”, Stupak F.Ya. “History of Medicine”, Vasylieva I.V. (co-authored) “Theoretical Issues of Modern Ethics”, Vasylieva I.V., Vermenko A.Yu. “Philosophy and General Philosophy of Medicine: study guide” and others, more than 250 articles have been published in professional and foreign editions.
Department pays considerable attention to the research work, improvement of the level of scientific competence of teachers. During the past 10 years at the department, 3 doctoral theses (Iryna V. Vasylieva, Ivan B. Ostashchuk and Nataliia V. Ishchuk), 5 PhD theses of the department’s employees were presented.
The department’s ties have expanded not only with the leading domestic (Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Faculty of Philosophy; Gregory Skovoroda Institute of Philosophy of the NAS of Ukraine; National Pedagogical Dragomanov University; National Aviation University, etc.), but also with foreign scientific institutions and universities. In 2016, the department joined an international project with the participation of the “Humanus” Center for Personality Development and Gregory Skovoroda Institute of Philosophy of the NAS of Ukraine. The project is involved in editing a multilingual Bulgarian-Ukrainian special issue of the “Ideas: Philosophical Magazine” that will restore the 36-year experience of publishing activity of the Department of Philosophy of the KMI (1956 – 1991) and will help to develop new guidelines and perspectives in the work of the Department.
In 2018 under the auspices of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine, the Department started holding an annual international scientific and practical conference (June 11-12) dedicated to the memory of St. Luke (Valentin F. Voyno-Yasenetsky). In conducting and organizing a conference, the Department cooperates with the “Humanus” Center for Personality Development (Bulgaria), Institute of Social Medicine and Medical Ethics of the Faculty of Medicine of Comenius University in Bratislava (Slovak Republic), teaching staff of the Charles University (Czech Republic). Head of the department, Professor Iryna V. Vasylieva was a reviewer of the monograph “Islamic Bioethics and Reproduction: the Text and the Practice” (2019) written by the teachers of the Institute of Social Medicine and Medical Ethics of the Faculty of Medicine, Comenius University in Bratislava: Monika Zaviš, Eva Orbanová, Michal Vivoda, Kateřina Horáčková, Abdulwahab Al-Sbenaty.
