Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery of the FPE

The Department of Nervous Diseases at the Vinnytsia Medical Institute was founded in 1935 on the basis of the Academician O. I. Yushchenko Psychoneurological Hospital. Its first head was Professor V. L. Beder, a representative of the Kyiv school of neurologists. During the Great Patriotic War, under conditions of occupation, the department's activities were interrupted; after the liberation of the city, work resumed. In 1946, following the death of Prof. Beder, the department was temporarily led by physician V. B. Polishchuk, and in 1947 Dr. P. M. Alperovych — a student of Academician A. M. Grinshtein — was elected as its head.

In the early post-war years, the department's assistants included O. P. Barabash, A. I. Zabara, R. Ya. Mamychev, and V. B. Polishchuk. The composition later changed: R. Ya. Mamychev and V. B. Polishchuk moved to other positions, and in 1951 A. I. Zabara died suddenly. V. D. Bilyk (1951) and Ya. V. Pishchel (1954) were appointed as assistants. Subsequently, assistant Z. M. Pshenychna (1959–1966) and associate professor of the neurosurgery course Yu. I. Kopiakivskyi (1963–1965) also worked at the department.

In 1962–1963, an associate professor's course in neurosurgery was established within the department under the supervision of Assoc. Prof. Yu. I. Kopiakivskyi; from 1973 to 1994, this course was headed by Assoc. Prof. V. I. Burlia. In 1967, by order of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine, Assoc. Prof. Ya. V. Pishchel was appointed Director of the Kharkiv Research Institute of Neurology and Psychiatry named after Protopopov.

In the 1960s–70s, due to increased student enrollment and the opening of the Pediatric Faculty and the Faculty of Physicians' Advanced Training, the department was joined by new faculty members. Following the completion of clinical residency and postgraduate studies, A. I. Demchuk (1966), A. H. Korniichuk (1966), T. I. Petrova (1967–2013), and H. O. Starynets (1975) joined; from clinical practice — Ya. I. Pshuk (1971–2014), V. I. Burlia (1973–1996), and S. P. Moskovko (1979).

In 1979, an associate professor's course in neurology and reflexotherapy was opened at the department under the supervision of Assoc. Prof. A. H. Korniichuk; Assoc. Prof. H. O. Starynets and O. P. Koval became course instructors. From 1986 to 1990, based on this course, the Department of Neurology with Reflexotherapy of the Faculty of Physicians' Advanced Training operated. Assoc. Prof. A. H. Korniichuk was elected as department head, with Assoc. Prof. H. O. Starynets, Assoc. Prof. O. V. Zheliba, PhD V. D. Kyrychenko, O. P. Koval, and O. M. Borodii as faculty members.

By Order No. 3 of January 14, 2016, the Department of Nervous Diseases with a Neurosurgery Course was divided into two independent structures: the Department of Nervous Diseases and the Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery of the FPE. The split was driven by the need for deeper specialization and improved quality of training in the respective fields.

Current Structure and Activities

The Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery of the Faculty of Postgraduate Education (FPE) of the M. I. Pyrohov Vinnytsia National Medical University is focused on the educational and scientific advancement of 4th- and 5th-year students in neurosurgery, the training of neurology interns, and the professional development of physicians across various specialties. The department is based at two clinical sites — the Vinnytsia Regional Clinical Psychoneurological Hospital named after Academician O. I. Yushchenko and the Vinnytsia Regional Children's Clinical Hospital — providing students and trainees with broad opportunities for practical learning.

Moskovko Hennadii Serhiiovych. Candidate of Medical Sciences, Associate Professor of HEI

Since 2016, the department has been headed by Candidate of Medical Sciences, Associate Professor of HEI Moskovko Hennadii Serhiiovych. He graduated from the M. I. Pyrohov Vinnytsia National Medical University in 2002, defended his PhD dissertation in 2008 on the topic "Age-Related and Nosological Features of Neurological Gait Disorders," is a member of interdisciplinary working groups of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine, and participates in international clinical trials.

The permanent faculty of the department includes: Head of Department, PhD, Assoc. Prof. of HEI Moskovko H. S.; Head of Academic Affairs, PhD, Assoc. Prof. of HEI Starynets N. H.; PhD, Assoc. Prof. of HEI Zheliba L. M.; PhD, Assoc. Prof. of HEI Svistilnyk R. V.; Assistant Maistruk D. S.; Assistant Lemeshov O. S.; PhD, Assistant Fiks D. O.; Assistant Spivak Ya. V. The support staff is represented by Senior Laboratory Technician and Trade Union Representative of the Department Lashchenko I. H. Part-time faculty includes: PhD, Assoc. Prof. of HEI Olkhov V. M. — physician at the neurosurgical unit of the Municipal Non-Commercial Enterprise "Vinnytsia Regional Clinical Psychoneurological Hospital named after Academician O. I. Yushchenko"; PhD, Assoc. Prof. of HEI Voloshchuk S. Ya. and PhD, Assistant Shvedskyi V. V. — physicians at the Municipal Non-Commercial Enterprise "Vinnytsia Regional Children's Clinical Hospital."

Clinical and Research Activities

The department's clinical base developed gradually. In the early post-war years, training was conducted at the sole neurological ward of 40 beds within the regional psychiatric hospital. In the 1950s–60s, the adult neurology ward expanded to 60 beds; in 1959, a neurosurgical ward of 50 beds opened, and three years later — a children's neurology ward of similar capacity. In 1988, an acute vascular pathology unit was established at the hospital; in 1999, the neurology ward of Municipal Clinical Hospital No. 1 was added to the clinical base, and in 2005 — a vascular pathology rehabilitation unit.

P. M. Alperovych and Head of the Neurology Ward M. V. Fainhold are considered the founders of the Vinnytsia Neurological School. The tradition of regular field visits to the region's districts and provision of consultative care has been maintained to this day — in the format of clinical conferences and masterclasses. Associate Professors A. I. Demchuk and Ya. I. Pshuk participated in 1989–1991 in comprehensive medical examinations of children affected by the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant disaster in the Korosten, Narodychi, and Luhin districts of Zhytomyr Oblast.

The department's laboratory base includes an electrophysiological laboratory that has been in operation since 1959, enabling electroencephalography, electromyography, echoencephalography, rheoencephalography, pulsometry, and computerized gait analysis using the GAITRite system. An X-ray room is equipped at the neurosurgical ward; in 1993, a computed tomography suite was opened, in 2007 — a spiral CT suite, and subsequently MRI diagnostics became available at the Neuromed facility.

Department staff have participated in over 70 international research projects over 20 years, dedicated to the treatment and prevention of acute cerebrovascular accidents, Parkinson's disease, epilepsy, and multiple sclerosis. Department Head Moskovko H. S. provides consultations at the anesthesiology and intensive care unit of the Municipal Non-Commercial Enterprise "Vinnytsia Regional Clinical Psychoneurological Hospital named after Academician O. I. Yushchenko," at the anesthesiology and intensive care unit of Municipal Clinical Hospital No. 1, and at the emergency medical care unit of the Municipal Non-Commercial Enterprise "Vinnytsia Regional Children's Clinical Hospital."

Neurosurgical Activities

The neurosurgical ward performs a full range of surgical interventions for pathologies of the brain and spinal cord in adult patients. The ward's research priorities encompass the improvement of neurosurgical care for acute cerebral stroke, vascular pathology of the brain, diseases of the spine and spinal cord, as well as lesions of the peripheral nervous system — traumatic nerve injuries and compressive neuropathies. A separate focus area is the study of chronic pain and the implementation of modern methods for its diagnosis and treatment.