ONMedU: Staff Conference

On February 17, the annual Staff Conference was held at Odessa National Medical University in a mixed format, in which 145 delegates (out of 167) participated.
Amendments to the ONMedU Statute were considered and approved, 10 new members of the Academic Council were elected to replace those who left for one reason or another, and the Report on the implementation of the contract terms for 2024 of  ONMedU rector, Academician Valerii Zaporozhan, was heard and discussed.
In his report, Valerii Mykolaiovych covered all aspects of the university’s activities over the past year – educational, scientific, educational, medical, training of future doctors, scientific and scientific-pedagogical personnel, international activities and other areas. Information and statistical data on the most significant results were provided.
At ONMedU, specialist training is implemented in accordance with the requirements of current legislation, in particular the Constitution of Ukraine, the Laws “On Education”, “On Higher Education”, resolutions of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, orders of the Ministry of Education and Science and the Ministry of Health, according to which tasks are set for planning, organizing and implementing the educational process and educational activities.
The university’s activities in 2024 were aimed at implementing its mission – improving the health of the population of Ukraine through continuous training of medical workers and participation in leading medical research that affects the formation of clinical knowledge and medical practice.
In the 2023/24 academic year, specialist training was carried out at 5 faculties: medical No. 1 and No. 2, dentistry, pharmacy and international, which included 42 departments. In order to bring the staff structure of the university in line with the contingent of education seekers and optimize educational activities in 2024, based on the decision of the Academic Council of ONMedU, a reorganization of educational units was carried out, in particular, the unification of medical faculties and parts of clinical departments. In the 2024/25 academic year, the educational process is implemented at four faculties: medical, dentistry, pharmacy and international, which are subordinate to 36 departments.
The educational process was carried out in a mixed format, using distance learning technologies under martial law.
As of January 1, 2025, the university staff consists of 668 scientific and pedagogical workers at 36 departments. There are 116 scientific and pedagogical workers with the degree of Doctor of Sciences, 349 with the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Candidate of Sciences), 88 professors, 222 associate professors, 3 senior researchers, 2 academicians of the National Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine, 22 honored doctors, 1 honored inventor and 1 honored worker of education. The total number of teaching staff at medical departments is 496.
The educational process is provided with modern equipment, including simulation equipment. The acquisition of practical skills by applicants is carried out in simulation training classes, which allows obtaining relevant practical skills, reducing risks when providing medical care.
To ensure the quality of the educational process in 2024, scientific and pedagogical workers prepared and published 2 textbooks (collective), 19 teaching aids (collective), 11 teaching and methodological manuals, including 2 in English.
The results of scientific activity were presented in 442 reports at all-Ukrainian and international scientific, scientific-practical conferences, congresses, symposia.
ONMedU is the founder of scientific periodicals: “Odessa Medical Journal”, “Achievements of Biology and Medicine” and “Integrative Anthropology”. In 2024, “Odessa Medical Journal” entered the international scientometric database Scopus. On December 10, 2024, in accordance with the Order of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine No. 1721, the scientific periodical “Odessa Medical Journal” was assigned category “A” for the following medical specialties: “221 — Dentistry”; “222 — Medicine”; “226 — Pharmacy, industrial pharmacy”; “228 — Pediatrics”. In 2024 60 articles were published in the Odessa Medical Journal. The information component of the educational process is provided by the ONMedU Scientific Library with reading rooms and the Student Library (with computer and reading rooms). Under martial law, a modern digital environment was created in the library to achieve the maximum level of remote support for educational and scientific processes. The library has its own information representation on the World Wide Web, and users can receive prompt access to news, resources and library services around the clock. ONMedU scientists are provided with access to the RapidILL remote interlibrary loan platform, which allows for quick access to the funds of more than 500 libraries in Europe and the USA.
According to the rating of higher education institutions of Ukraine, in 2024 ONMedU entered the TOP-10 best medical institutions of higher education in Ukraine. According to the consolidated ranking of higher education institutions of Ukraine, ONMedU ranks 49-50, 70th among domestic HEIs according to Scopus, the Hirsch index is 26 (+1), compared to 2023. According to the Ukrainian National H-index Ranking (4th quarter of 2024), the university ranks 104, has a national Hirsch index of 28 (+1); Scopus H-index 28 (+3), Google Scholar H-index 48 (+1), WоS H-index (32+1) compared to 4th quarter of 2023. In 2024, the Scientific Society of Applicants and the Society of Young Scientists were actively working. Young researchers took part in the annual scientific and practical conference with international participation of applicants for second (master’s) level education, dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the birth of Prof. Y. L. Kurako “Modern theoretical and practical aspects of clinical medicine”. Members of the Council of the Scientific Society of Applicants took an active part in the organization and conduct of the 1st stage of the scholarship program “Tomorrow. UA” of the V. Pinchuk Foundation, as well as in a number of projects of international programs, became nominees of the competition “Young Scientist of the Year from the RMU at the Ministry of Education and Science”, two young scientists became scholarship holders of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine.
During the year, ONMedU scientists participated in the activities of working groups of various directions, collaborated with the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, expert councils of the Ministry of Education and Science and the Ministry of Health. Thus, the first vice-rector of ONMedU, professor of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology Valeria Marichereda, is the project coordinator of Project Sims “Simulation medicine and Scenario-based learning for emergency care”, head of the expert council at the Ministry of Health of Ukraine in the direction of “Obstetric and gynecological care”. Employees of other departments also conduct active expert activities.
In the difficult conditions of martial law, when education is faced with such challenges and difficulties as migration and limited mobility of applicants and teachers, reduced infrastructure and resources, stress and psychological pressure, ONMedU continued its active international activities.
In 2024, 11 new agreements and memorandums of cooperation were signed in such areas as interinstitutional cooperation, academic mobility, etc.
Academician Valerii Zaporozhan covered many other issues in his report, and also answered questions from the Conference participants regarding the most pressing problems of today and the prospects for the development of the university.
The Conference delegates took an active part in the discussion of the Rector’s Report. The speakers noted that despite the ongoing war, the institution’s staff worked successfully and persistently, overcoming all the challenges of our difficult time. The educational process is at a high level, educational work with applicants is ongoing, scientific work does not stop, the Hirsch index level has increased, the “Odessa Medical Journal” has entered the Scopus database, ties with foreign medical institutions and academic mobility of teachers and applicants for higher education are successfully developing.
The annual report for 2024 of the rector, Academician Valeryii Zaporozhan, was unanimously approved by the delegates of the Conference of the ONMedU workforce.
In his closing remarks, the head of the university expressed gratitude to the delegates of the Conference and the entire university community: “I thank each employee of the institution for their fruitful work, active position and dedication to their alma mater. High indicators in educational, scientific and medical work are the result of our joint and coordinated work!”