"Preventive Medicine 2014": a unique format deservedly gained in authority

The Russian Conference with international participation "Preventive Medicine 2014" was successfully completed on November 26. The Conference, once designed in the walls of our University as a student event and for students, in few years it became "international". However, it remained democratic, expanded its geography of participation and so much crystallized its content that draws the attention not only of representatives of various scientific schools, but also practitioners. So the brainchild of the high school proved once again its viability and potential for development. 

"Our strength is in this bundle..."

Of course, "Preventive Medicine" got its rapid development and the rating not in itself, but having a solid ground: well-worked-out strategy of NWSMU n.a. I.I. Mechnikov. This is increasing of demands for education, and strengthening of international cooperation with leading medical universities of the world, and the desire to maximize the opportunities of the University, which is building a logical and efficient system of the educational process at all stages, is aimed on the combine the potential of the general medicine and preventive medicine directions.

"In this bunch is our strength," - said during the plenary session the Vice-Rector for Science and International Cooperation of NWSMU n.a. I.I.  Mechnikov A.V. Silin, commenting on the response to the presentation of bright scientists of our University that provided exclusively topical reports, which allowed to look at the problems of preventive medicine from different points and lay down their problems.

This idea was supported by V.G. Radchenko, the Dean of the Faculty of General Medicine of NWSMU n.a. I.I.  Mechnikov, who stressed that the Conference "Preventive Medicine" changes the role of therapeutic base in the development of preventive disciplines, and new technologies invented by colleagues are also useful for general practitioners / physicians- we are working together for welfare of people and, in fact solve the same problem".

This year the Conference vector was marked by A.V. Melzer, the Vice-Rector for medical and preventive direction, who preceded the work of the sections and the plenary session in the following way: "The new view on general medicine and preventive medicine, new approaches to individual disciplines, complex solutions and harmonization with international standards."

This novelty was shown in the plenary session the report of A.V. Kiselyov, DSci., Professor of the Chair of Preventive Medicine and Health Care of our University "Methodological aspects of the procedure of informing about the health risks to ensure the sanitary-epidemiological welfare of the population", report of V.B. Alekseyev, DSci., the Deputy Director for organizational and methodical work at "Federal Scientific Center of preventive technologies for the risk management of the population health" in Perm "Development of national policy to protect the health of workers".

Close cooperation in the field of diseases prevention was illustrated by the representatives of the Faculty of General Medicine: S.A. Boldueva, DSci., Professor of the Chair of Faculty and Hospital Therapy with the report "Acute myocardial infarction in women. Ways of prevention" and P.V. Seliverstov, PhD, Assistant Professor of the Chair of Internal Diseases and Nephrology  with the report "Prevention of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease".

The organizers of the Conference did not pass up/ forget to tell about the last challenge - Ebolavirus. B.I. Aslanov, PhD, the Assistant Professor of the Department of Epidemiology, Parasitology and Disinfectology of our University, presented a detailed report "Disease caused by Ebolavirus" which raised a great interest in all attendees.

The genuine findings of the Conference were the achievements of Chinese scientists who came to Saint-Petersburg with a visit and brought their best practices, which allowed to assess the high-level of researches in the field of preventive medicine in China.
 

Harbin – Saint-Petersburg: Universities will be friends

"I feel that we will be friends, - said the Associate Professor of Harbin Medical University (HMU) Liu Peng before her speech at the plenary session. She represented as well the Institute for Control of Iodine Deficiency Diseases, the Center for Control of Endemic Diseases (CEDC), and Chinese Center for Control and Diseases Prevention (CDC).

Ms. Liu Peng does not speak Russian, but English speech sounds in the walls of our University for a long time as an international language of communication, which allows us to understand everything that is needed to assess the level of any researches. The scientists from Germany, Norway, Finland and other countries are already accustomed to give lectures in English our graduates, residents and future masters, encouraging students to learn the foreign language, as far as today without it you will not become a high-level international specialist.

Ms. Liu Peng met the expectations for 100 %: her report entitled "Achievements, Challenges and Prospects for prevention and control of iodine deficiency diseases in China" was a success. The scale of the problem in China in the 1970-s was terrible, and how the country coped with this disaster and copes today. Obviously only science would be powerless. The national regulation and national programs solved this problem and helped to keep the achieved results. It is a good example how you can achieve the desired result, in consolidating community and resources.

Ms. Liu Peng said about the future friendship not out of courtesy - she and her colleagues were very interested in the Russian experience in preventive medicine: interpretation and slides made it clear that scientists from both countries continue in the similar direction. The cooperation of our University with the Harbin Medical University is almost a done deal.

In November the delegation from Harbin Medical University visited NWSMU n.a. I.I.  Mechnikov headed by the Vice-President Cao Zhingvena accompanied by the Dean of the Faculty of Dentistry, and Doctor of Dentistry Department. The steps of cooperation and coming prospects were discussed at the meeting with the Rector O.G. Khurtsilava.

The next step was visit of the delegation from Harbin Medical University less than in a week to the Conference "Preventive medicine - 2014", together with Liu Peng also came Mrs. prof. Zhao Yashuang, Director of Epidemiology Department; Professor Ms. Ying Li, Deputy Director of the Department of Food Hygiene; Ms. Yang Sun, lector, and Ms. Zhao Lijun, Assistant Professor, to discuss the results of the Conference, and the most importantly, the directions of further cooperation in the field of prevention. Work on the rapprochement, common themes and researches to deepen the learning process began immediately after the sessions.
 
From Chinese experience to remarkable projects of schoolchildren in Saint-Petersburg         

The sections work will be analyzed. Dozens of topical messages on various topics in different directions were presented: "Healthy food from birth to old age: problems and solutions", "New and returning infections", "Child and Adolescent Health", "Occupational medicine and health problems of workers at workplaces", "Formation of healthy lifestyle. Prevention of non-infectious diseases", "Biologically active natural additives for health protection" and others.

Chinese colleagues took part in the session "Health of the population and the environment. Socially and hygienic monitoring and risk assessment for public health". They were not only interested listeners, as well Ms. Zhao Lijun, Associate Professor from Harbin Medical University made the report "Prevention, epidemiological monitoring of the epidemic endemic arsenicosis on the territory of mainland China". The diseases caused by arsenic are challenging issues. For example, in China the two main causes of infection are drinking water and coal combustion products, 9 provinces and 3 million people are under the threat. People are waiting for help, and scientists are looking for ways to deal with this serious disease, which is easier to prevent than to cure.

At the section it was also discussed the prospects for drinking water supply in cities, the quality of national alcohol products, geomagnetic areas, of new technologies for sludge utilization and a number of other issues clearly presented by famous scientists and graduates. Moreover, even high school students from Saint-Petersburg lyceum №179 traditionally contributed to science, showing quite professional researches. In general, each report was interesting and deserved special attention.

New features or claim for the future?

It seems that all ideas put into the conference "Preventive Medicine" are successfully incarnated in life. Scientific schools from different regions of the country have an excellent platform for the exchange of experience, young scientists show their researches, students receive information about new developments and can properly orient in the choice of their future profession, children are preparing to become decent students of NWSMU n.a. I.I.  Mechnikov.

Definitely, those who attended the Conference, will not ignore this event, and if they cannot come themselves, they will certainly advise their colleagues to do it. For example, Svetlana Dmitrieva, Head of sanitary inspection of the Department of Rospotrebnadzor in the Murmansk region, who came to her Alma Mater and discovered with great interest that representatives of the department not attending the Conference lose a lot of opportunities: to get know with current challenges, to enrich professional skills, the meeting of employers with young specialists, to find new approaches to solve the problems which you face in their daily work ... time will show everything. No doubt "Preventive Medicine" is not exhausted and will continue to gather pace.