Students from the Belarusian partner university completed a two-week internship at North-Western State Medical University named after I. I. Mechnikov

From August 2 to August 13, 2021, students of the 6th year of the faculty of Preventive Medicine, Belarusian State Medical University (Minsk, Belarus), had an internship at North-Western State Medical University named after I. I. Mechnikov.

Belarusian State Medical University (BSMU) is a leading institution of higher medical education in the Republic of Belarus with a well-deserved international prestige and recognition. Bilateral cooperation between NWSMU and BSMU began back in 2016 and has proven to be very successful: almost every year Belarusian medical students come for internships in St. Petersburg.

Lectures and practical classes with Belarusian students were conducted by professors and teachers of several chairs of the University: Chair of Public Health, Economics and Healthcare Management, Chair of Epidemiology, Parasitology and Disinfectology, Chair of Hygiene of Educational, Training, and Labor Conditions, and Radiation Hygiene. Specialists from NWSMU introduced the students to the history of their chairs, the peculiarities of medical education in Russia, as well as discussed the prospects of scientific cooperation.

Belarusian students also spent several days at the North-Western Research Center of Hygiene and Public Health in Saint-Petersburg: there they had a chance to learn about the work of the Center under the guidance of the Deputy Director for Scientific Work, Prof. K.B. Fridman.

Students of BSMU visited St. Petersburg museums dedicated to the history of Russian preventive medicine, features of regional healthcare, as well as the work of hygienists, epidemiologists and bacteriologists: the Museum of Hygiene, the Military Medical Museum, and the Museum of History of North-Western State Medical University named after I. I. Mechnikov.

"The internship provided an opportunity to see the specifics of the organization of our profession in another country. Despite the fact that conceptually preventive medicine in our countries differs insignificantly, at the same time the internship demonstrated new approaches to solving urgent problems in ensuring the sanitary and epidemiological well-being of the population. And this knowledge, I have no doubt, will make an important contribution to our development as professionals with fresh ideas and a vision of the big picture. We are happy that we had this opportunity! Thank you very much!" – Sergey Vadim, BSMU student, commented on the internship.

At the end of the two-week internship, students were awarded certificates and memorable photos were taken with the Rector of NWSMU Sergey A. Sayganov. "We are glad for such fruitful cooperation with Belarusian State Medical University, and we hope to further develop the bilateral exchanges within the academic mobility program. This is a great opportunity for future specialists to acquire new knowledge, and most importantly, experience in applying it in the context of the international market of medical services", - said Ksenia A. Nagornaya, Head of NWSMU International Office.