Shupyk is one of the first academic and research institutions of Ukraine founded in the period of the first Ukrainian State (1917-1919), in the time of revival of Ukrainian education, science and culture. It became a successor of Clinical Institute for Advanced Training of Physicians, created in August of 1918 on the initiative of scientific society - Trade Union of Physicians of the city of Kyiv, as the first of its kind and a new type of higher educational institution of Ukraine (in Peterburg in 1885). The purpose of the created institution was quite clearly defined in its first Charter: "…the objective of Clinical Institute -Clinical Institute of Kyiv Union of Physicians - is an educational and scientific establishment, its aim is specialization of physicians in practical and theoretical medicine, general medical training of young physicians, periodic organization of refresher training courses for physicians and, finally, scientific work of physicians in selected fields of medicine" (Central State Archives of higher authorities and government of Ukraine, Fund 166, N 2, ref N 421, p. 48-55, 1921-1928). Raising such objectives before the Institute its founders had at their disposal only one polyclinic for rendering medical care at home and an outpatient clinic for ambulatory patients (13, Shevchenko blvd.) At that period the first departments that of ophthalmology (1918, Prof. Levytsky) and paediatrics (1918, Prof. A.Z. Lazarev) were founded. In such conditions, 85 years ago, Clinical Institute was among those originating the system of Post-Diploma training of physicians in Ukraine. In May 1999, Clinical Institute as a property of the Union of Physicians was nationalized and was subordinate to the People's Commissariat of Health Care of Ukraine, in particular, to Kyiv Province Professional Education Department and its direct administration was realized by an Elective Board of Administration. In 1922, a principle of appointment of directors on the basis of undivided authority was introduced (the first Director - Prof. Levytsky). By the end of the 20-s the Institute had had 9 Departments which academic and material basis got a definite development. Summing up the Institute advances for the first decade of its existence, noting its role and place in the system of Public Health, its Director Professor O.B. Bernshtein emphasized in 1928: "…Within the period of 10 years the Institute turned into a big scientific and educational institution which had strengthened knowledge of over 2, 500 physicians, more than a quarter of all Ukrainian physicians…" (Proceedings of nervous diseases clinic of Kyiv State Institute for Advanced Training of Physicians. Dedicated to the 10th anniversary of the Institute. - K., 1928.- P. 3-4). In June 1930, according to the Decree of the Soviet of People's Commissars of Ukraine "About reorganization of higher educational institutions and higher technical educational institutions and their subordination to corresponding People's Commissariats" - higher medical and pharmaceutical education was transmitted from the network of People's Commissariat of Education into the subordination of the People's Commissariat of Health Care of Ukraine, on which the Ukrainian Medical intellectuals insisted for a long time. Concentration of higher medical education administration in one Department became a turning point in the history of higher medical educational institutions of Ukraine and brought in considerable changes in the Institute activity, first of all, concerning the contingent destined to take advanced training and its terms. If, initially, it was regulated only by its first Charter, then People's Commissariat of Health Care and government resolutions of the 30-s, in particular, "About medical personnel" (1931) and "About training of physicians" (1934), raised direct state requirements concerning both their background training and their advanced training. In accordance with the resolution "About rural station consolidation" (1938), for the first time, it was established to refer the physicians of rural localities for taking advanced training - once per 3 years and the urban physicians - once per 5 years. Increased practical health care needs, especially, those of rural network, and introduction of specialization, required further expansion of the system of Physicians'knowledge perfection both on the problems of fundamental disciplines and narrow specialties. It was precisely this fact that determined the specialization of Departments created in the 30-s, which total number had made up 24 units by the beginning of the war. In addition, the cepters for advanced training of physicians (as affiliations of some Departments) were created in Bila Tserkva, Zhytomyr, Korosten, Cherkasy, Chernihiv with the purpose of approaching the system of post-diploma education directly to the work of physicians. Increased academic and material base, specialized training and refresher training of physicians enabled the Institute, which trained over a thousand specialists annually, to become one of the powerful medical educational and scientific institutions of the country of pre-war period, which scientists made their important contribution to the treasury of national science. Within the period of the II World war the activity of the Institute was interrupted and its academic and material facilities were destroyed during temporary occupation of Kyiv. The Institute was born again on the 18 of November 1943 according to the Resolution of Ukrainian government, two weeks after Kyiv had been liberated from nazis. The first Departments resumed their activity on the base of the former 408th district military hospital and Kyiv Regional Hospital in 1944. Scheduled training of specialists for the system of Ukrainian Public Health was resumed in 1945. In 1953 Kyiv Institute for Advanced Training of Pharmaceutists, which had existed since 1939, was joined to the Institute. In the post-war years the Directors-Rectors of the Academy were Ya.A. Okhrymenko (1943-1944), V.P. Kommysarenko (1944-1944), I.I. Kal'chenko (1944-1957), V.D. Bratus'(1957-1959), M.N. Umovyst (1959-1984), V.M.Ghirin (1984-2002). During this period the number of Departments exceeded 60, which was conditioned by the needs of practical health care (especially, in the last 40 years, when the Academy was run by Professors M.N. Umovyst and V.M. Ghirin. More than a quarter of the century (1965-1991) the Institute was subordinated to the USSR Health Ministry, which gave an international status to it, since the trainees of the Institute were the representatives of all contemporary countries of Commonwealth of Independent States, although the physicians of Ukraine always made up almost a half of its contingent. Up to the beginning of 90-s the Institute had become one of the biggest in the former USSR and most powerful educational establishments of such a type in Ukraine. A new period in the activity of the Institute started in October 1991 after it became a structural unit of the Ministry of Health (MH) of Sovereign Ukraine. It led to new quality changes of its status. Under new conditions, which coincided with the initiation of reforms of medical education in Ukraine, the Institute took place of priority in the sphere of post-graduate training of Physicians and turned into an educational and methodological centre of the MH of Ukraine on this problem. The Departments of the Academy worked out 2/3 of the total number of curricula. It made it possible to elaborate assessment computer programmes for the institutions of analogous type in this country. In accordance with the concept of reform of higher Medical education the Academy has to become the main institution of post-graduate education of Ukraine. The qualification of its graduates has corresponded to the world standards. In 1992 new forms of post-graduate education of physicians and pharmaceutists were introduced, in particular, pre-certification courses, training of doctor-interns (full-time attendance and by correspondence), training courses for the heads and teaching staff members of Institutes and Faculties for Advanced Training of Physicians and medical higher educational schools, in 2005 faculty of general pratice - family medicine was introduced. In 1994 the Faculty for Advanced Training of teaching staff of Institutes and faculties for advanced training of Physicians and pharmacists of Ukraine, the only one in the system of the PHM, a problematical laboratory on the issues of post-diploma education of physicians, faculty of training and advanced training of military doctors and pharmacists of Ukrainian Military Medical Academy of Defence Ministry of Ukraine were created. The Institute got a new qualification in 1996, in the year of the 5th anniversary of Ukrainian independence. On the 13th of May 1996 the Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers "On the Formation of Kyiv Medical Academy of Post-graduate Education" was issued, according to it the Academy was considered to be an educational institution of a new type and higher (IV) level of accreditation. In 1998, according to the Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers N 518 from April 20, the Academy was named after P.L.Shupyk (1907-1986), an outstanding statesman and scientist who headed the MH of Ukraine twice (1952-1954, 1956-1969). He made a great contribution into the development of material and academic basis of the Academy. For 14 years (1965-1969) he was the Head of the Department of Social Medicine and Management of Health Care (now, Department of Health Management). According to President’s resolution from 27.03.2006 N263/2006 “About conferring Kyiv Medical Academy of Post-graduate Education named after P.L.Shupyk the status of National” and resolution of the MH of Ukraine from 31.03.2006 N192 “about measures for realizing the Decree of President of Ukraine “About conferring Kyiv Medical Academy of Post-graduate Education named after P.L.Shupyk the status of National” Kyiv Medical Academy of Post-graduate Education named after P.L.Shupyk was renamed National Medical Academy of Post-graduate Education named after P.L.Shupyk. The Institute and the Academy have always been proud of their prominent scientists. Well-known in Ukraine and abroad specialists, founders of their own scientific schools and directions worked and are working there. The data about their important scientific achievements are presented in the section "Outstanding scientific workers of the Academy". Currently, in the Academy there are 9 Specialized Boards for defending the Doctor's and Candidate's theses in the field of internal, nervous diseases; surgery; obstetrics and gynaecology, anaesthesiology and intensive therapy; forensic medicine; technology of drugs and organization of pharmacy, pharmaceutical chemistry, pharmacology and pharmacognosy; ophthalmology; social medicine. Over 100 Doctors and near 400 Candidates theses were defended during five last years. Over 300 Doctor's and 1500 Candidate's of Medical Science, near 100 of them from foreign countries have been trained in the last 25 years. The results of scientific investigations of teaching staff members of the Academy have been published in textbooks, monographs, educational manuals, reference books, methodological recommendations and information letters, papers in journals and collections of scientific works, 1/3 of which at international level and they have been implemented in licenses and reported at scientific conferences. The Academy continues a tradition of longstanding joint work with health care establishments. The Academy's staff members give over 100 thousand consultations in base medical establishments and out of base ones, perform more than 50 thousand complex operations annually. More than 20 scientists of the Academy are chief specialists of the MH of Ukraine/
In conditions of independent Ukraine, the international cooperation of the Academy has entered a new phase. Basic forms, trends and partners are presented in a special chapter "International Cooperation". A number of well-known foreign scientists have been conferred honorary titles of the Academy. Its Honoured Doctors (Doctor Honoris Causa) have become Prof. Theodor Hellbregge (Germany), Prof. Albert Schinzel (Switzerland), Honoured Professors (Professor Honoris Causa) - Laureate of Alternative Nobel Prize - George Vitoulkas, Greece), Prof. Hubertus von Foss (Germany), Prof. Weiss (Switzerland). Today, National Medical Academy of Post-graduate Education is a leading centre of post-graduate education and a powerful research centre of Ukraine which comprises 6 faculties, Institute of Stomatology, over 70 Departments of various specialties, near 650 teaching staff members, among them over 150 Professors and Doctors of Medical Science, near 400 Candidates of Medical Science. It is one of the best indices in Ukraine. Its academic base is housed in the Administrative and morphological buildings with a total area about 8,000 m2 while the clinical one includes about 7, 000 beds in various modern hospitals and research institutes of Kyiv. Teaching-learning process is completely computerized, all Departments are equipped with computers and other technical facilities, 3 computer classrooms for centralized holding final examinations after taking pre-certification training courses. 5 Academy's hostels can hold over 2, 000 people. The staff of the Academy has contributed a lot to the treasury of Ukrainian medicine by promoting the reform of health care in Ukraine in general and the reform of higher medical education particularly.
