Department of Family Medicine NWGMU named after I.I. Mechnikov. First 25 years

The article describes the history of the creation of the Department of Family Medicine of the NWSMU named after I.I. Mechnikov, notes the role of international projects in its establishment and development of the main areas of activity. Examples of successful long-term cooperation are given, in particular, with the University of Iowa (USA). The main stages of the formation of teaching the specialty “General Practice (Family Medicine)” within the framework of professional retraining of primary health care doctors and residency are described. The importance of using various interactive technologies in the learning process is emphasized, including the development of skills in simulation conditions, which were introduced at the department long before their use in the process of accreditation of specialists. The features of teaching the discipline “Polyclinic Therapy” for the 6^th year students of the medical faculty, as well as the experience of leading scientific research that was carried out by participants of the student scientific society are noted. The main directions of scientific research carried out at the department in recent years are described, aimed at a comprehensive study of the features of the management of elderly patients in general medical practice and the prevalence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in St. Petersburg and Arkhangelsk. The role of international cooperation in the implementation of large-scale scientific projects, in particular with the Catholic University of Leuven (Belgium), is emphasized. The perspectives for the development of the Department of Family Medicine in the near future are outlined.