Physicians of Three Major Cities across Russia Came Together to Discuss Reproductive Health
On 4 April 2013, St Petersburg, Yekaterinburg, and Novosibirsk hosted conferences under the common title “Diagnosing and Treating Reproductive Disorders: Male, Female, and Combined Infertility”.
The event was organised by Invitro, a chain of independent laboratories, and NPO Petrovax Pharm, with the two teaming up in an effort to help improve medical education in Russia and provide further training to healthcare professionals. The event attracted leading reproductive health researchers and physicians from Moscow, Novosibirsk, Yekaterinburg, and St Petersburg.
The conferences were attended by 230 obstetricians and gynaecologists, urologists and reproductive health experts from Novosibirsk, Yekaterinburg, St Petersburg, Barnaul, and Chelyabinsk.
In their reports, speakers discussed the latest diagnostics and treatment methodologies for infertility, and shared data on recent clinical trials and research papers on obstetrics and gynaecology. The speakers included Professor Vladislav Korsak, MD, President of the Russian Association of Human Reproduction; Professor Marina Shakhova, MD, Department of Obstetrics, Gynaecology, Perinatal Medicine, and Reproductive Health of the Faculty of Further Training for Physicians, Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University; Professor Tamara Ovsyannikova, MD, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology of the Faculty of Further Training for Physicians, Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University; and Professor Nadezhda Bashmakova, MD, Chief Obstetrician and Gynaecologist of the Urals Federal District.
Urology researchers at the conferences included Igor Vinogradov, MD, Head of the Department of Andrology, Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia; Professor Valentin Isaenko, MD, Chief Urologist of the Novosibirsk Region; Professor Vladimir Mikhaylichenko, MD, Department of Urology, Mechnikov North-Western Medical University; Professor Igor Korneev, MD, Department of Urology, St Petersburg State Medical University, Chief Urologist of the Petrogradsky District of St Petersburg; and Professor Igor Osipov, MD, Department of Urology, St Petersburg State Medical University, Chief Children’s Urologist of the St Petersburg Healthcare Committee.
During the conference, the speakers highlighted infertility as today’s major problem that needs to be addressed through new diagnostics and treatment methodologies. The event gave the medical community insights into the latest diagnostics tools and ways to treat reproductive disorders. It also became a discussion platform, both during the official programme and through meaningful conversations on the sidelines of the conference.
Tatiana Ovsyannikova, Head of the Reproductive Health Office of the Centre for New Medical Technologies of the Institute of Chemical Biology and Fundamental Medicine (Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk), said, “The conference featured an exciting and intensive programme with a very strong line-up of speakers renowned in their areas of expertise. I think there is a common feeling among the participants that this has been an important development for the reproductive health sector and a great training opportunity for physicians from Novosibirsk, St Petersburg, and Yekaterinburg.”
The participants praised the organisation of the conference and the idea of a single event held simultaneously across three cities, expressing hopes that consolidated efforts of all reproductive health professionals will ultimately make a difference and give Russian couples more healthy children.
Stanislav Kryukov, Director of the Healthcare GR Department, Invitro, said, “This is the first time Invitro has been involved in organising simultaneous conferences for physicians across Russia. We have put a lot of effort into choosing the most pressing issues and engaging the industry’s leading professionals to discuss them. By capitalising on our ties with key medical facilities and teaming up with our partner company, we helped to make the latest data and knowledge available to healthcare professionals from across Russia while also giving them a chance to communicate and enhance their skills. With events like this, Russia’s healthcare industry is set to improve and offer better quality of services going forward.”
Igor Klimanov, Marketing Director, NPO Petrovax Pharm, said, “Given the current evolution stage of the Russian healthcare system and education, further professional training for industry professionals is crucial. Since its inception, NPO Petrovax Pharm has been committed to supporting and developing training programmes for physicians, helping them to keep abreast of the latest developments in medicine, including gynaecology and urology, by offering quality updates that the industry needs. Understanding the importance of male and female infertility as a medical challenge, NPO Petrovax Pharm aims to give practicing physicians access to the latest research data from Russia and abroad. We hope that the conferences have been a good way of sharing knowledge and ideas for all professionals involved in reproductive health.”
Invitro and NPO Petrovax Pharm plan to continue their training projects and conferences, extending them to other cities in Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus.
