Rectors' gallery

Professor Emil Ceban, Doctor Habilitated in Medical Sciences, the first rector elected by the academic community of ”Nicolae Testemitanu” State University of Medicine and Pharmacy of the Republic of Moldova, came up with new strategic visions, among which the Institutional Development Program based on Tradition, Quality and Innovation. The current rector intends to bring curricula in line with international standards and health system requirements, to ensure the quality of the training process, research and healthcare by applying scientific results and innovations; to educate and attract staff with scientific-didactic potential, preserving and capitalizing on the institutional heritage and modernizing the technical-material resources.
In 2020, the University launched two new undergraduate study programs – Public Health and Radiological Technology, with a duration of 4 years, as well as a new master's degree program (university cycle II) – Molecular Technologies in Health, with a duration of 2 years.
Special attention is paid to scientific research. Scientific research expands due to the use of advanced technologies in medical and pharmaceutical practice and the application of „education through research” concept to all curricula.
Therefore, there have been many registered achievements that materialize in research projects, scientific publications with impact factor, leading to an increased visibility of researchers and the University. In this context, the National Research Institute in Medicine and Health was created, and the ”Strategy for strengthening the field of research and innovation” was developed and approved for the first time.
For good governance purposes, the rector supports and promotes young people’s initiatives. Within the University Sociocultural Complex, the Student Self-Government Centre was inaugurated as the new headquarters of the Association of Students and Residents in Medicine.

Rector of ”Nicolae Testemitanu” State University of Medicine and Pharmacy from the Republic of Moldova (1994-2005; 2008-2019), Doctor Habilitated in Medical Sciences, university professor, academician of the Academy of Sciences of Moldova.
Rector Ababii has contributed considerably to the harmonization of local medical higher education with national and international requirements. A special emphasis was placed on the knowledge of foreign languages ​​by employees, especially by the scientific-didactic staff. In 1996, he initiated the educational process in English. Two years later, the Francophone Branch opened. Since 2002, the training of doctors has been carried out in four languages: Romanian, Russian, English and French.
Starting with 2009, the University implements the Quality Management System, according to ISO 9001: 2008 standard, and obtains, for the first time, the Quality Certificate, which is to be confirmed annually.
At the initiative of rector Ion Ababii, in 2010, Faculty of Medicine no. 2, as a subdivision responsible for managing the training of foreign students in English, was set up.
In 2018, Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmacy, Optometry and General Health Care programs of study were evaluated and accredited at national level, and the Faculty of Dentistry was accredited by the Dental Council of California, the USA, which allowed the admission to studies of American citizens. In 2019, ”Nicolae Testemitanu” University obtained the status of an internationally accredited institution according to the standards of the World Federation of Medical Education.

Rector Ababii’s tenure is characterized by the development of the university patrimony and the modernization of the infrastructure, the following entities being founded: University Clinic of Primary Health Care, University Dental Clinic, Vasile Procopisin University Pharmaceutical Centre, Centre for Simulation in Medical Training, University Medical Rehabilitation Centre, Traditional Chinese Medicine Centre, University Sociocultural Centre, Alley of brilliant scientists and doctors – a sculptural complex representing the busts of the most famous local personalities in the area of medicine and pharmacy, etc. Other strategic objectives included: the renovation of didactic blocks, hostels and other buildings to ensure good living conditions and the appropriate learning environment, the construction of sports fields, and the arrangement of recreational areas.

Rector Leonid Cobaleanschi, University Professor, Doctor Habilitated in Medical Sciences, preserved and continued the good traditions of the institution in all its fields of activity. He was equally concerned with the training process of students and postgraduate education, contributing to the formation and continuous development of medical, teaching and scientific staff.
Leonid Cobaleanschi coordinated the development of the first national concept and national standard for the training of doctors and pharmacists, initiating the reorganization of Chisinau State Institute of Medicine into Nicolae Testemitanu State University of Medicine, and giving priority to teaching in Romanian.
Furthermore, the rector contributed substantially to the consolidation of the University’s heritage: he built a hostel for students, two – for doctoral students, two apartment blocks for scientific and teaching staff and a modern study block (currently Didactic block No. 1 that bears his name), which hosts several fundamental departments (chairs).

University professor, Doctor Habilitated in Medical Sciences, rector of Chisinau State Institute of Medicine, specialist in morphology, pathology, pathobiology, angiology, biogerontology, full member of the Academy of Sciences of Moldova. As rector for almost a quarter of a century, he carried out an extensive activity towards the development and improvement of medical higher education in the country. He showed an increased interest in education aspects and issues related to placing students in society and providing them with hostels, and the Institute's employees – with housing. He contributed to the completion of the Morphological Block (1964), the commissioning of the Central Scientific Laboratory building (1967), the construction of other study blocks and student hostels in Malina Mica region, the inauguration of the teaching and production pharmacy and other important buildings of the institution. Due to the high level of didactic and scientific activity, in 1965, Chisinau State Institute of Medicine obtained the first category, ranking 4th in the top of medical higher education institutions of the USSR, which led to the reorganization of the Institute into a university. In addition, during this period, the training of medical specialists through secondary clinical education and residency was introduced.

Professor, Doctor Habilitated in Medical Sciences, Nicolae Testemitanu became rector at only 32 years of age. He opened the faculties of: Dentistry (1959), Refresher Medical Training (1962), Preventive Medicine (1963) and Pharmacy (1964). Due to this fact, the number of students doubled, the staffing shortage issue being solved. He pleaded for the sufficient supply of healthcare professionals, mostly local, and the introduction of Romanian language in the medical training process. Under the leadership of Nicolae Testemitanu, the concept of delivering specialized medical services to rural populations was developed, and the Department of Social Medicine and Health Care Organization was recognized in the USSR as a coordinating scientific centre for organizing health care in rural areas.

Professor, rector of Chisinau State Institute of Medicine (CSIM), brilliant scientist. He contributed substantially to the recovery of the departments’ technical-material resources, and implemented new training methods in the teaching process. At his initiative, in 1954, the second faculty was opened – that of Pediatrics, which, from an administrative point of view, became part of the General Medicine Faculty. This event had a special importance in the training of qualified specialists in pediatrics, urgently needed by the population of the republic at that time. In 1958, the Dean’s Office of the Pediatrics Faculty was officially opened. The management of the Institute decided to create optimal conditions for the clinical training of future pediatricians in the republican and city children’s hospitals. The Clinical Pediatrics and Pediatric Surgery Chairs operated within the Children’s Department of the Republican Clinical Hospital. Moreover, the construction of the student hostels started, while the construction of the gym located on Serghei Lazo Street was completed.
In 1946, Nikolai Starostenko founded the Department of Internal Medicine. He led it for 26 years, harmoniously combining the activities of an exceptional leader, educator, scientist and clinician. Discipline, adherence to principles, perseverance and honest work were the main criteria of the activity carried out by Nikolai Starostenko, who advocated the training and promotion of staff reserves from among native doctors. During his 7-year term, 57 CSIM graduates defended their PhD theses in medical sciences.

Associate Professor, Doctor Habilitated in Medical Sciences, was appointed director of Chisinau State Institute of Medicine (CSIM) by transfer from Lviv Institute of Scientific Research in the field of Maternal and Child Health, the Ukrainean SSR. Under his leadership, teaching methods were improved, the Institute was granted the right to organize the defence of doctoral theses in 16 medical specialties, material resources of departments and living conditions of students were enhanced. During that period, the institution became a centre for providing health care throughout the republic. Clinical departments (chairs) provided specialized services to rural areas. In 1952, the Central Methodological Bureau, meant to evaluate the CSIM methodical-didactic activity, was founded. Many academic staff members did their internships at other similar institutions located in the USSR. In 1951-1952, for the first time, the division of student groups in two subgroups occurred at the practical lessons.

Nikolai Harauzov, Associate Professor, Doctor Habilitated in Medical Sciences, was the first rector who implemented the principle of medical and scientific staff training through doctoral studies and residency. He intensified the scientific activity of the institution and initiated the creation of specialized scientific councils for the defence of doctoral theses in medical sciences, diversifying the activity of methodical commissions. Under his coordination, the first two science collections of Chisinau State Institute of Medicine (CSIM) collaborators (1949-1950), dedicated to burning issues at that stage, were developed and published, and Natalia Gheorghiu (1948) defended the first PhD dissertation in medical sciences. In a short period, the rector managed to raise the quality of education process, encouraging young people from villages to choose Medicine. In order to popularize higher medical education and attract young people to studies, for the first time, an ”Open Day” ceremony was organized and trips were made to schools. During the term of Nikolai Harauzov, CSIM established the 6-year length of studies, and the first class of local doctors – Class of 1950 consisting of 242 young people enrolled in 1945 – graduated.

The name of Ipatie Sorocean, director of Chisinau State Institute of Medicine, has been linked to the initial stage of development of medical higher education - the most complicated period of the postwar years (1945-1948). Under his leadership, the first admissions took place and the first graduates of the Institute (1946-1948) completed their studies.
Ipatie Sorocean managed to attract highly qualified specialists into the teaching process at the Institute, and to involve young people in research activity. He was concerned with the creation of study and living conditions for students, as well as with the staffing of departments, supply of teaching materials, spaces for training, technical equipment and laboratory facilities.
Ipatie Sorocean's contribution to national medicine remains indisputable, as with the founding of Chisinau State Institute of Medicine, there was a great leap forward in the training and education of local health professionals, and as a result, the quality of health care provided to the population improved significantly.