The University's History

Sechenov University is the first and the oldest medical school in Russia tracing its history from the medical faculty of Moscow Imperial University founded in 1758.

Having passed the path of glory Sechenov University enriched national and world science with many distinguished scientists and significant discoveries, and brought up thousands of physicians devoted to their work.
Many of the University alumni have been recognized internationally for their outstanding contribution to global medicine and other spheres. Botkin S.P., Korsakoff S.S., Pirogov N.N., Sechenov I.M., Sklifosovsky N.V., and Chekhov A.P. are the most renowned.
The history of Sechenov University is tightly connected with the history of medical education and healthcare in Russia. The University is a cradle of most national medical schools and scientific medical societies, first medical journals, guidebooks and manuals.

Chronicle

1755

Inauguration of the Imperial Moscow University (Moscow State University since 1917)

1758

First lectures at the IMU medical faculty

1764

Beginning of continuous lecturing at the medical faculty

1768

S.G. Zybelin and P.D. Veniaminov, first Russian professors at the medical faculty

1791

Imperial Moscow University was granted a right of conferring a Doctor of Medicine degree

1794

F.I. Barsuk-Moiseev was the first to be conferred with a Doctor of Medicine degree after defending the thesis entitled About Breathing

1805

Opening of the first teaching hospitals at Nikitskaya street

1806

Publication of the first issue of the Medical and Physical Journal

1812

Professors, lecturers, and students of the IMU medical faculty took part in the Patriotic War of 1812. The buildings, books and manuals of the faculty were burnt away

1820

Completion of restoration of the faculty buildings burnt in fire of 1812. Opening of the Clinic Institute

1826

Beginning of practical studies for students at the Old Ekaterinian Hospital

1842

V.A. Basov was the first to perform an operation for artificial fistula in animals

1887-1897

Construction of the University Campus on Devichye Pole comprising 15 teaching hospitals and institutes

1891

Ivan M. Sechenov was elected professor of the Chair of Physiology

1897

The 12^th International Congress of Physicians was held at the IMU medical faculty

1920

Scientists of the medical faculty took part in the First Congress on the Higher Medical Education Reform

1925

Establishment of a postgraduate course at the medical faculty

1926

Beginning of practice for fourth-year students

1930

Reorganization of the medical faculty of Moscow State University into First Moscow Medical Institute (First MMI), an independent higher medical institution with two faculties, the therapeutic prophylactic faculty and the sanitary and prophylactic (sanitary and hygienic since 1935) faculty

1933

Foundation of the Central Research Laboratory

1940

Decree of the USSR Supreme Soviet Presidium on awarding First MMI with an Order of Lenin. Changing the First MMI abbreviation into First MOLMI

1941-1945

Professors, lecturers, and students of First MOLMI took part in the Great Patriotic War

1955

First MOLMI was named after I.M. Sechenov

1958

Moscow Pharmaceutical Institute was transformed into the Faculty of Pharmacy of I.M. Sechenov First MOLMI

1959

Organization of the evening faculty of medicine (2nd faculty of medicine since 1969)

1963

Dr. B. Egorov, I.M. Sechenov First MOLMI graduate, became a member of the Voskhod spacecraft crew

1989

Organization of the Faculty of Advanced Training for Physicians (nowadays Postgraduate Professional Training of Physicians)

1990

Establishment of the Faculty of Training of Research and Teaching Staff.

On the Resolution of the USSR Council of Ministers I.M. Sechenov First Moscow Medical Institute was raised to I.M. Sechenov Moscow Medical Academy of the USSR Ministry of Public Health

1991

Establishment of the Faculty of Higher Nursing Training

1993

Establishment of the Faculty of Preventive Medicine for Postgraduate Professional Training

1996

Establishment of the Faculty of Health Care Management

1998

The 1st and the 2nd faculties of medicine were united into a single Faculty of Medicine

2001

Establishment of the Faculty of Dentistry

2008

Celebration of the 250-year history. The University is awarded a Platinum Uncia 2008

2010

I.M. Sechenov Moscow Medical Academy was granted a status of the University and has changed its name into I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University

2012

Nobel Prize winner Barry J. Marshall has been entitled the Professor Emeritus of I.M. Sechenov First MSMU

2015

I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University entered the all-Russian academic excellence project 5-100 aimed at enhancing competitiveness of leading Russian universities among the global research and education centers.

2016

Science and Technology Park of Biomedicine was founded.

2017

Sechenov University is the only medical University in Russia, listed in "best-1000" and ranks 13th out of 24 Russian universities-participants of the Times Higher Education (THE) ranking.

2018

Sechenov University celebrates its 260th Anniversary.