The Department of Nutrition with a course in Occupational Hygiene was established in accordance with the Order of the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Kazakhstan No. 446 dated October 27, 1993, and the decision of the Academic Council of Kazakh National Medical University dated November 16, 1993. On September 1, 1994, the Department of Nutrition was officially formed.
The Department of Nutrition was founded in 1994 to provide training for students of the General Medicine, Pediatrics, and Preventive Medicine faculties in the disciplines “Clinical Nutrition” and “Food Hygiene”, as well as to develop knowledge and practical skills in the field of nutrition among future specialists.
The faculty of the Department of Nutrition named after Academician T. Sharmanov actively participates in fundamental and applied biomedical research in the field of nutrition and prevention of prevalent forms of nutritional deficiencies; in the development of sanitary regulations and standards to ensure food quality and safety; in the improvement and promotion of healthy nutrition; in the training of physicians and specialists in food hygiene, nutrition science, and dietetics; and in providing methodological support for the rationalization of nutrition for various population groups.
By the decision of the Academic Council of Asfendiyarov Kazakh National Medical University, the Department of Nutrition was renamed the Department of Nutrition Science (Nutritiology) effective September 1, 2010 (Protocol No. 5 dated January 26, 2010). Subsequently, following the passing of the founder of the department, Academician T. Sh. Sharmanov, the department was officially named the Department of Nutrition named after Academician T. Sharmanov on September 24, 2024 (Protocol No. 1 of the Academic Council dated September 27, 2024).
The initiator and founder of the department was the world-renowned scientist, Academician of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences and the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Kazakhstan, and President of the Kazakh Academy of Nutrition — T. Sharmanov. The Department of Nutrition at Kazakh National Medical University was the first of its kind established in the history of medical universities of the former Soviet Union and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS).
Academician T. Sharmanov was also the initiator of the establishment of departments of nutrition in all medical universities of the Republic, with the aim of teaching future general practitioners the fundamentals of nutrition science, hygienic aspects of nutrition, dietetics, and contemporary issues of breastfeeding.
Toregeldy Sharmanov is a Doctor of Medical Sciences, Professor, Academician of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences and the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Professor, President of the Kazakh Academy of Nutrition, President of the Academy of Preventive Medicine, and President of the Kazakh Infant Nutrition Foundation. He is a two-time Laureate of the State Prize of the Republic of Kazakhstan, an Honored Worker of the Republic of Kazakhstan, a laureate of the independent “Platinum Tarlan” Award in the field of science, and a recipient of the Leon Bernard Foundation Award of the World Health Organization (WHO) for outstanding contribution to the development of global public health.
He was one of the organizers of the historic International Alma-Ata Conference of WHO and UNICEF on Primary Health Care (1978), the declaration of which has been recognized as the “Great Charter of World Health of the 20th Century.”
In 1994, from the moment of the department’s establishment, the first organizer of the educational process was M. Akhmetov, Candidate of Medical Sciences, Associate Professor.
From 1995 to 1999, the first professor of the department was Z. Konakbayeva. During this period, the department employed M. Saulebekova, Doctor of Medical Sciences, Professor, and K. Mendygaliyeva, Candidate of Medical Sciences, Associate Professor. The first assistant who taught the course in food hygiene was M. Li, while the course in pediatric nutrition was delivered by G. Imakova.
From 2005 to 2013, the position of academic coordinator of the department was held by A. Buzhikeeva, Candidate of Medical Sciences, Associate Professor.
At various times, the department was headed by Doctors of Medical Sciences, Professors A. Aldashev, T. Bekbosynov, Sh. Balgimbekov, and Yu. Sinyavsky.
The core discipline “Food Hygiene” is taught to students of the Preventive Medicine Faculty. In accordance with the State Compulsory Education Standard of the Republic of Kazakhstan (GOSO RK 3.08.388–2006), the Department of Nutrition provides training for students in the following specialties: 051102 – Public Health, 051301 – General Medicine, 051101 – Nursing, and others.
Since 2010, within the discipline “Nutrition Science (Nutritiology)”, the department has been providing residency training in the following specialties: oncology, urology, obstetrics and gynecology, psychiatry, allergology and clinical immunology, cardiology and rheumatology, surgery, pediatrics, phthisiology, and dermatovenerology. According to its primary academic profile, the department is part of the Preventive Medicine Faculty.
Given that instruction at the department is conducted in both Kazakh and Russian, from the very beginning the staffing of the department was carried out through a competitive selection of specialists who possessed not only professional expertise in their disciplines but also full proficiency in both languages. This task was successfully fulfilled, and the following faculty members made a significant contribution to the department’s development: Associate Professors M. Kaynarbaeva, S. Bykybaeva, G.K Khasenova, A. Chuenbekova, E. Ushanskaya, A. Berdygaliev, A. Kozhakhmetova, A. Beisbekova; as well as lecturers R. Ergeshbaeva, G.Serzhanova, S.Alliyarova, D.Sukenova, G. Tarakova, M.Bakirova, A. Karagizova, A. Kaldybai, and A. Dzhanbatyrova.
Guided by the shared long-term objectives of advancing scientific research and enhancing the quality of medical education, Asfendiyarov Kazakh National Medical University and the Kazakh Academy of Nutrition established an innovation and educational consortium in 2010. Within this consortium, the Parties consolidated their intellectual, human, material, technical, and other resources and committed to joint action aimed at improving the quality of medical education through the integration of education, science, and practical application.
The educational base of the department is located at the Kazakh Academy of Nutrition, headed by Academician T. Sharmanov. The department is equipped with the necessary technical teaching facilities and comprehensive educational and methodological resources sufficient to ensure the effective delivery of the educational process.
Since September 1, 2014, the department has been headed by Maigul Kaynarbaeva, Candidate of Medical Sciences, Associate Professor, who is a student and successor of Academician T. Sharmanov.
