Department of Clinical Immunology and Allergy

The Department of Clinical Immunology and Allergy of YSMU was founded in 1990 by Doctor of Medical Sciences, Professor Spartak S. Gambarov, who was the permanent head of the department until his death in 2019. Since 2019, the head of the department is Associate Professor Armine V. Hakobyan.

Teaching is conducted for the students of all YSMU faculties in three languages (Armenian, Russian and English). The thematic material provided by the program is presented to students in the form of lectures and practical classes. Practical classes are conducted in the form of cycles, during which various teaching approaches are widely used: visiting patients undergoing hospital treatment, discussing diseases in the form of clinical cases, watching videos, testing on models.

Postgraduate study at the department is represented by a clinical residency lasting 2 years and a postgraduate course of 3 years. Advanced training courses for physicians lasting 1-8 weeks are also conducted.

The clinical bases of the department are located in the university clinics – University Hospital Complex No. 1 “Heratsi”, “Mikaelyan” University Hospital and “Muratsan” University Hospital. The Centre of Allergy and Clinical Immunology also operates at the Heratsi University Clinic. In all university clinics, the staffs of department conduct medical activities: management of patients, duty, rounds and consultations.

One of the scientific topics of the department is the program “New approaches to the treatment of hereditary angioedema.” In addition, studies on the prevalence of bronchial asthma among children and food allergies among university students in Yerevan, as well as other related atopic diseases, were conducted using international standard methodologies. The scientific program “Drug allergy in Armenia: the objectives and the ways to their solution” was implemented.

Clinical trial of the “Sterimar” nasal spray was carried out at the Heratsi University Hospital. Other clinical trials are also conducted at the clinical sites of the department.

On the basis of the department, 3 doctoral and 20 candidate’s works were performed.

The staffs of the department as part of the working group have developed, adapted and implemented a number of protocols and clinical guidelines for the management of patients with various allergic diseases.

The staffs of the department regularly take part in international conferences and congresses, in particular European, American and World Allergy organizations, where they make reports and presentations. In addition, 2-4 annual conferences and working discussions are organized within the framework of the professional association, as well as in cooperation with other associations in Armenia.

The Department cooperates closely with the Medical University of Vienna and the INUNIMAI Center for Molecular Allergy, the Allergy Department of the University of California, Los Angeles, UCLA, the Tehran University of Medical Sciences and a number of other prestigious foreign higher education institutions and research centres.