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Academician Armais Albertovich Kamalov turned 60 years old!

Armais Albertovich Kamalov was born on June 3, 1961 in Tbilisi.

In 1984, he graduated from 2nd MOLSMI named after N.I. Pirogov, in 1987 - completed the clinical residency program in urology at the Institute of Surgery n.a. A.V. Vishnevsky. Since 1987, he has been working at the Research Institute of Urology of the Ministry of Healthcare of the Russian Federation, since 1997 - Chief of Andrology Department. In 2010-2012 - Deputy Director of the Research Institute of Uronephrology and Human Reproductive Health at I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University. From 2014 to the present day - Director of the Medical Scientific and Educational Center of Lomonosov MSU (MSU Clinic).

Since 2001 - Professor and Head of the Urology Course at Lomonosov Moscow State University, from 2010 to the present day – Chief of Urology and Andrology Department at the Faculty of Fundamental Medicine of Moscow State University.

Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences since 2011, Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences since 2014, Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences since 2016 - Department of Medical Sciences.

Academician A.A. Kamalov made a huge contribution to the development and practical implementation of the program to protect the health of the country’s male population. He launched and implemented a new focus area in medicine: the Men’s Health program, which was organized in Russia for the very first time on an interdisciplinary basis with the participation of doctors of different specialties. For the first time in the country, in many regions of the Russian Federation, offices and clinics, the Men’s Health programs were created to provide specialized medical care to the male population of the country with scientifically based approaches to prevention, diagnosis and treatment of andrological diseases. Chief Urologist of the Department of Healthcare of Moscow (2012-2014)

In 1992, he defended his Ph.D. thesis on “Transurethral Endoscopic Ureterolithotripsy and Ureterolith Extraction”, in 1998, he defended his doctoral thesis on “Endoscopic Methods of Diagnosing and Treating Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia, Strictures and Obliterations of the Urethra, Bladder Cancer”, was appointed Professor in 2001.

While working at the Research Institute of Urology, A.A. Kamalov was engaged in the development and implementation of new endoscopic treatment methods; he was one of the inventors of unique techniques that are widely used today in practical healthcare.

The scientific interest of A.A. Kamalov covers all areas of modern urology: development and implementation of new high-tech diagnostic methods for the treatment of urological diseases; study of andrological issues related to the quality of life and longevity of men; study of prognostic factors of recurrence of urological diseases; fundamental research in medicine - regenerative medicine, cell technologies, the search for new tumor markers.

A.A. Kamalov is engaged in the study of reproductive and sexual health problems, diseases of the lower urogenital organs in men - the high-tech minimally invasive and endoscopic methods proposed by him have significantly improved the results of treating diseases of the prostate gland, male urethra, bladder and kidneys, has also introduced microsurgical reconstructive plastic interventions.

Under the leadership of A.A. Kamalov more than 40 clinical studies of the efficacy and safety of various medical and diagnostic drugs and medical equipment (including studies of the GCP standard) have been conducted. He is one of the pioneers of introducing the techniques of enucleation of prostate adenoma and en bloc resection of the bladder wall with a tumor using holmium and thulium fiber lasers in the Russian Federation and to this day remains a leading specialist in this field.

A.A. Kamalov maintains close ties with colleagues from the CIS countries and far abroad, at his insistence joint scientific and practical forums are regularly held in Armenia, Georgia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Uzbekistan and other countries.

During the pandemic, the Medical Scientific and Educational Center “University Clinic” established in 2013 at Lomonosov Moscow State University had to deal with some serious issues under the leadership of A.A. Kamalov. In April 2020, the Center was included in the pool of medical institutions that had to combat the COVID-19 pandemic and was later repurposed into a COVID hospital. 424 patients were hospitalized, all of them in critical conditions. The team managed to create their own treatment protocol, and, as a result, deaths in the hospital amounted to 0.94%. The scientific material collected during the treatment of patients is actively published in national and foreign medical scientific journals.

From an interview with A.A. Kamalov: “It is necessary to organize widespread testing of citizens, the same way it was done in South Korea. It is necessary to identify people who have a viral infection and those who don’t, those who have had asymptomatic illness, and those who have already acquired immunity. Thus, we will single out groups of people who are out of the risk zone. First and foremost, we must protect doctors who work in the “red zone” and test them. Ensuring their safety is our top priority.

The so-called optimization of healthcare, which began in 2016, has led to a reduction in the number of hospitals and doctors. The infectious diseases service in the country has been cut down. There are fewer infectious diseases hospitals, and most importantly, there are fewer specialists in this field. The remaining infectious diseases service was transferred to the compulsory medical insurance system. Its funding now had to depend on the number of patients being treated. This is completely illogical, since the infectious service is on standby most of the time. And then COVID reared its ugly head. Many urban clinics had to be repurposed into infectious diseases hospitals in short order. Moreover, almost all federal specialized medical institutions with their unique infrastructure and teams were subject to repurposing. As a result, the clinics were forced to suspend both their scientific and educational activities, and the main medical one: the provision of specialized high-tech medical care in the country. And due to inferior bed capacity, it was necessary to immediately start building medical centers in the “middle of nowhere”. And who was going to work there? There are not enough doctors and nurses as it is. To fight the pandemic, we were forced to involve pupils, students, residents, and graduate students. The optimization of healthcare is probably the main reason for the dire consequences for the medical industry. And this is especially surprising, because the entire world is trying to create a new healthcare system that would be similar to the Soviet system. And we are actually trying to shift away from it.

The lessons of the pandemic dictate: that healthcare should be equated with the civil service on par with the service in the Ministry of Emergencies and the Ministry of Defense in order to ensure the safety of our citizens and the security of the country along with them. Both in terms of equipment and in terms of quantity, the health service must be fully prepared for any challenges that threaten humanity. With all the benefits and social payments, Medicine cannot and should not be financed based only on the “patient-money” principle, with base salaries that are unacceptably low for medical workers. A transition to a budgetary model of healthcare financing is desirable. It is necessary to increase the doctors’ wages with the establishment of a decent minimum base salary, depending on the length of service and the level of qualifications, scientific degree, and position held. It is necessary to revise wages in both federal and university clinics. It is not just the fact that the decent future of medical workers depends on how the healthcare reforms are implemented, the health of the entire nation depends on it.”

Under the leadership of A.A. Kamalov, 3 doctoral and 10 master’s theses have been defended.

A.A. Kamalov published more than 300 scientific works, including articles, guidelines, 3 monographs (in co-authorship), 6 textbooks, 8 books (in co-authorship), and a guide to urology. Received 14 patents for the developed methods of treatment and urological instruments.
Member of the editorial board of the journal Urology journal, Editor-in-Chief of the Moscow Urologist newspaper, Editor-in-Chief of the Technologies of Living Systems journal.
Member of the Bureau of the Department of Medical Sciences of the Russian Academy of Sciences, member of the Committee of the Expert Panel of the Russian Academy of Sciences for the modernization and innovative development of medical science in the field of male reproductive health and urology.
Deputy Chairman of the Russian Society of Urologists (2012-2014), Vice President of the Russian Society for Endourology and New Technologies, member of the Expert Council of the Higher Attestation Commission of the Russian Federation, since 2003 - President of the Russian Public Organization “Men’s Health”.
Member of the European Society of Urology, Member of the International Endourological Society, Member of the International Society of Urology, Vice President of the International Movement called “Physicians of the World for the Prevention of Nuclear War”
Foreign member of the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Armenia.
Honored Scientist of the Russian Federation.
He was awarded with the Order of Alexander Nevsky, the Medal of the Russian Federation “For Service”.
He was awarded the Gratitude of the Presidential Administration of the Russian Federation “For an Active Civil Position and Participation in the Social and Political Life of the Country”.
Winner of the “The Best Doctor of Russia” award - for the creation of a new focus area in medicine, winner of the Lopatkin award “For his Contribution to the Development of Russian Urology”.
“Excellent Public Healthcare Worker”.
Received a medal “For Contribution to International Cooperation”, a Certificate of Honor “For Services to the City Community”, and the Order of Honor of the third degree.
Source: Russian Academy of Sciences