The first department was established for the third year of existence of the Vinnytsia Medical Institute in 1937 and was called the Department of Social Hygiene. In fact, the main educational and methodological and scientific work unfolded only in the postwar years, when after demobilization from the ranks of the Soviet Army, Lekarev Leonid Grigorovich was appointed the head of the department.

His rich experience of practical work as the head of the health service of Dnipropetrovsk region in the prewar years, work as an associate professor at the Faculty of Physicians at the Medical Institute, participation in the Great Patriotic War for all 4 years allowed him to ensure a high theoretical and practical level, to develop preparatory work consisting of 3 people: head — associate professor Lekarev L. G., assistant Podolyan G. I. and senior laboratory assistant Burman B. Yu. In addition to managing the department, Leonid Grigorovich also headed the regional sanitary and statistical bureau. The scientific direction of the department in the first years included the study of sanitary losses suffered by the health of the population after the occupation, the fighting in the region. Detailed statistical surveys on the health of the population of Vinnytsia region for 1945-1947 were compiled.

Since 1952, the staff of the department has been increased. Graduates of the institute started working as assistants: O. G. Procek, P. A. Klanza, V. I. Tyshetsky, F. S. Ryukhov.

There are scientific works that cover such areas as: current issues of history and organic health of the rural population (monographs of Professor L. G. Lekarev “Rural Medical Section” edition 1949, 1957, 1964), articles in the second edition of the Great Medical Encyclopedia “Rural Medical District”, “District Rural Hospital”, a monograph on medical examination of the rural population, speeches at many congresses and conferences, PhD theses of O. M. Golyachenko, and in recent years, research in this area by graduate students S. P. Zamkov, O. M. Ocheredko, O. I. Gubin.

The second area of ​​research was the study of current health problems of urban and rural populations, the nature of demographic processes and population reproduction, the spread of non-epidemic diseases and others. It was developed by O. G. Protsek (cardiovascular pathology), V. I. Tyshetsky, A. D. Virigina, V. D. Maximov (cancers), FS Ryukhov (questions of medical personnel), G. G. Konopelko (disability), Ts. V. Yasinsky (hypertension, vascular lesions of the brain), A. P. Golubovsky (coronary insufficiency), G. I. Vikhristiuk, S. F. Fil, T.O. Slepova, M. S. Gnatyshin, V. P. Nedilko, L. Y. Bugay, I. I. Bilyk, L. V. Borodiy, V. M. Kalmykov, G. F. Sumskaya, M. V. Tarasiuk, А. V. Filik, O. M. Tsyborovsky (health of mothers, children and adolescents, their physical and mental development, prevention of morbidity and mortality), N. T. Komarnytska (issues of medical examination of the urban population), V. O. Kucher (epidemiology of chronic nonspecific lung diseases), R.Ya. Maryanchyk (prevalence of mental illness), B.I. Monastyrsky (early forms of hypertension in mechanics).

After the retirement of Professor L. G. Lekarev in 1979, the department was headed by Professor Olena Gerasimovna Protsek, his student. Olena Gerasimovna worked as a doctor for some time, then she was invited to the position of assistant of the department of health care organization. Under the guidance of Professor L. G Lekarev, she completed research on her PhD thesis “Hospital Mortality in Vinnytsia in 1951-1953 and Measures to Reduce it”, and later a doctoral dissertation “Social Living Conditions and Cardiovascular Pathology (Methodological Approaches, Statistics, Epidemiology and Prevention)”. She was awarded with the academic title of professor in 1978.

Department with the direct participation of Professor O. G. Procek has greatly increased the number of practical classes on the basis of sanitary and anti-epidemic and treatment and prevention facilities dedicated to the study of the peculiarities of their activities. In addition to the official program, individual tasks for industrial practice of students on the basis of medical institutions of primary, secondary and tertiary levels have been developed and are constantly improved.

At the initiative of the department in 1971 on a voluntary basis were organized courses for the improvement of rural doctors, the courses only began to exist as a national system in 1979. The department still has an associate professor’s course of improvement of health care organizers, the head of the courses is associate professor, candidate of medical sciences Natalia Timofeevna Komarnytska.

Throughout the history of the department until now, constant work has been carried out to preserve the traditions of the department, improve the quality of the educational process and dissemination of research. Work continues to improve the management of health care (doctoral dissertation of Candidate of Medical Sciences Grusha A. M., Candidate’s dissertation of Yakobchuk A. V.) studying the state of health of the population of different regions, age and gender (A. O. Binkovska, I. V Stempen, N. M. Orlova, M. P. Bartsikhovska), training and improvement of medical personnel (N. T. Komarnytska, V. L. Pylypchuk, S. M. Kuleshova), dynamic study of student health institute, including foreign citizens (Assoc. Prof. G. I. Vykhrystyuk). The staff of the department performs mainly complex works commissioned by the Ministry of Health of Ukraine, the Academy of Sciences and competitive topics.

Since 1970, the department has been running courses, and since 1979 — the Faculty of Improvement of Chief Physicians which has provided and continues to improve the management of rural medical institutions in Ukraine.

During the existence of the department, employees and researchers have completed and published more than 3,000 scientific papers, defended 12 doctoral and 35 PhD theses, published more than 36 types of methodological developments, information leaflets, constantly perform a large amount of public work, actively cooperate with health authorities participate in the work of attestation commissions, scientific and practical conferences, implementation of best practices in the practice of medical institutions.