Samara State Medical University Samara State University with a medical department was founded in January 1st, 1919. In 1930 Samara Medical Institute was opened (known as Kuibyshev Medical Institute later). In July 1993 the Institute was reorganized into Samara State Medical University. Today Samara State Medical University is one of the largest and well-known medical universities in Russia. SamSMU includes 4 institutes, more than 15 specialized diagnostic and therapeutic centers, 14 departments and 90 chairs. The teaching staff consists of 622 members, 14 of which are academicians and corresponding member of different academies, 100 professors and PhDs, 386 assistant professors. The oldest and the most outstanding chairs are: Chair of Otolaryngology, Traumatology and Orthopedics, Ophthalmology, Surgery, Pediatrics, Surgical Dentistry and many others. There are also 6 specialized committees that assess research and award degrees in specialties. During the last 5 year the University prepared 49 Doctors of Science in Medicine, 194 Candidates of Science in Medicine. Since 1991 Samara State Medical University began the training of general practitioners, pharmacists, trainees and post-graduate research students from Eastern countries, Africa and Latin America on the base of International Students Department. Training is based on contract system. Approximately 500 international students graduated from our University. Our graduates have high level of theoretical and practical professional knowledge. The Diploma of our University is known in over 20 countries and is equal to Diploma of Moscow State Medical Universities. Today number of our students is more then 6 000, 200 of them are international.