https://doi.org/10.31288/oftalmolzh2016554

To 90th Anniversary of Valentina S. Drozdovskaia

Through the 90th birth anniversary, 67 years of practicing medicine and scientific and teaching activities, she is in line so far! You must admit that it is not every day that we have a joyful occasion to congratulate such an anniversary celebrant.

Valentina S. Drozdovskaia, the eldest ophthalmologists of Ukraine, was born on October, 18, 1926, in a village of Efimovka in Sumy region in a family of teachers. The youth of hers came in the years of Great Patriotic War; she survived bombing and all horrors of fascist occupation. 

When Odessa was freed, she entered Odessa Medical University from which she graduated with an honor in 1949. At her last year in university she had a chance to attend the review lecture on ophthalmology by academician V. P. Filatov, which predetermined her further life. 

In 1950 V.S. Drozdovskaia completed specialty in ophthalmology at Odessa Institute of Posdgraduate Education and since 1951 she has worked in Kharkiv.

In January 1951 Valentina Drozdovskaia was enrolled as a research associate assistant at the Hirshman Eye Diseases Research Institute which then was headed by I.I.Merkulov, Professor and a corresponding member of NAS of Ukraine. Under the guidance of this famous scientist, Valentina Drozdovskaia performed scientific research on the issues of eye diseases diagnostics and treatment as well as practical work. In 1959 she succeeded in Candidate’s thesis defense on The Role of Histamine in the Pathogenesis of Certain Eye Diseases.

From 1961 to 1991 V.S. Drozdovskaia worked at first as an assistant and then as an associate professor at Ophthalmology Department at Ukrainian Postgraduate Medicine Institute.  During that time period she was actively involved in teaching, scientific research in the area of neuroophthalmology, vascular pathology of the visual organ, ophthalmic endocrinology; also she was responsible for scientific work of the Department, was a secretary of Kharkiv scientific society of ophthalmologists. Over those years her lectures were attended by several generations of ophthalmologists from all over the former Soviet Union and by foreign citizens. She is the author of more than 200 publications in national and international scientific series and a co-author of a wide-known Therapeutic Ophthalmology guideline. 

Since 1991 Valentina Drozdovskaia has worked at Girshman Kharkiv Municipal Clinical Hospital №14. As a Head of Admission Department she performs a large amount of work in triage of patients admitted to hospital, diagnostics of difficult eye pathology cases, generously sharing her huge experience with young colleagues. Valentina Drozdovskaia is a permanent outside consultant at hospital polyclinic. Valentina Drozdovskaia still deeply involved in scientific activity: over the recent years she has published a number of papers on etiology and pathogenesis of retrobulbar  neuritides, toxic neuropathy, endocrine ophthalmopathy, inflammatory diseases of the orbit, has developed and implemented into the clinical practice classification and treatment regimens for some vascular and endocrine eye diseases. 

We’d like to mention particularly one excellent quality of hers: Valentina Drozdovskaia is a true Teacher, who gives a lead in medical judgment, in creative approach to solving clinical and research problems, in hard working and energy. And it is so during many decades. It is a great honor and responsibility to consider oneself her disciple.

The life pathway of Valentina Drozdovskaia includes thousands successfully treated patients, hundreds of grateful colleagues and disciples, tens of scientific issues solved. And we want and hope that this life pathway will go on as long as possible. The collective of Girshman Kharkiv Municipal Clinical Hospital №14 and Ophthalmology Department of Kharkiv Medical Academy of Post-graduate Education wish their distinguished colleague, teacher and friend, Valentina Sergeyevna Drozdovskaya, good health for many years.