Odessa National Medical University

Department of Topographical Anatomy and Operative Surgery

Project manager Dimitrij Leporskij initially visited six new interested departments in Kharkov, Melitopol, Simferopol, Ternopil and Odessa at the beginning of 2012 to demonstrate animal-free teaching methods. All of the university lecturers visited were prepared change to to switch to animal-free teaching methods in future.

At the Department of Topographic Anatomy and Operative Surgery at Odessa Medical University, 70 rats and around 110 dogs have been killed every year so far so that students can practise surgical suturing techniques and various operations such as laparotomy, intestinal anastomosis and tracheotomy.

The department received numerous surgical training models from us. With the agreement signed in September 2012, the department management undertook to refrain from any animal experiments and killing of animals in the curriculum from 1 October 2012.


Head of Department Prof Alexander Popov signing the agreement.

Control visit

The control visit took place on 16 February 2013. The animal experiments had been discontinued and the students worked with the models. Inspired by the donated simulators, the teachers are planning to develop their own models.