Raisa Novikova Honored Worker of Higher Education, Doctor of Medical Sciences, Professor Date of Birth: 27.01.1930 Country: Ukraine

1. Biography of Raisa Novikova
2. Early Life and Education
3. Career in Anesthesiology and Resuscitation
4. Contributions and Achievements
5. Publications and Personal Life

Biography of Raisa Novikova

Raisa Ivanovna Novikova was born on January 27, 1930, in the village of Krasnyanka, Lugansk region, Ukraine. She is a renowned figure in the field of anesthesiology and resuscitation, holding the title of Honored Worker of Higher Education, Doctor of Medical Sciences, and Professor. Novikova's expertise in the field is evident through her extensive publications, including 520 printed works, which consist of 9 monographs, 4 textbooks, and 10 manuals. Some notable works include "Essays on Clinical Anesthesiology" (1996, 1997), "Clinical Physiology and Pathophysiology for Anesthesiologists" (2002), "Acute Liver Failure: Treatment and Diagnosis" (2002), and "Acute Kidney Failure: Diagnosis and Treatment" (2003).

Early Life and Education

Raisa Ivanovna Novikova faced a great tragedy at a young age when her parents tragically passed away in 1936. She was taken in by Grigory Fedorovich and Maria Pavlovna Rudikh, who became her foster parents. Despite the challenges, Novikova excelled academically and graduated from school with a gold medal. In 1949, she enrolled in Donetsk Medical Institute, where she completed her studies in 1955.

Career in Anesthesiology and Resuscitation

In the first four years of her career, Novikova worked as a surgeon, gaining experience and mastery in a variety of surgical procedures. However, her true passion lies in the field of anesthesiology and resuscitation. Novikova attributes her knowledge, skills, and achievements to the great surgeons she had the privilege to encounter, including renowned figures such as Academicians I.A. Kupriyanov, A.A. Vishnevsky, B.P. Petrovsky, V.A. Negovsky, and professors B.S. Uvarov, O.D. Kolyutskaya, T.M. Darbinyan, A.I. Treshchinsky, A.A. Bunyatan, O.D. Dolina, E.A. Damir, V.V. Moroz, V.N. Semenov, G.A. Ryabov, and many others.

The development of anesthesiology and resuscitation in the Donetsk region began in 1960, with the establishment of the position of a specialist-resuscitator on a public basis in the regional healthcare administration. R.I. Novikova assumed this position. The key to the development of this medical specialty in the Donbass region was the support of leading surgeons who set high standards for the first anesthesiologists, fostering the ability to deeply analyze the acquired material. One such influential figure was Karo Tomasovich Ovnatanyan, whom Novikova still considers her teacher. With his support and demands, Novikova wrote and defended her candidate dissertation on "Choice of Anesthesia in Patients with Liver Diseases" in 1966.

Contributions and Achievements

Novikova recognized the importance of training healthcare professionals in modern anesthesia methods. In 1965, with the support of K.T. Ovnatanyan, she organized an anesthesia course for third-year students at the institute and a specialization course for doctors at the department of faculty surgery. This department is now named after Professor K.T. Ovnatanyan.

In 1972, Novikova defended her doctoral dissertation on "Issues of Anesthesia and Intensive Care in Patients with Mechanical Jaundice," becoming the first person in the Donbass region to obtain a doctoral degree in this specialty. To unite anesthesiologists in the region and systematically acquaint them with scientific achievements in the field, Novikova founded the Regional Scientific Society of Anesthesiologists and Resuscitators in 1970, which she has been leading since its inception.

Under Novikova's leadership, the first department of anesthesiology and resuscitation was established at the Donetsk State Medical University (DGMU) in August 1972. She served as the head of the department for 30 years. The anesthesiology service rapidly developed and occupied a significant place in the healthcare system of the Donetsk region. This was attributed to the region's industrial and economic significance, including mining, metallurgy, engineering, energy, and agriculture. These industries often presented critical conditions requiring the implementation of new treatment technologies, resulting in the need for skilled anesthesiologists and resuscitators.

Novikova's expertise and dedication to the field led to the opening of resuscitation departments in various specialized branches of medicine, such as obstetrics, neurosurgery, traumatology, infectious hospitals, children's hospitals, polyclinics, and pre-hospital care. In 1983, the Regional Resuscitation Center equipped with modern medical equipment was constructed.

Over 30 years, Novikova's department became one of the largest in the former Soviet Union. The focus on clinical expertise allowed clinicians and researchers to professionally assess the pathophysiological disturbances in critically ill patients, identify symptoms and syndromes, and determine their priority. To facilitate productive work in this field, the resuscitation center established new departments, including hyperbaric oxygenation (with five hyperbaric chambers), efferent therapy (with three hemodialysis machines, laser blood irradiation, ultraviolet blood irradiation, hemosorption, hemofiltration, plasmapheresis), expanded laboratories for humoral diagnostics, and a functional diagnostics department.

The organization of the department led to a heightened interest in scientific research. By 2002, 19 candidates and 3 doctoral dissertations had been completed under Novikova's supervision (a total of 39 candidates and 4 doctoral dissertations).

Publications and Personal Life

Novikova's expertise is reflected in her extensive publications, including 520 printed works, which encompass 9 monographs, 4 textbooks, and 10 manuals. Some notable works include "Essays on Clinical Anesthesiology" (1996, 1997), "Clinical Physiology and Pathophysiology for Anesthesiologists" (2002), "Acute Liver Failure: Treatment and Diagnosis" (2002), and "Acute Kidney Failure: Diagnosis and Treatment" (2003).

In her free time, Novikova enjoys traveling and has visited 38 countries in Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australia. Her favorite form of relaxation is reading fiction. She has amassed a library of thousands of volumes of both fiction and specialized literature, as well as a collection of paintings by contemporary Ukrainian artists.

Raisa Ivanovna Novikova is a distinguished figure in the field of anesthesiology and resuscitation, holding the title of Honored Worker of Higher Education, Doctor of Medical Sciences, and Professor at Donetsk State University. She is a member of the New York Academy of Sciences and was recognized as "Woman of America 2001." Novikova currently resides and works in Donetsk.