The RCMG Gold Medal “For Outstanding Contribution to the Development of Medical Genetics” was awarded to Professor Svetlana Ivanovna Kozlova, Doctor of medical science

The medal was awarded by the RCMG Academic Council for outstanding contribution to the creation and development of medical genetics services in Russia, research in clinical genetics and doctors-geneticists training

Svetlana Ivanovna Kozlova came to the Institute of Medical Genetics of the USSR Academy of Medical Sciences a few years after its establishment and soon headed the laboratory, which was engaged in clinical genetics, development of scientific basis for medical and genetic counseling of patients with hereditary and congenital diseases. A small team of consultants of the Institute, where only four physicians received the patients, became a forerunner of the strictly organized system of the national medical genetic service. Svetlana Ivanovna became one of those specialists, owing to whom the medical genetic service in Russia is now functioning. Professor Kozlova is the author of a series of works on the scientific foundations of medical genetic counseling. The results of Svetlana Ivanovna's scientific research provided the basis for the development of normative documents, which regulated the activities of medical and genetic services throughout the country. That is why Svetlana Ivanovna Kozlova became the head of the medical genetics service and the chief specialist on medical genetics of the USSR Ministry of Health. In this position, she made an invaluable contribution to the service formation and development. Today, the medical genetic service of Russia includes 76 consultations in 67 Russian territories. Svetlana Ivanovna's role in training personnel, geneticists and laboratory geneticists for medical genetic consultations throughout the country is invaluable. Specialists from all republics and regions of the country were trained at the Institute of Medical Genetics in her laboratory. In 1988, Professor Kozlova headed the Department of Medical Genetics of the Central Order of Lenin Institute of Advanced Training of Physicians under the USSR Ministry of Health (now - RMANPO) and in this position, together with the staff of the Department she trained hundreds of doctors for medical genetic consultations. In fact, all Russian geneticists are her students.

In addition to the scientific basis of medical genetic counseling, Svetlana Ivanovna Kozlova supervised the studies in genetic causes for hereditary diseases clinical polymorphism. More than 300 scientific publications, including 5 monographs, are the results of her research. Her reference atlas, “Hereditary Syndromes and Medical Genetic Counseling”, is a desk book for geneticists all over the country. Under her supervision, many candidate and doctoral dissertations in genetics were defended. Svetlana Ivanovna Kozlova has always been active in social work as a member of the presidium of the Russian Society of Medical Geneticists. She is a member of the editorial board of the Medical Genetics scientific and practical journal. She is a member of organizational and program committees of congresses and conferences of the Russian Society of Medical Geneticists. For many years, Svetlana Ivanovna was a member of the dissertation council at the Research Centre for Medical Genetics. Professor Kozlova was awarded the S.N. Davidenkov diploma and medal of the Russian Society of Medical Geneticists.

Sergey Kutsev, Chairman of the Academic Council, RCMG Director, Chief external expert in medical genetics of the Russian Ministry of Health, corresponding member of RAS and Ekaterina Voronina, Candidate of medical sciences, the RCMG Scientific Secretary gave the Gold Medal “For Outstanding Contribution to the Development of Medical Genetics”. 

The Academic Council of the Academician N.P. Bochkov Research Centre established the gold medal “For Outstanding Contribution to the Development of Medical Genetics” for Medical Genetics in 2017. RAS Academician Valery Pavlovich Puzyrev was first to be awarded this medal.  In 2018, the award was given to Vladislav Sergeyevich Baranov, RAS corresponding member of, honored scientist of Russia. In 2019, three scientists – Prof. Elza Kamilevna Khusnutdinova, Academician of the Republic of Bashkortostan Academy of Sciences, Milan Macek, Head of the Department of Biology and Medical Genetics of Charles University in Prague, and Thomas Lear, Professor of the Institute of Human Genetics and Anthropology were awarded the medal “For outstanding contribution to the development of medical genetics”. In 2020, Prof. Evgeny Naumovich Imenitov, MD, RAS corresponding member, Head of the Tumor Growth Biology Department at the N.N. Petrov National Medical Research Center for Oncology, was awarded the medal.