About UMC

“University Medical Center” Corporate Fund (UMC) was established by a decision from the Board of Trustees of the Autonomous Organization of Education “Nazarbayev University” on September 20, 2015.

UMC, with a total capacity of 778 beds and 500 outpatient clinic visits per shift, encompasses four innovative medical centers. These include three centers in the city of Astana — Mother and Child Center, Diagnostic Center and Heart Center — and since 2024, Heart Center Shymkent.

For reference: From 2016 to 2021, UMC also included the National Research Center for Oncology and Transplantology and the National Center for Children’s Rehabilitation, which were transferred to the Ministry of Health in 2019 and 2021, respectively.. In 2016, UMC established the Kyzylorda branch.

Before UMC was established, these medical organizations successfully implemented advanced medical technologies and internationally recognized standards for quality and safety in healthcare (Joint Commission International) and transferred innovations to regions of the country.

UMC provides medical care across a wide range of specialties, including obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics, pediatric surgery, traumatology, urology, endocrinology, pulmonology, gastroenterology, neurology, oncohematology, cardiology and cardiac surgery, and others.

UMC also engages in educational activities, including the training of residents, additional and informal education programs, as well as conducting research in the relevant fields.

UMC focuses on compliance with international standards for quality and safety in healthcare established by the Joint Commission International. It employs methodologies for ongoing quality improvement, enhances the qualifications of healthcare professionals through collaboration with leading global medical organizations, and introduces a patient-oriented system.

UMC is part of the integrated academic healthcare system of Nazarbayev University (NU Medicine), established based on international standards and the experience of the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine (UPSOM) and its medical center (UPMC).

To carry out this joint activity, a Memorandum of Cooperation was signed between UMC, Nazarbayev University School of Medicine (NUSOM), and the Center for Life Sciences (CLS) to develop the integration of clinical, educational, and research activities. UMC is also a member of the NU Medicine Leadership Council.

The goal of NU Medicine is to advance healthcare in Kazakhstan by integration of clinical, educational, and research activities. This integration offers significant benefits at UMC Centers, as it will facilitate the delivery of patient-centered, innovative medical care and contribute to overall improvements in healthcare standards.

Transformation

In alignment with Nazarbayev University’s strategic goal, UMC is a part of the Nazarbayev University Integrated Academic Health System (NU Medicine). The purpose of NU Medicine is to advance healthcare in Kazakhstan through the integration of clinical, educational, and research activities.

In accordance with UMC’s Strategic Plans for 2019-2023 and 2024-2028, and guided by recommendations from our strategic partner, The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC), efforts are underway to transform UMC into an Academic Medical Center.

UMC aims to deliver high-quality medical care through the implementation of an integrated Academic Medical Center model, ensuring excellence in providing patient-centered and family-oriented medical services.

The establishment of an Academic Medical Center involves UMC becoming a center of advanced knowledge and experience. This transformation focuses on developing a patient-centered healthcare system that integrates and leverages synergies between research, education, and clinical activities.

Since 2021, UMC has undergone structural integration, merging the Mother and Child Center and the Diagnostic Center into a single clinical base for both inpatient and outpatient care. An overhead bridge was built between the buildings of these centers for the convenience of staff and patients. In the same year, the National Research Cardiac Surgery Center also joined UMC and was renamed Heart Center. As of 2024, the Heart Center Shymkent is under UMC management.

The activities of all clinical departments at UMC are based on the principles of the Clinical Academic Department, which integrates inpatient and outpatient care within specific specialties. These Clinical Academic Departments operate based on the trinity of innovative clinical tasks, educational programs, and research. UMC staff adhere to unified clinical protocols, standard operating procedures (SOPs), and internal regulations to ensure consistency and excellence in care.

To enhance integration processes, UMC implements a “dual appointment” mechanism for employees of UMC, Nazarbayev University, and its subsidiaries. This approach applies at both management levels and in clinical, educational, and research activities, fostering deeper collaboration and synergy across the institutions.

Associate professors from the Nazarbayev University School of Medicine (NUSOM) have been appointed to leading positions in pediatrics, obstetrics-gynecology, clinical laboratory diagnostics, and pathology.

UMC has 11 Clinical Academic Departments (CADs).

7 of these CADs are within the Center of Mother and Child

1. Pediatric CAD: Director: Tatiana Ivanova-Razumova, Candidate of Medical Sciences, MBA, doctor of the highest category  specializing in Pediatric Cardiology.Deputy Director for Research and Educational Activities: Dimitri Poddighe (Associate Professor at Nazarbayev University School of Medicine).
2. Women’s Health CAD: Director: Gauri Billakhanovna Bapaeva, Doctor of Medical Sciences, doctor of the highest category specializing in Obstetrics and Gynecology (UMC specialist). Deputy Director for Research and Educational Activities: Milan Terzic (Associate Professor at Nazarbayev University School of Medicine).
3. Clinical Academic Department of Laboratory Medicine, Pathology, and Genetics: Director: Matthew Tanko (Associate Professor at Nazarbayev University School of Medicine). Deputy Director for Research and Educational Activities: Marita Turganbaevna Djakanova, Candidate of Medical Sciences.
4. Clinical Academic Department of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care: Director: Gulnara Toleukhanovna Mustafinova, Doctor of the highest category specializing in Anesthesiology and Intensive Care.
5. Clinical Academic Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine: Director: Tairkhan Bekbolatovich Dautov, Doctor of Medical Sciences, doctor of the highest category specializing in Radiology. Deputy Director for Research and Educational Activities: Zhanar Zhanybekovna Kozhakhmetova, Candidate of Medical Sciences.
6. Clinical Academic Department of Internal Medicine: Director: Altai Nugmanovich Nabiev, Candidate of Medical Sciences, doctor of the highest category specializing in Public Health. Deputy Director for Research and Educational Activities: Kuat Pernekulovich Oshakbayev, Doctor of Medical Sciences, doctor of the highest category specializing in Therapy.
7. Clinical Academic Department of Pediatric Surgery: Director: Dastan Zeynollaevich Rustemov, doctor of the highest category specializing in Pediatric Surgery. Deputy Director for Research and Educational Activities: Ruslan Erlanuly Bilel, Candidate of Medical Sciences.

Clinical Academic Departments (CADs) within the Heart Center (Astana):

The structural-functional unit in the Clinical Academic Department (CAD) is referred to as “programs,” which are created to address specific areas of clinical activity within the CAD. The program manager is responsible for organizing and implementing activities that integrate clinical practice, education and research. As part of this structure, UMC staff are involved in the clinical training of NUSOM medical students and resident physicians, as well as in collaborative clinical and research efforts.

The UMC Nursing Service has been centralized. Nursing personnel from departments managed by physicians have been separated into an independent service that manages the UMC Clinical Base (inpatient and outpatient clinics). A multi-level gradation of nursing professionals has been introduced according to the level of competence. Medical functions are gradually delegated to Nursing professionals. On the basis of NUSOM, various capacity-building programs for UMC nursing staff are regularly implemented (including the 5-month Professional Development Program (PDP) and the accelerated 2-year Bachelor of Applied Nursing program).

UMC serves as a unique platform for the development of Kazakhstan’s research and educational potential.

UMC trains NUSOM students and residents based on NUSOM programs across 10 specialties, as well as those in national residency programs. Overall, approximately 300 medical residents are being trained at UMC in 20 clinical specialties. UMC attracts foreign specialists as “mentors” and organizes international master classes at its centers. Additionally, UMC implements professional development programs for specialists from regional medical organizations, training over 1,000 individuals annually.

UMC’s research activities

From 2019 to 2023, UMC centers conducted 33 research projects and clinical studies funded by targeted financing programs from the Ministry of Science and Higher Education, the CRP and other sources..

Over the past five years, the proportion of UMC clinical doctors involved in research activities at NU/CLS has averaged 4.3%.

Annually, there has been a growing publication activity by UMC staff in international peer-reviewed journals with impact factors. From 2019 to 2023, UMC published 270 papers, which were cited over 3,800 times in databases such as Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar, and approximately 40 patents were obtained during this period.

As the successor to the National Medical Holding, UMC continues to implement and develop new medical technologies in Kazakhstan. From 2010 to 2023, UMC introduced 247 technologies across its centers, with approximately 90 of these technologies being transferred to regional areas.

As part of the integrated academic healthcare system of Nazarbayev University, NU Medicine, UMC plays a key role in shaping a competitive generation of medical professionals, developing modern protocols for the diagnosis and treatment of rare and severe diseases, and enhancing the quality of medical care.

The creation of NU Medicine is aimed at:

• Ensuring effective clinical activities based on international standards of quality and patient safety.
• Training competitive professionals through the implementation of advanced educational technologies.
• Developing research potential in healthcare.

In the future, the experience gained by UMC will be translated to other medical organizations in the country, significantly improving the quality of medical education and enhancing Kazakhstan’s competitiveness in medicine on the international stage.

UMC Accreditation

1. Compliance with Healthcare, Medical, and Administrative Standards at the International Level, and Patient Safety Goals: UMC has been awarded the highest category of National Accreditation. UMC is accredited by the Joint Commission International (JCI). UMC laboratories are accredited by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO).
2. Compliance with Educational Standards: UMC holds certificates of institutional and specialized accreditation for residency programs from the Eurasian Centre for Accreditation and Quality Assurance in Higher Education and Health Care (ECAQA) and the Independent Agency for Quality Assurance in Education (IQAA).
3. Compliance with Research Standards: UMC is accredited by the Ministry of Education and Science as a subject of scientific and/or scientific-technical activities.