Oleksandr Oleksiiovych Zelinskyi was one of the defining figures of the Odesa and Ukrainian schools of obstetrics and gynaecology. A physician and surgeon, scientist and educator, leader and organiser, he dedicated his professional life to medical research, the education of new generations of specialists and the creation of a strong professional community.
To his colleagues and students, Professor Zelinskyi was more than an authoritative scientist and outstanding clinician. He is remembered as a person of integrity, culture and kindness — a mentor who shared his knowledge, supported young physicians and accepted responsibility in the most difficult situations.
His name remains present in the work of his students, the scientific fields he helped establish, the activities of the professional association and the continuing academic readings that bring together physicians, educators and researchers around current problems in perinatal and reproductive medicine.
A life in medicine
Oleksandr Oleksiiovych Zelinskyi was born on 4 January 1944 in Horodkivka, Zhytomyr region.
He graduated from Vinnytsia Medical Institute in 1967. After working as a practising physician, his career became closely connected with Odesa and Odesa Medical University, where he worked from 1970.
In 1983, Professor Zelinskyi became head of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology No. 2. During part of his career, he also headed the Department of Perinatal Medicine. For decades, his leadership shaped the department’s clinical priorities, scientific work and approach to educating future physicians.
He received the degree of Doctor of Medical Sciences in 1992 and became a professor in 1993.
His professional achievements were recognised with the title of Honoured Worker of Science and Technology of Ukraine, as well as distinctions in education and healthcare.
Physician and outstanding clinician
Clinical medicine was the foundation of Professor Zelinskyi’s authority. He belonged to a generation of physicians for whom scientific research, teaching and direct patient care were inseparable parts of the same profession.
His colleagues described him as an outstanding clinician, experienced obstetrician-gynaecologist and skilled surgeon. He worked with complex obstetric and gynaecological conditions, participated in multidisciplinary consultations, introduced new diagnostic and treatment approaches and taught physicians to think beyond rigid templates.
Professor Zelinskyi sought to combine a fundamental understanding of physiology and pathology with practical solutions capable of improving treatment outcomes. His scientific work was therefore not confined to publications but was implemented in the daily work of clinical departments and maternity hospitals.
Under his direct initiative and participation, advanced laboratory and diagnostic methods of the time were introduced into clinical practice, including enzyme-linked immunoassays and tumour-marker testing.
Scientist with a broad field of vision
Professor Zelinskyi’s research covered a wide range of subjects:
- the physiology and pathophysiology of pregnancy;
- perinatal medicine;
- reproductive medicine;
- gynaecological endocrinology;
- gynaecological oncology;
- operative obstetrics and gynaecology;
- paediatric and adolescent gynaecology;
- menopausal medicine;
- reconstructive and plastic surgery.
He authored and co-authored scientific publications, textbooks, books and methodological materials. His published work addressed chronic nutritional disorders in fetuses and newborns, obstetric and perinatal aspects of drug dependence, tumour markers in diseases of the reproductive system and reproductive health in women with low body weight.
An important feature of his work was its interdisciplinary character. Professor Zelinskyi viewed women’s health not as a collection of isolated diagnoses but as a complex system shaped by hormonal, reproductive, perinatal, oncological and social factors.
This perspective anticipated the modern movement towards personalised, preventive and patient-centred medicine.
Founder of scientific schools
One of Professor Zelinskyi’s most important achievements was the creation and development of distinct scientific fields and professional schools.
His name is associated with schools in:
- gynaecological endocrinology;
- perinatology;
- paediatric and adolescent gynaecology;
- menopausal medicine;
- reconstructive and plastic gynaecological surgery;
- reproductive medicine.
A scientific school is more than a shared research topic. It is the transfer of a way of thinking, professional standards and responsibility from teacher to student.
Professor Zelinskyi created an environment in which young physicians could develop as clinicians, researchers and educators. Many of his students later became recognised scientists, department heads, clinical leaders and organisers of professional medicine.
Through his students, his influence extended far beyond a single department or institution.
Development of the Odesa school
The Odesa school of obstetrics and gynaecology has a long history shaped by generations of physicians and scientists. Oleksandr Zelinskyi was among those who ensured its continuity and modern development in the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries.
Under his leadership, the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology No. 2 maintained close cooperation with its clinical base, particularly Maternity Hospital No. 5. Their joint work included pregnancy and childbirth care, treatment of gynaecological patients, surgery, research, physician education and the implementation of new diagnostic methods.
This model allowed research findings to move rapidly into clinical practice while real patient needs generated new scientific questions.
Professor Zelinskyi preserved the traditions of the Odesa clinical school while opening it to new technologies, research methods and international professional exchange.
One of the Association’s principal initiators
Professor Zelinskyi’s role in creating a professional community of obstetricians and gynaecologists holds a special place in his legacy.
He was one of the principal initiators of the Association of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Ukraine. During the 1990s, it became one of the first major professional medical communities in independent Ukraine, bringing together specialists working in clinical practice, education and research.
He also played an important role in the establishment and development of the Odesa branch. He helped create an environment in which regional physicians could exchange experience, discuss complex clinical issues, support continuing education and represent the Odesa medical school nationally.
For Professor Zelinskyi, a professional association was not merely an administrative structure. It was a mechanism for cooperation, scientific development, professional advocacy and improved quality of care.
His civic engagement was also reflected in his participation in the Ukrainian Medical Association, a voluntary professional organisation supporting the development of Ukrainian medicine and the interests of the medical community.
Teacher and mentor
Medical knowledge has lasting value only when it is passed forward. For Professor Zelinskyi, teaching and mentorship were not secondary responsibilities but central parts of his work.
He taught future physicians to see the person behind the diagnosis, analyse clinical evidence carefully, accept responsibility for difficult decisions and continue developing their professional skills.
Colleagues remembered his willingness to help others, share experience and support young scientists and physicians. His authority came not only from his position, academic title or publications, but from his ability to educate independent professionals.
A true teacher does not create copies of himself. He helps students find their own professional path while providing a strong foundation of clinical reasoning, ethics and responsibility. Professor Zelinskyi was such a mentor.
A person of exceptional humanity
Official biographies are usually composed of dates, positions, academic degrees and lists of publications. Yet the memory of Oleksandr Zelinskyi is preserved above all in personal testimony.
He was described as a deeply principled and selfless person, a devoted citizen and a person of exceptional humanity. Colleagues, students and patients remembered him with warmth and gratitude.
These descriptions reveal how he worked every day: attentive to people, willing to help, responsible for his decisions and devoted to his profession.
Humanity is not an optional addition to medical professionalism. It determines how knowledge and experience are applied to an individual patient. In Professor Zelinskyi, scientific excellence was combined with respect for patients, students and colleagues.
A memory continued through science
Oleksandr Oleksiiovych Zelinskyi died in Odesa on 8 May 2019.
His professional story did not end on that date. It continues in the work of his students, departments and clinical institutions, in the activities of the Odesa branch of the Association of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Ukraine and in modern research in perinatal and reproductive medicine.
Odesa hosts the Professor Oleksandr Zelinskyi Readings, interdisciplinary scientific and practical conferences with international participation. Their programmes address innovation in obstetrics and gynaecology, perinatal and reproductive medicine, personalised approaches and preventive healthcare.
The existence of these readings is significant. His name is not only part of history but a symbol of continuing scientific dialogue, professional development and the search for better medical solutions.
Professor Zelinskyi’s legacy
Professor Zelinskyi’s legacy cannot be reduced to a single discovery, position or field of research.
It includes:
- the development of the Odesa school of obstetrics and gynaecology;
- the creation and support of scientific schools;
- the introduction of new diagnostic and treatment methods;
- the education of generations of physicians, teachers and researchers;
- participation in the establishment of the Association of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Ukraine;
- strengthening the professional community of Odesa and the surrounding region;
- connecting science, clinical practice, education and public service;
- providing a personal example of integrity, humanity and devotion to medicine.
Some physicians help thousands of patients. Some scientists establish new areas of knowledge. Some teachers shape new generations of professionals.
Oleksandr Oleksiiovych Zelinskyi united all these roles.
This is why his name holds a special place in the history of Ukrainian obstetrics and gynaecology and in the history of the Odesa branch of the Association of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Ukraine.
Remembering him is not only an expression of gratitude for the past. It is also a professional standard for today’s physicians: develop science, teach others, serve people and remain humane under all circumstances.