The Department of Operative Surgery and Topographic Anatomy was founded in the 1957-1958 academic year and originally located on the first floor of the right wing of the physiological corps. The staff of the department were: head. Department (assistant professor Tsvirko V.K.), assistant (Gerasimets M.T.), two laboratory assistants (Kuznetsov AI, Zadorozhna MV) and senior preparer (Gurskaya O.V.). The educational process at the department began in February 1958

In 1961 the chair was headed by associate professor Rusanov G.O. (since 1964 doctor of medical sciences, professor). G.O. Rusanov united the team, directed him to improve the educational process and research work. The department equipped with 2 experimental operative units, autoclave, photo and histological laboratories. Under the direction of professor Rusanov G.O. 4 dissertations for obtaining a scientific degree of the candidate of medical sciences (Berezovsky OI, Loiko IK, Vaida R.Ya., Mikhailov VT) were implemented and defended.

From 1968 to 1970 the department was headed by prof. Novikov Yu.V., who later moved to work at the Smolensk Medical Institute (now head of the Department of Operative Surgery at the university, academician of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences).

Associate professor Gerasimets M.T. headed the department from 1970 to 1984 and later worked as an associate professor of the department before retiring in 2001. Having worked at the department more than 44 years Mikhail Terentiyevich Gerasimets has made many skills and knowledge to improve the educational process, material resources, the development of practical skills among students. This was especially evident after the transfer of the department to a new building on the territory of vivarium in 1974, where an experimental department was equipped with 2 operating surgeries with preoperative, histological and photolaboratory laboratories, functional research laboratories. The educational building has 4 thematic rooms for work with corpses, as well as the offices of the head. department, assistant professor, assistant, laboratory assistant and wardrobe for students. Thematic stands from all sections of operative surgery and surgical instruments were made.

From 1984 to 2001, the department was headed by prof. Vayda R.Y. The staff of the department during this period continues to seek the optimization of the educational process, despite certain material difficulties that were associated with national economic troubles. At that time, the staff of the department defended 2 doctoral students (Vayda RM, Hnatyuk MS) and 5 candidate's theses (Gerasimyuk I.E., Gargula V.D., Poturemetz-Rekalyuk L.M., Shulgay A .G., Slaby OB).

Prof. Vayda R.Y. prepared and issued the textbook "Fundamentals of Topographic Anatomy and Operative Surgery" for the first time in Ukrainian, and prof. Hnatyuk MS, associate professor Slaby O. B. Operative Surgery and Topographic Anatomy in English.

In 2001, after the death of prof. Vaiy R.Y. The Department of Operative Surgery and Topographic Anatomy was headed by prof. Gnatyuk MS, who earlier worked as the head of the department of human anatomy.