Doctor Gleb Kim Joins the Jury of the 5th Student Olympiad in Cardiovascular Surgery

Dr. Gleb Irlamovich Kim, PhD in Medicine and cardiovascular surgeon, became a jury member for the final on-site stage of the 5th All-Russian Student Olympiad in Cardiovascular Surgery with international participation, which took place in mid-March at the Almazov National Medical Research Center.

Dr. Gleb Kim was honored with this role thanks to his outstanding achievements in cardiac surgery. For over 13 years, he has been performing a large number of heart and vascular surgeries annually, including highly complex procedures. He is an Associate Professor at the Department of Cardiovascular Surgery of the Medical Institute of St. Petersburg State University, a mentor at the Student Scientific Society, and a coach of student teams participating in competitions and Olympiads. His flagship project is the development of an AI-based expert system called “Expert Opinion,” which aims to support doctors in diagnosing and treating heart and major vessel diseases.

In addition, Dr. Kim is the author of over 90 scientific publications, a winner of numerous Russian awards and competitions, and a frequent speaker at Russian and international conferences. His participation in the Olympiad jury provided an expert assessment of the professional potential of the next generation of specialists.

The final stage of the Olympiad took place from March 13 to 15. Nine top student teams from across Russia — Cheboksary, Kemerovo, Donetsk, Volgograd, Saint Petersburg, Ryazan, Smolensk, Tomsk, and Krasnodar — competed for victory. The jury evaluated creative team video presentations, the accuracy and completeness of theoretical answers, and clinical reasoning during case discussions. Students connected cardiopulmonary bypass machines and performed simulated surgeries including coronary artery bypass grafting, the Ross procedure, valve surgery, and heart transplantation on heart-lung models of pigs. The team from Saint Petersburg won first place, followed by teams from Krasnodar and Donetsk.

The future of Russian cardiac surgery is in good hands — the Olympiad participants demonstrated not only deep theoretical knowledge but also impressive practical skills. I was especially struck by their ability to make quick decisions in complex clinical scenarios and their unconventional thinking. These are exactly the qualities a modern heart surgeon needs for a successful start in the profession.

— noted Dr. Gleb Kim

Serving on the jury of the All-Russian Olympiad allowed Dr. Kim, from the SPbSU Clinic, to help discover the talents of tomorrow’s leaders in cardiovascular surgery and to personally take part in selecting the most promising specialists — those who may pioneer future breakthroughs in the field. It wasn’t just judging — it was an opportunity to mentor a new generation of brilliant heart surgeons and contribute to the future of modern medicine.