Foreign business trips of Riga medical instituteacademic staff from 1950 to 1990

Abstract

The scientific novelty of this study is due to the fact that it presents a new perspective on foreign travels of Riga Medical Institute (RMI) staff during the period from 1950 to 1990, which is an understudied aspect of Latvian medical history. It has been emphasized that international communication, despite bureaucratic and political constraints, played a key role in the professional development of medical staff and the evolution of medical education in Soviet Latvia. This study reveals the impact of different political periods – Stalinism, Khrushchev's thaw, Brezhnev's stagnation and the collapse of the Soviet Union – on international academic communication. The purpose of this study is to analyse the foreign academic contacts of RMI faculty members and how their international travels contributed to the development of medical education in Latvia, especially in the context of the political and historical constraints of the Soviet era. The study employs historical and comparative analysis methods and utilizes primary archival documents, including personal files, travel reports, and official documents from the Soviet era from the Latvian State Historical Archives. International trips in different historical periods have been analysed in detail in order to identify factors that influenced their frequency and effectiveness. As a result, the analysis shows that international travel provided significant opportunities for professional development, it was often constrained by political control and limited access to capitalist countries. Despite these challenges, however, RMI staff were exposed to new technologies, scientific knowledge, and work practices in the countries such as the United States, Canada, Japan, Finland, and Switzerland. This experience contributed to the improvement of medical education and scientific development in Latvia. The study suggests that international trips, although limited in number, played a crucial role in the development of professional competencies of RMI faculty. These trips facilitated the exchange of medical knowledge and scientific experience, influencing the development of Latvian medical education during the Soviet period. This study offers a valuable perspective on the role of international academic relations in shaping the medical education system in Soviet Latvia.