[Chartered specialist training in gerontology and geriatrics. Dissertation Council no. 601.001.01 working practice]

The article highlights basic facts about the foundation and activity of the Gerontology and Geriatrics Dissertation Council of St. Petersburg Institute of Bioregulation and Gerontology, which took invaluable part in chartered specialist training in this field of science that has actively developed in Russia in recent decades. Over the period from June, 2001 to December, 2013, a total of 41 doctoral dissertations were defended, of which 32 dissertations were on Medicine and 9 on Biological Sciences. Likewise, over the same period, a total of 186 candidate's dissertations were defended, of which 152 dissertations were on Medicine and 34 on Biological Sciences, the defenders coming from various regions of Russia and other countries. The defence-representative trend data acquired over the period of the Dissertation Council activities shows that the number of defended doctoral dissertations was relatively small within the period from 2002 to 2008, but it increased significantly in the years 2009 to 2013. The number of defended candidate's dissertations increased significantly over the same period, too. Among many others considered by the Dissertation Council, there were dissertations dedicated to basic research in the field of gerontology and geriatrics. The priority topics of a large number of dissertations performed in St. Petersburg and other Russian towns are age pathology mechanisms, geroprotective effects of regulatory peptides and effectiveness of their use in clinic.