Guram Karazanashvili is a winner of the National Prize of Georgia, Doctor of Medical Sciences, Professor.
Qualifications
- 2012 – Berlin, Germany;
- 2005-2006 – Bonn, Germany;
- 2000-2001 – Malmö, Sweden;
- 1997-1998 – Bonn, Germany;
- 1996 – Offenbach am Main, Germany;
- 1995 – Nijmegen, the Netherlands;
- 1991-1997 – Moscow, Russia; urologist’s license received in Germany.
Academic activities
- The winner of the National Prize of Georgia for research on prostate cancer (25.05.2011);
- A fellow of the American Urological Association since 2010;
- A member of the Clinical Research Office at the European Association of Urology since 2008;
- A reviewer at European Urology, a scientific journal of the European Association of Urology, since 2005;
- Scholarship from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation (2006);
- A participant of the academic exchange program between the European Association of Urology and the American Urological Association (2003);
- Defense of the doctorate (2002);
- Scholarship from the Swedish Institute (2000);
- The Prize for the Best Report Advances and Obstacles in Oncourology (Rotterdam, the Netherlands, 1998);
- Scholarship from the German Urology Society (1995);
- Scholarship from the European Association of Urology – since 1995;
- Defense of the Candidate of Sciences’ thesis (Moscow, 1991);
- The author of scientific publications in European and American journals.
Summary
Guram Karazanashvili graduated from the Komarov High School, then – from the Department of General Medicine at the Tbilisi State Medical University. During his studies, Guram Karazanashvili was an honors student, with a personal scholarship. Immediately after the graduation, he traveled first to Moscow and then to European clinics for advanced training. Guram Karazanashvili is the only healthcare professional in Georgia who received an Alexander von Humboldt scholarship for scientific work. He is also a recipient of scholarships from the Swedish Institute, DAAD, and the American Austrian Foundation, as well as from the German Urology Society and the European Urological Association. Guram Karazanashvili spent the longest at the University Hospital of Bonn. It was his first experience in practicing the methods of the European school and international exchange. There is almost no world-class clinic with which Guram Karazanashvili has not collaborated professionally. Since 2007, he has been actively working in the Georgian medical market and established the Urology Department at the Lechkombinat healthcare institution in Vake from scratch. After the privatization of Lechkombinat, Guram Karazanashvili moved his clinic to the Railway Hospital and founded MMT Hospital there.
Prof. Guram Karazanashvili is the only urologist in Georgia who received a state award. He is also a recognized international expert, as evidenced by a top-class international conference held under his leadership. The conference was attended by urology stars from the USA, France, Italy, Switzerland, and Sweden. Due to its high scientific and practical value, the conference was funded by the Shota Rustaveli National Science Foundation.
An interview with Prof. Guram Karazanashvili
Today, MMT Hospital is one of the top-ranking clinics in the Georgian healthcare market. What type of services do you provide?
We perform urological surgeries of any type and complexity: laparoscopic and minimally invasive (endoscopic) urological surgeries, large-scale oncological surgeries, reconstruction of congenital genitourinary anomalies in children. We also perform combined urogynecological surgeries when a patient suffers simultaneously from urological and gynecological illnesses. In such cases, both problems are solved with one surgical intervention. As an expert in urology from the Ministry of Health, I am often approached by patients who need the most complex cancer or reconstructive surgery and try to get the necessary treatment at great cost and suffering abroad. Fortunately, there have been no cases when we were not able to perform such surgeries in our clinic and the patient had to seek help abroad. I can confidently state with full responsibility that, today, we perform oncological and regenerative urological surgeries of any scale and complexity and Georgian citizens don’t need to go abroad for that.
Do you provide laboratory tests and diagnostics?
We perform laboratory tests of any type: transrectal, transvaginal and transabdominal echoscopy; ultrasound-guided biopsies; roentgenological examinations of the genitourinary system, etc.
What is your approach to the patient?
We focus on the health of the patient first and foremost. To this end, we are always in a dynamic process: we actively cooperate with international professional healthcare associations and implement well-tested and successful treatment methods at our hospital. Only leading experts in their field work at our multidisciplinary clinic that includes urology, surgery and gynecology departments, and this is the main guarantee of the successful treatment. The hospital continuously updates its medical equipment, which enables us to perform high-tech and minimally invasive surgeries.
What do you feel after a successful surgery?
A positive outcome of a surgery is the source of unparalleled happiness. Recently, we have performed an operation on a young man of fifteen and created a neobladder from his intestines. We practically gave this man the opportunity to enjoy life anew. He used to wear diapers, but now he can start living a full life. To give a person an opportunity to be healthy, and to do it with your own hands, with your own work – that’s what I call happiness. It gives you a sense of vitality and is very much worth working for!
