The first attempts to introduce postgraduate training of doctors in Ukraine were made at the end of the 80s of the nineteenth century and were related to the activity of the Kharkiv Medical Society (1861), when in 1889 Full Professor V.P. Krylov organized repetitive and demonstrative courses on bacteriology on the basis of the Pasteur Station and the Kharkiv Bacteriological Institute. It was aimed at studying the causes of infectious diseases, the properties of the infection, the ways of its transmission and distribution, as well as the measures of epidemic control.

Less than a decade later, in 1897 Full Professor V.K. Vysokovych organized systematic courses on theoretical and practical bacteriology in Kyiv on the basis of the Bacteriological Institute, and in 1901 the first courses in the Russian Empire on pathologic anatomy.

Thus, the leading scientists from medical faculties of Kharkiv and Kyiv universities were among the sources of postgraduate medical education. However, the foundation of its specialized educational institution, the modern Shupyk National Healthcare University of Ukraine, became possible only during the period of Ukrainian statehood (1917-1919), during the revival of Ukrainian education, science and culture.

The establishment of such a specialized institution was due to social and political processes that took place in Ukraine after the October Revolution of 1917, when in a short time the country had passed several stages of its statehood: from subordination to the Russian Empire, declaration of the national-territorial autonomy by the Ukrainian Central Rada, and in November 1917 — the Ukrainian People's Republic, which in January 1918 declared its independence and elected the first president, to the proclamation of the Ukrainian State by Hetman P. Skoropadskyi in April 1918.

However, this brief historical period was marked by the revival of the Ukrainian culture and education, including medical. It was during the reign of the Ukrainian Central Rada that the formation of a national education system was one of the priority directions in its activities and therefore, in October 5, 1917, the Ukrainian People's University was established as the initial form of foundation of the higher national Ukrainian school, including its medical department. The idea of the creation of this educational institution belonged to the Ukrainian Scientific Society (1907), which undertook considerable work in the struggle against the Provisional Government of Russia for the right to establish a full-fledged Ukrainian university, as well as with the pro-Russian University of St. Volodymyr, which, according to O.V. Korchak-Chepurkivskyi (1928), did not recognize the rights of the Ukrainian nation to organize their own university, claiming that Ukrainians do not have any scientific forces or a scientific language.

The opening of medical faculty of the Ukrainian National University (1917) was the result of a national struggle against the principle of “single and indivisible Russia”.

In an effort to expand national education, the Ukrainian Central Rada in March 1918 outlined the plan for the establishment of a network of Ukrainian universities throughout Ukraine, which envisaged the opening of state universities in Kyiv, Kamianets-Podilskyi and Yekaterinoslav, as well as national universities in Kharkiv, Sumy, Poltava, Kremenchug, Cherkasy, Zhytomyr, Vinnytsia and Chernihiv. However, not all of these intentions were achieved.

A significant contribution to the treasury of Ukrainian science and education was the foundation of the Ukrainian Academy of Sciences on November 24, 1918, which was created on the basis of the Ukrainian Scientific Society, renaming of the Ukrainian National University as the Kiev State University of Ukraine in July 1918, opening of the same university in Kamianets-Podilskyi on 22 October, 1918.

On May 3, 1918, there was founded the Ministry of Public Health and Welfare (Minister V.Yu. Liubinskyi), which was the first in the history of Ukraine its own national central government authority at the level of the Ministry. All medical institutions of Ukraine and the personnel were subordinated to the Ministry. It was located at 22 Reitarska str.. 

The activity of the first Ukrainian medical faculty (as part of the Ukrainian National University, Kyiv) with Ukrainian language teaching was an important historical episode of the Hetmanate period. Another memorable event was the foundation on November 1918 of the first and new for Ukraine (in St. Petersburg in 1885) type of higher education institution – the Clinical Institute for Advanced Training of Physicians (hereinafter referred to as – the Institute).

Significantly, the medical community represented by professional guild of Kyiv physicians with its leaders – graduates of medical faculty of the University of St. Volodymyr (M.A. Levytskyi, O.Z. Lazariev, Ye.L. Sklovskyi, H.B. Bykhovskyi, I.Yo. Frumin and others) laid the foundation of the Clinical Institute of Advanced Training of Physicians (1918). In spite of the adversity and difficulties of those times they considered organization of advanced training for physicians to be an overriding objective and became one of the founders of the new institution and its first professors.

The purpose of the institution was clearly defined in its first Statute as follows: “The Clinical Institute of the Kyiv Union of Doctors is an educational and scientific institution aimed at postgraduate medical training of doctors in practical and theoretical medicine, gaining general medical practice by young doctors, organizing rehearsal courses for refreshing the knowledge of doctors and, finally, doing the scientific work in a chosen area” (the Central State Archive of the Superior Authorities and Administration of Ukraine. Fund 166, No.2, case No. 421, p.48-55, 1921-1922).

However, to achieve the goal, the founders of the Institute faced difficulties in creating the facilities and resources. The public helped again. According to archival materials, in May 1918, at a general meeting of the Kyiv Union of Doctors Dr. Mykola Kyselevych on behalf of one of the city patrons N.F. Uvarova proposed to “transfer to the Kyiv Union of Doctors the building of the liquidated Synod of the Red Cross named after of F.A. Tereshchenko on the corner of Bibikovskyi Boulevard and Tereshchenkovska Street, 13/7, together with a part of medical supplies and equipment for the establishment of the Clinical Institute” (the Central State Archive of the Superior Authorities and Administration of Ukraine. Fund 166, No.2, Case No. 421, pp. 90, 1921-1922), which was the beginning of the creation of the Institute's training bases.

A steering committee elected by the Guild of Physicians became the core for the Institute formation. The committee carried out considerable work “to design sections of the Institute, equip and arrange medical offices, invite consulting physicians, lecturers, tutors, out-patient department physicians for involvement in the activity of the Institute …on 2 August 1918 the committee took a chance to open a demonstrative clinical out-patient department (13 Shevchenko boulevard) in all specialties as well as day and night out-patient departments for domiciliary aid” (the Central State Archive of the Superior Authorities and Administration of Ukraine. Fund 166, case No. 421, p.90, 1921-1922).

The steering committee finished its work on October 17, 1918, and handed the case to the Board of the Institute, elected at its general meeting, consisting of the “Chairman of the Board, Vice Chairman, two members of the Board and a secretary”. The First Chairman of the Board was Full Professor M.A. Levytskyi (1918-1922). Academic affairs of the Institute were under the direction of the Council “... consisting of the Chairman, Vice Chairman, Academic Secretary and all the heads of the sections (divisions) in specialties, as well as the jury members”.

In that way 100 years ago the Clinical Institute for Advanced Training of Physicians, whose very name reflected its clinical orientation, started its activity. The major objectives of the Institute were defined by Full Professor Levytskyi as follows: “training of physicians in theoretical and applied medicine, knowledge acquisition and refreshment. To achieve those objectives periodic repetitive courses in all specialties are arranged which at the same time contribute to professional medical care of the vast masses of population in Kyiv and its outskirts…” (the Central State Archive of the Superior Authorities and Administration of Ukraine. Fund 166, case No. 421, p.90, 1921-1922).

It is necessary to give the founders of the Institute due as they posed such objectives having at their disposal only one polyclinic for domiciliary aid and an out-patient department where in 1918 were opened a chemist's and a chemical and bacteriological laboratory. In those conditions the Institute initiated origin of the system of postgraduate training of physicians in Ukraine.

• 1918 – the Clinical Institute for Advanced Training of Physicians, which had included 24 departments for twenty years, was founded.
• 1940s and 1950s – there is an evacuation of the Institute during WWII, then returning after the liberation of Kyiv, and the Institute’s reconstruction.
• 1960s–1980s – the Institute became one of the largest in USSR and the most powerful institution of this kind in Ukraine.
• 1991 – the Institute ranked high in the field of physicians advanced training and acquired the status of medical educational center of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine.
• 1996 – the Institute received the highest level of accreditation (ІV) according to the Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine «On the formation of Kyiv Medical Academy of Postgraduate Education».
• 1998 – according to the Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine the Academy was named after Platon Shupyk, who had contributed greatly to its material, educational and scientific base.
• 2001 – NMAPE became the first in Ukraine member society of the International Personnel Academy UNESCO among higher medical educational institutions.
• 2003-2005 – structural changes took place in this period. The Institute of Dentistry, the Research Centre were founded at the Academy.
• 2006 – Shupyk National Medical Academy of Postgraduate Education acquired a national institution status according to a decree of Victor Yushchenko, the President of Ukraine. The Scientific Educational and Methodological Center of Distant Education and the Ukrainian State Institute of Reproductology were founded this year.
• 2008 – NMAPE became the member society of the European Academy of Sciences.
• 2009 – the Institute of Family Medicine was foun­ded through the reorganization of the Faculty of General Medical Practice and Family Medicine.
• 2011–2012 – the Clinic of Reproductive Technologies of USIR and the Dental Practical and Training Medical Center started to work.
• 2015 – NMAPE quality management system was certified according to ISO 9001:2015.
• 2016 – NMAPE was certified within the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) excellence model and received the “Recognized for Excellence” 4 stars certificate.
• 2016 – NMAPE developed the measures for preventing complex diseases among the Academy’s staff members.
• 2017 – the first stage of the Simulation Training Center started its work.
• 2018 – NMAPE has been celebrating the 100th anniversary of founding. The Academy has successfully passed the certification
  of the European Foundation for Quality Management for compliance with the highest level «Recognized for Excellence 5 stars» criteria. NMAPE became a member of ORPHEUS - a network of higher education institutions that is committed to developing and disseminating best practice within PhD training programmes.

By order of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine of February 10, 2021 No.225 "On changing the type, renaming and approving the Charter of Shupyk National Medical Academy of Postgraduate Education" the type was changed and Shupyk National Medical Academy of Postgraduate Education was renamed into Shupyk National Healthcare University of Ukraine and the Charter of the institution in a new edition was approved.