The Department of History of Kazakhstan and Social and Humanitarian Disciplines has a long history and is one of the first departments of the Kazakh State Medical Institute. The Department of Social Sciences (Dialectical Materialism and Political Economy) was founded in 1931 by Sanzhar Dzhafarovich Asfendiyarov, who was its first head. Over the long years of the existence of the medical university, outstanding scientists worked at the department. From 1931 to 2018, the department was headed by: Isaev M.D., Polukhin I.A., Naumets V.S., Bolgov I.G., Tulenov Zh.T., Isaev M.D., Kaldashov A.M., Dautov T.M., Burabaev M.S., Biekenov M.A., Yandarov A.D., Bekbosynova Zh.B., Ismagulova K.B., Kabaeva Zh.A., Altaev Zh.A., M.S. Kurmanova, D.N. Baimagambetova, Z.U. Bisembaeva. Each head of the department in their own period made their invaluable contribution to the development of the department:

Since 2018, the department has been headed by a candidate of sociological sciences, associate professor Nagaibaeva Zauresh Arstambekovna.

The following disciplines are taught at the department: history of Kazakhstan, sociology, political science, cultural studies, philosophy, medical anthropology. Classes are held at all faculties of the university.

In the educational process, teachers widely use innovative teaching methods and technologies. The teaching staff works on the implementation of active and interactive methods and technologies. Textbooks, teaching and teaching aids, monographs are published.

The faculty of the department constantly improves their level of qualification, teachers regularly undergo training in their specialty and in modern education technologies at advanced training courses both within the country and in leading foreign centers.

The department pays special attention to the implementation of the trilingualism policy at the university, constantly improving the level of proficiency in professional Russian, Kazakh and English. Almost all teachers teach in three languages​at a high professional level.

All teachers of the department are actively engaged in scientific activities, including interdisciplinary research: history of medicine and health care, history and philosophy of science, bioethics, medical anthropology, etc. They constantly publish research results in highly rated publications, journals indexed in the international Scopus and Web of Science databases, and also participate in international scientific, scientific and practical conferences.

The department regularly holds international and republican scientific and practical conferences, scientific seminars. Since 2021, with the introduction of online technologies, the department has become the organizer of an international scientific online platform for holding scientific seminars «Socio-Humanitarian Research in Medicine and Healthcare», in which scientists from different countries take part. The department is actively developing international scientific relations.

All teachers of the department actively develop research work with students. The department holds international and national olympiads in bioethics, history of medicine. The department has a scientific student circle «Ibn Sina», whose participants have repeatedly become prize winners at international scientific competitions and olympiads.

The teachers of the department actively participate in academic mobility programs in the near and far abroad (Russia, Uzbekistan, Turkey, etc.), and also undergo scientific internships in leading foreign universities in the USA, South Korea, the Czech Republic, etc. The department is actively implementing the visiting professors program. The teachers have developed elective courses in the sociology of medicine, social work, bioethics and medical anthropology, history of medicine, sociological research in medicine and health care.

The department carries out extensive educational work at the university, and all employees actively participate in various events. The faculty of the department regularly holds «Meetings with Interesting People», where students meet in an informal setting with leading speakers, scientists, actors, directors, businessmen, and writers of our country.

The staff of the department looks to the future with optimism and makes every effort to train modern doctors.

The department currently has 21 full-time employees.