THE HISTORY OF PEDIATRIC OTORHINOLARYNGOLOGY IN ROMANIA

The first Pediatric ORL clinic in Romania was founded in 1948-1949, by Associate Prof. Dr. Păunescu Cornelia helped by Prof. Dr. Ţeţu I. It functioned successively at the following hospitals: „Vasile Roaită” then at Colţea, together with the ORL adults' clinic. Dr. Păunescu remained in the leading position at the clinic until retirement.

Graduate of the Faculty of Medicine in Bucharest in 1936, dr. Păunescu became in the same year a PhD in Medicine. Since 1948 she was Associate Professor, becoming the Dean of the Faculty of Pediatrics from 1950 until 1956, then Deputy Dean between 1956-1958.

After retirement of Associate Professor Dr. Păunescu, in 1973, the Pediatrics ORL Clinic that was functioning in the Colţea Hospital was transferred to „23 August” Hospital. Because of lack of possibilities to assure an on-call service for that department, it was decided to keep 30 beds in the Colţea Hospital, ment to bear the pediatrics ORL emergencies, without having any academic role anymore. They remained under the coordination of Dr. Mincu until 1975. Then, because of the initiative of dr. Ghiles, the Pediatric department of the ORL Clinic in Colţea was moved to the Central Clinical Hospital for Children „Grigore Alexandrescu”.

Another name connected to the development of the Pediatric ORL specialty was Associate Professor Dr. Ciurea Mircea. Graduate of the Faculty of Medicine in 1936, PhD since 1937, primary care physician since 1941, dr. Ciurea was preoccupied since the beginning by the Pediatric ORL assistance.

Under his leadership, between 1951-1960 a specialty ORL service was organized at the Pediatrics Hospital „Emilia Irza” , considered the best equipped at that time and it was constituted in a very well-known otopediatric methodologic centre.

Since 1960, the activity of the Pediatrics ORL Clinic took place at the Fundeni Hospital. Since 1966, Dr. Ciurea becomes Associate Professor. As a result of his actions, in  1967 he received the approval of the Ministry of Health to move the Clinic from Fundeni to the Children Hospital „23 August” („Victor Gomoiu”, the name which it received later). The activity in the new headquarter was started December 1967, with 35 beds. Since January 1974, the pediatric ORL clinic had 80 beds, because of the taking over of the Pedatrics ORL's activity of the Colţea Hospital.

After the retirement of Associate Professor Dr. Ciurea, in 1984, the activity of the pediatric ORL was continued by Associate Professor Dr. Buruiană M., in the Clinic of The Children's Hospital V. Gomoiu. Primary care physician since 1979, PhD since 1974, he started his didactic activity in 1984 as Assistant Lecturer. He became Professor in 1993.

Since 1988, the clinical and hospital activity of the pediatrics ORL was transferred to the Children's Hospital „Maria Sklodowska Curie”, in the old place (Hospital „23 August”) continuing to be a specialty department.

Nowadays the specialty's activity is led by Dr. Gheorghe Dan Cristian. Graduate of the Faculty of Medicine in 1989, consultant since 1995, primary care physician since  1999, he obtains his PhD in 2003.