The article is devoted to an outstanding figure in the organization of healthcare and postgraduate medical education of the
Soviet period, a wonderful man and just a beautiful, charming woman Maria Dmitrievna Kovrigina. She went through a difficult, but very
bright, fruitful life path, made a fantastic career rise, made a huge contribution to the development of Soviet healthcare, higher postgraduate medical education, maternity and childhood care. July 6, 2025, will mark the 115th anniversary of the birth of this extraordinary
woman, and March 12, 2025 It has been 30 years since her death. Maria Dmitrievna was a graduate of the Sverdlovsk State Medical Institute (SSMI, now UGMU), where they cherish her bright memory. In 1950—1953, Maria Dmitrievna Kovrigina was Minister of Health of the
RSFSR, and in 1954—1959, Minister of Health of the USSR. Many initiatives introduced under her leadership, especially in the field of maternal and child health, have been part of the country's life for a long time. These are orphanages, the transfer of nurseries to industrial
enterprises, an increase in state aid to pregnant women, single and large mothers, the establishment of the honorary title «Mother Heroine» and the Order of Maternal Glory. Through her efforts, millions of children's lives were saved, and not only in our country — it was not
for nothing that in the post-war years M. D. Kovrigina became the recipient of high awards from Poland and Bulgaria. Since 1959 For 27
years, Maria Dmitrievna has been the director of the Central Institute for Advanced Medical Education (CIUW, now the Russian Medical
Academy of Continuing Professional Education of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation — RMANPO of the Ministry of Health
of the Russian Federation). The article reflects the main stages of M. D. Kovrigina's life and work, her main achievements in the field of
medicine and education, and focuses on the international recognition of her achievements. The professional and personal qualities of
M. D. Kovrigina, which contributed to her outstanding successes and achievements, are shown.