A delegation of Ukrainian health care professionals spent time at UNMC in November as the med center continues to build its relationship with the country.
Ukraine’s war against Russia’s invasion, which is approaching the two-year mark, surfaced in the discussions as UNMC and Nebraska Medicine showcased its facilities. The war also was reflected in the delegates’ experience, as the visitors came from backgrounds that included working with a military brigade, evacuating civilians and counseling veterans.
Nina Tronenko, a clinical psychologist who works with psychological rehabilitation of war veterans, said the visit gave the delegation a different angle to look at the world. Tronenko described the med center’s attitude as humane and focused on positive values, support and protection.
“The importance of this experience is tremendous, because our country is going through a lot of destruction,” she said. “People are getting killed, and destruction is inflicted upon institutions, including medical institutions and many other places.”
Through its history of hosting international delegations, UNMC offers a way to share information about its educational and research programs, said Jane Meza, PhD, associate vice chancellor for global engagement.
“We learned so much from them, and I know that they’ve learned a lot from us, and that’s really the value of doing this,” Dr. Meza said. “It’s been heartbreaking to hear their stories and to learn how much they work and dedicate their own volunteer time to their country.”
Out of last year’s Ukrainian delegation visit, UNMC and the Ukrainian Ministry of Health signed a cooperative agreement that formalized the university’s pledge to support continued emergency preparedness expertise in Ukraine.
Thanks to the generosity of Chancellor Jeffrey P. Gold, MD, this cooperation includes offering scholarships for up to 10 Ukrainian citizens to pursue online certificates and master’s degrees in emergency preparedness at the UNMC College of Public Health, said Dean Ali S. Khan, MD, MPH.
Two Ukrainians currently are enrolled for fall 2023, and others are expected to enroll in fall 2024.
In November, the newest Ukrainian delegation visited Washington D.C. and Nebraska through the Congressional Office for International Leadership and its Senator Ben Nelson Fellows program, which recognizes the former U.S. senator from Nebraska. The delegates are chosen as rising leaders in the medical field in Ukraine.
Since 2013, UNMC has been hosting Ben Nelson Fellows through Congressional Office for International Leadership, including the 2022 delegation from Ukraine. The former senator attended a dinner at the Omaha Country Club in honor of the delegation.
The entire visit took place Nov. 7-18, including time in Washington, D.C., and Lincoln meeting federal and state elected officials from Nebraska. From Nov. 12-17, the delegates spent time at UNMC and Nebraska Medicine, and they met with Chancellor Gold on the balcony of the Wigton Heritage Center atrium.
The group met with Dean Khan, visited the emergency department at Nebraska Medical Center and toured the Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center.
At the Davis Global Center, James Lawler, MD, associate director of international programs and innovation for the UNMC Global Center for Health Security, led a tour. The delegation saw the Training, Simulation and Quarantine Center and the National Quarantine Unit, watched a training exercise by the Nebraska Biocontainment Unit and saw medical simulation spaces with the iEXCEL program.
Tetiana Romaniuk, a paramedic and commander of the Medical Evacuation Crew, Hospitallers Medical Battalion, said it was valuable to learn about volunteer response units that get involved in crisis situations and emergencies.
She said she also was impressed by UNMC’s simulation center.
“I’ve had many training sessions with manikins,” she said. “But I’ve never seen manikins so technically advanced, where you can adjust the parameters for any situation.”
Oleksandr Chamorsov, chief psychologist for the Hotline Support Service with the Ministry of Veterans Affairs of Ukraine, said the attitude of the state and society towards veterans and military personnel is impressive, noting that veterans are actively involved in the public sector.
Natalia Chuzhykova, a volunteer who is attached to a brigade with the Ukraine Air Defense Forces, said she was impressed by the scale of the university, its development, technologies, teaching and work methods, as well as the openness in providing information to those who need it.
She said, “I have gained a lot of information here that I will be able to convey to Ukraine, and I believe that it will have an impact on the development of our country.”
Wonderful to see that UNMC is directly supporting Ukraine!