Last week of May four researchers from Ukraine came to Karolinska Institutet for a week of research exchange and collaboration. They are part of the Doc-Stud-Ukraine project, focused on supporting Ukrainian PhD students and young researchers to contribute effectively to health systems strengthening, particularly for children and adolescents in deoccupied territories in Ukraine.
Photo: Privat
Professor Olesya Hulchiy, Vice-Rector for Research and Education at the International European University in Kyiv, Ukraine together with three doctoral students Oksana Dolhopolova, Solomiia Turianytsia and Solomiia Ruzhytska spent a week in Stockholm under the Doc-Stud-Ukraine project. During their visit, the delegation met with the dean Marie Hasselberg and joined the Global Child Health and the Sustainable Development Goals research group meeting to network and collaborate with researchers from the group. Tobias Alfvén, research group leader who also works clinically as a pediatrician showed them around the Sachsska Children’s and YouthHospital.
The project will continue mentoring and provide supervision from researchers at KI to Ukrainian researchers, invite them to participate in KI research seminars and journal clubs and spend time at KI to work on their research in peace.
Photo: Tobias Alfvén
While visiting, the guest researchers presented at a department seminar about the impact on the health sector since Russia’s war in Ukraine. Professor Olesya Hulchiy explained how Ukrainian health care system is under exceptional pressure with 1 552 attacks on health care reported by WHO. She also described Ukraine’s health system as a symbol of resilience, for example in Ukraine there is now a significant national mental health program, championed by First Lady Olena Zelenska which is scaling up rapidly.
“It was wonderful to have them here and being able to help a little bit with the situation. It was very emotional to listen to their stories and presentations of the situation in Ukraine. There was a big interest among colleagues to listen”, Nina Viberg, coordinator of the Doc-Stud-Ukraine project.
The hosts of the visit were Nina Viberg, Tobias Alfvén, and Carita Rehn
