Nataliya Kovalchuk, Clinical Professor at Stanford Radiation Oncology, shared a post on LinkedIn about a recent article she and her colleagues co-authored, adding:
“Our article is published in BMJ Open
Proud to share that our article evaluating the impact of international observerships for Ukrainian healthcare professionals during the war has just been published in BMJ Open.
What we studied
This cross-sectional survey assessed observerships organised by the Ukrainian Alliance for Medical Exchange and Development (UA-MED) uniting the following NGOs:
- Peace and Development Foundation
- Help Ukraine Group (HUG)
- Global Medical Knowledge Alliance
- Heal Ukraine Group (HUG)
- Northwestern University
- Operation Ukraine
- Doctors United for Ukraine (DU4U)
examining how international clinical exposure influenced professional development, knowledge transfer, and improvements in clinical practice during wartime.
Key highlights
- 263 observerships completed by 204 Ukrainian healthcare professionals
- Host institutions across the USA, Canada, Europe, and Australia (2022–2024)
- 62.7% response rate from 128 participants representing 45 Ukrainian institutions
- High satisfaction (9.3/10) and strong implementation success (6.5/10)
- 75.5% implemented new procedures upon return to Ukraine
- 92.7% reported a fundamental shift in how they practise medicine
- Extensive knowledge dissemination through institutional teaching, national conferences, and clinical education
Why it matters
Even during war, international observerships proved to be a powerful mechanism for strengthening clinical practice, education, and quality improvement. These results highlight the scalability of such programs for other LMICs and UMICs facing systemic challenges.
With sincere gratitude
We thank our entire author team, the host academic institutions for their exceptional mentorship, and the organising NGOs whose dedication made these observerships possible. Above all, we acknowledge the extraordinary resilience and commitment of Ukrainian healthcare professionals, who continue to pursue excellence and advance patient care despite the realities of war.”
Title: Impact of international observerships on Ukrainian healthcare professionals during the war: a cross-sectional survey study
Authors: Nataliya Kovalchuk, Andrey Zinchuk, Andriy Beznosenko, Rostyslav Semikov, Vitaliy Poylin, Alla Vash-Margita, Mark Mims, Douglas Davis, Nataliya Uboha, Natalka Suchowerska, Viktor Iakovenko, Jacqeline Hart, Mark Poznansky, Arman Kacharian, Darya Kizub, Serguei Melnitchouk, Nelya Melnitchouk
Read the Full Article on BMJ Open
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