The USA-Ukraine Med Exchanges 2025
Thanks to the generosity of American people, in 2025 we continued to educate, encourage and equip Ukrainian medical workers with the modern leadership and professional skills to help them sustain and develop medical care during the war.
We also raised awareness about the brutal Russian invasion and advocated for the U.S. medical community to continue providing support for Ukraine.
In 2025 we organized 10 medical exchange projects that brought 40 Ukrainian medical doctors, researchers, and educators to 15 U.S. medical institutions and three conferences (AACR, ASCO, COA). They spent 2-3 weeks in the U.S. and another 4-5 days on the road to achieve the destination and return home.
Brookes Army Medical Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston Methodist, Baylor Scott & White All Saints, HCA Medical City Arlington, HCA Medical City Weatherford, HCA Medical City Fort Worth, Smilow Cancer Hospital, Texas Health Fort Worth, Texas Heart Institute, The Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders, University of Pennsylvania Abramson Cancer Center, UCSF Helen Diller Family Cancer Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Yale Cancer Center, kindly welcomed Ukrainians selected by their Ministry of Health and patient organizations.
Ukrainian cancer team at ASCO 2025. Logistics and support was organized through our Foundation. Many partners contributed.
Ukraine has overwhelming number of injuries. It includes difficult eye traumas among civilians, both adults and children. In the spring 2024 we partnered with Ukrainian Christian Medical Association to bring a group of four Ukrainian eye surgeons (oculoplasts) to Brookes Army Medical Center (BAMC) in San Antonio, TX, for a two-week observership.
The initial connection was through Col. Guy Travis Clifton, MD, Chief of Surgical Oncology, who I met at SITC 2024 conference. The program hosts at BAMC Wilford Hall Eye Center were Lt. Col. Brett Davies, MD, Chief of Ophthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery and May. Sien Chen, MD, Chief of Ophthalmology. See Instagram post by Dr. Wesley Brundridge.
AACR on Campus in Poland-Ukraine became the next step initiative in partnership with GMKA to bring best standards in cancer care and research to Ukraine. It is a high-profile overseas outreach program offered to young investigators with preference for research institutions in low-resource settings. The plan is to gather 100+ cancer physicians & researchers for training in Warsaw in the fall 2026, half of which will come from Ukraine. To advocate for this project, Dr. Inesa Huivaniuk, Dr. Darya Kizub and I attended the AACR 2025 Annual Meeting and met association stakeholders.
In April 2025 a transplant team of five from Ukraine’s flagship Heart Institute attended International Society for Heart & Lung Transplantation (ISHL) conference in Boston, MA. Afterwards they came to San Antonio and Houston, TX. With Consul General of Ukraine in Houston Mr. Vitalii Tarasiuk support we had productive visits to Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Heart Institute.
Read A Global Exchange in Cardiovascular Innovation: Ukrainian Delegation Visits the Texas Heart Institute at Baylor College of Medicine. Thanks to Mr. Sean Murphy and Dr. Robert Jackson from HCMS there was a great visit to Houston Methodist. Ukrainians published an article Our Team Visited Two World-class Centers in the USA on their local websites.
The ASCO 2025 Annual Meeting hosted a record number of 19 supported delegates from Ukraine. After the five-day premier conference in Chicago, IL, 14 oncologists went to the top U.S. medical centers for 10 day observerships. ASCO leaders extended generous invitations to their home institutions: Dr. Eric Small to USCF, Dr. Lynn Schuchter to UPenn, and Dr. Eric Winer to Yale.
Five hematology doctors from Dnipro attended University of Pennsylvania Abramson Cancer Center in Philadelphia, PA. Perelman School of Medicine Center for Global Oncology published that Ukrainian Oncologists Observe Collaborative Cancer Care in Action at their official website and on LinkedIn profile.
Four oncologists from Chernihiv Cancer Center went to the University of California in San Francisco Helen Diller Family Cancer Center. See their Instagram Five leading cancer experts from Kyiv attended Yale Cancer Center and Smilow Cancer Hospital. Following the program, Yale Cancer Center Director's Message stated Last week, four physicians from the Ukraine came to visit us following their trip to the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) annual meeting.
In November 2025 five oncologists from Lviv Cancer Center were invited by Mr. Barry Russo for an immersive observership to Fort-Worth, TX The Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders (One Oncology group). We met at Community Oncology Alliance (COA) Annual Conference 2025 following generous intro by Dr. Steven Schleicher and Mr. Ted Okon.
Hosting sites included The Center and its partner hospitals: Baylor Scott & White All Saints, Texas Health Fort Worth, HCA Medical City Arlington, HCA Medical City Weatherford, HCA Medical City Fort Worth. The initial coverage by Fort Worth Star-Telegram Surgery by headlamp: Ukrainian doctors visit Fort Worth in the midst of war was also supported by other regional outlets and social media. Facebook review by The Center and post by Mayor Pro Tem Carlos Flores reflect the warmth of welcome.
Lviv team had a privilege to attend The George W. Bush Presidential Center for a meeting with Global Policy key experts: Senior Advisor Mr. Igor Khrestin and Program Manager Ms. Hannah Johnson. The meeting followed with the Presidential Museum tour.
And the year ended with a group of five liver and kidney transplant physicians attending Vanderbilt Transplant Center for a fourth year in a row. The 2025 publication in VUMC Reporter Ukrainian surgeons again come to VUMC to observe transplant protocols
Additionally, I want to extend thanks to U.S. Embassy in Kyiv that supported many participants with expedited visa processing based on a long-term collaboration. The trust was built over the years and through the government programs alumni network.
