Ukraine Initiatives
Programs & Partnerships
- Ukraine | Poland | Germany
- Capacity-building | Craniofacial Surgery | Disaster response | Emergency Care Systems | Emergency Medicine | Gastroenterology | Global Endoscopy | Global Surgery | Head Injury | Humanitarian assistance | Humanitarian Crises | Humanitarian Emergencies | Humanitarian Response | International Medical Education | Laparoscopic Surgery | Medical Education | Microsurgery | Neurocritical Care | Neurological Surgery | Neurorehabilitation | Orthopedics | Osteoplasty | Partnerships | Patient Experience | Peace and Conflict | Pediatric Critical Care | Pediatric Hospital Medicine | Pediatric Orthopedics | Pediatric Plastic Surgery | Public Health | Quality Improvement | Quality Use of Medicine | Simulation Training | Soft Tissue Reconstruction | Standardization of care across different health systems | Strategic Planning | Structural Competency | Surgical Education | Surgical Instruction | Surgical Pathology | Surgical Systems Strengthening | Trauma | Triage
The primary goal of Penn Medicine’s global health mission is to address and remediate disparities in health care. We work routinely in over 75 countries world-wide on projects ranging from clinical training to health systems implementation, to biomedical research. Our approach is to work in partnership with on-site hospitals and ministries of health as they ultimately hold responsibility for the long-term care of their residents/citizens. There is no more urgent need of this engagement than in Ukraine.
Surgical Capacity Building in Ukraine
Significant wounds from blast injuries to extremities and torso have emerged as a major clinical treatment challenge in Ukraine. While Ukrainian surgeons are well trained and talented, the scope of managing these wounds does not often lie in their skill set. The impact of effective care in these settings often means the difference between limb salvage vs loss, and at times life vs death.
As a result, the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine (Penn) together with the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) have developed a comprehensive effort to assist Ukrainian medical colleagues in treating patients effectively in Ukraine so that they can remain in close proximity to their family and support network. Our collective goal is to develop regional experts in advanced surgical techniques and build surgical capacity generally within Ukraine. Again, this approach mirrors the overall global mission of Penn – to build local capacity so that the home country can be supported in providing the highest quality care for its citizens on-site.
To address this challenge, Penn Medicine, in collaboration with the National Ministry of Health developed programming with the following objectives:
- Making tiered decisions on sequential treatment in wound salvage and repair
- Building expertise in soft tissue flap repair for preserving limb function and minimizing infection
- Performing basic microvascular techniques to restore tissue and limb integrity as best as possible
To effectively accomplish these objectives, a 3-Stage approach was adopted and remains active:
1. Virtual clinical consult sessions on optimal staging of repairs and medical care protocols
2. Hands-on surgical training off-site using animal and other tissues
3. Paired treatment of Ukraine war victims with training jointly conducted by Penn and Ukrainian surgeons on-site in Ukraine hospital facilities.
The effort is coordinated by the Penn Center for Global Health, led by Dr. Glen Gaulton, guided medically by the Penn Chief Medical Officer, Dr. PJ Brennan, and supported logistically by Ms. Kierstyn Claycomb. As listed here, numerous surgeons at Penn/CHOP provide the essential effort