Five medical professionals from Ukraine began their tour of Oahu medical facilities Monday, July 25, at Kapiolani Medical Center for Women & Children. They will spend five days learning, training and collaborating with Hawaii doctors, nurses and other health care experts about treatment and rehabilitation of war injuries. Organizers of this visit hope the specialty care techniques shared by Hawaii health professionals can help the delegation address casualties of war and future medical needs of Ukraine.

At Kapiolani, the delegation focused on best practices in caring for children. They attended instructional sessions to discuss rehabilitation after catastrophic injury, patient transport and other topics. On Thursday, July 28, the group will visit Straub Medical Center and its Burn Unit, the only specialized facility of its kind in the Pacific Region.

The Ukraine delegation includes:

• Dr. Olena Dolynna, Department of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine at the National Pirogov Memorial Medical University in Vinnytsia.
• Dr. Pavlyna Kosar, Rivne Regional Hospital for War Veterans.
• Daria Krapiva, a physical therapist from City Clinical Hospital No. 4.
• Iryna Zaslavets, director of development at First Territorial Medical Association of Lviv.
• Dr. Kateryna Zinovieva, Regional Clinical Center of Neurosurgery and Neurology.

The visit is the result of a partnership between the Congressional Office for International Leadership’s Open World program, the Rotary Club of Honolulu Sunset and Hawaii’s District 5000 Rotarians. Rotary Club members will host the five delegates, their facilitator and an interpreter throughout their stay July 22-30, 2022. Kapiolani Chief Operating Officer Gidget Ruscetta is a member of the Rotary Club.

More than 30,000 current and future leaders from about 19 post-Soviet-era countries have visited the United States since the Open World Leadership Center was established in 1999. They have studied a wide range of fields, including renewable energy, business and more.

Photo: Ukrainian delegates with Kapiolani Medical Center for Women & Children Chief Operating Officer Gidget Ruscetta (center) and Rotary Club of Honolulu Sunset’s Winton Schoneman (left).