How Yale Training Is Helping Ukrainian Doctors Treat War-Related Trauma
One year after training at Yale, Ukrainian physicians are applying new approaches to mental health and pain care and sharing their knowledge with colleagues at home. How do you treat insomnia when sedating medication may not be the best option, because ongoing air raids require a person to be able to wake quickly and get to safety? Dr. Olena Nikolenko, a psychiatrist and psychotherapist at Ukrainian Mental Clinic, working with anxiety and depressive disorders, PTSD, OCD, addictions, and chronic pain, says that sleep became a particularly important area in the context of the war. Considering the specific challenges presented by recurrent threats, she wanted to expand her knowledge of non-pharmacological approaches to sleep management and learn additional ways of supporting patients living under prolonged and unpredictable stress. Her interest brought her to the observership at Yale School of Medicine and Yale New Haven Hospital, organized by Doctors United for Ukraine in partnership with Nova Ukraine and supported by Yale’s World Partnership Fund. In October 2025, Nova Ukraine sponsored two Ukrainian physicians, Dr. Olena Nikolenko and Dr. Maksym Tkachuk, selected to participate in a four-week program, IMPACT-UA (Improving Pain Management and Mental Health Treatment in Conflict Territories: Ukraine).