Ukrainian Doctors Start Training in the US to Advance Pain Medicine Care

October 6, 2025 – New Heaven, CT

Doctors United for Ukraine (DU4U), in partnership with Nova Ukraine and with the support of the Yale World Partnership Fund, launched a groundbreaking one-month observership at Yale School of Medicine (YSM) and Yale New Haven Hospital. The program brings Ukrainian physicians to study advanced approaches to treating chronic pain and integrating mental health care.

“Relieving pain is a fundamental duty of any doctor. Especially now, for Ukrainians with physical and mental trauma from the ongoing war, resulting in chronic impairments,” says Andrey Zinchuk, Vice President of DU4U, Medicine, YSM. “We are partnering with Ukrainian physicians to advance evidence-based chronic pain treatment there and to learn from them about innovations forged during this war that help people in other conflicts.” 

“War in Ukraine caused a surge in complex trauma, amputations, and chronic pain syndromes among military and civilian populations. Chronic pain is an especially complex medical issue, affecting the daily lives of trauma survivors,” said Oksana Gologorska, Vice President of Medical Projects at Nova Ukraine. “In Ukraine, this field is changing in response to unprecedented need, through updating care standards, training specialists, and modernizing facilities, however the current capacity does not match the level of patient needs. That is why supporting Ukrainian doctors in gaining international experience is absolutely critical. Our goal is to establish world class chronic pain treatment in Ukraine accessible to all.”

Six physicians from across Ukraine, anesthesiologists and psychiatrists, have been selected to participate. They bring with them wartime experience treating pain, trauma, and psychological distress in both civilian and military patients.

“As an anesthesiologist working with military patients, I see how chronic pain is never just physical, it reshapes mental health, families, and entire communities. At Yale, I want to learn new approaches while sharing personal experience in trauma care,” says Maksym Tkachuk, anesthesiologist from Chernivtsi.

Over the course of the month, Ukrainian physicians will engage in clinical observation, interactive seminars, and interdisciplinary case discussions with YSM specialists in anesthesiology, psychiatry, addiction medicine, and rehabilitation. They will gain exposure to multimodal therapies: from pharmacology to advanced interventions such as regional anesthesia, cryoablation, and neurolysis, while also contributing insights from Ukraine’s wartime medical practice.

Ukraine Without Pain Initiative

For Nova Ukraine, this support for physician training aligns with a broader initiative, Ukraine Without Pain, launched together with doctors from different regions from Ukraine and the Ministry of Health of Ukraine. The initiative invests in advanced clinical education for Ukrainian physicians, equips hospitals and clinics with modern tools for chronic pain care, and sponsors sociological research to better understand the burden of pain and guide the development of national treatment protocols. 

Through Ukraine Without Pain, Nova Ukraine seeks to drive systemic reform in Ukraine’s healthcare system, linking local expertise with international best practices.