On December 7, 2024, during the Massachusetts Chapter of the American College of Surgeons (ACS) 2024 Annual Meeting, Dr. Ali Dzhemiliev, a member of the GMKA team and a surgical resident at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, presented research on the impact of the Principles of Surgery course on surgical education for residents and early-career surgeons in Ukraine. Dr. Dzhemiliev was honored with the prestigious Resident Research Award for his contributions.

The Massachusetts Chapter ACS Annual Meeting is a highly esteemed conference held in Boston, Massachusetts, that brings together surgeons, residents, researchers, and medical students to exchange knowledge and share advancements in the field. Dr. Dzhemiliev’s recognition underscores the exceptional quality of this research and highlights the international significance of GMKA’s initiatives in supporting surgical education.

The Principles of Surgery course, a year-long online program running from September 2023 to June 2024, featured 36 interactive lectures delivered in English. Renowned surgeons from the United States and Europe provided expert insights into core surgical topics, while participants engaged in discussions and tackled complex clinical cases.

The course was led by Dr. Nelya Melnitchouk, GMKA founder and a surgeon at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and Dr. Solomiia Semeniv, Course Director and General Surgery Resident at University Hospital in Kraków. Key contributors included Marta Antoniv, Inesa Huivaniuk, Michael Koschish, Mariana Kuryk, Halyna Shabat, Svitlana Bielichenko, Taras Ivanykovych, and Maksym Danylyshyn.

Despite the immense challenges posed by the ongoing war in Ukraine — including missile strikes, power outages, and internet disruptions — the course was a resounding success. It welcomed 42 surgeons from 16 cities across Ukraine, selected from a pool of 204 applicants based on their English proficiency, motivation, CVs, and recommendation letters.

Recorded lectures are now available on the GMKA YouTube channel, where they have received over 8,000 views. Participants’ surveys demonstrated a substantial improvement in both knowledge and confidence. Surgical knowledge increased from 52% to 74%, while confidence in managing surgical cases rose from 45% to 60%. Notably, over 80% of participants attended all sessions, and 83.3% reported that the course positively impacted their professional practice.

“It was an honor to present this work at such a prestigious conference and to receive the Resident Research Award for our collaborative efforts,” said Dr. Ali Dzhemiliev. “I’m deeply grateful to the GMKA team for their dedication to creating this course. This inspires us to work harder and continue our initiatives in improving Ukrainian healthcare through education, research, and quality improvement.”

The GMKA research abstract, Education in Adversity: A Pioneering Initiative to Enhance Surgical Knowledge in Wartime Ukraine, emphasizes that our online course can address critical gaps in Ukrainian surgical education and can serve as an example to enhance surgical education in times of crisis.