Experience That Improves Care: Ukrainian Physicians Complete Training at Boston Children’s Hospital with GMKA Support
In the midst of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine, Ukrainian physicians continue to provide care under extraordinary pressure — treating complex trauma, maintaining essential services, and doing so amid damaged infrastructure, power and heat outages, and constant security risks. In this context, access to advanced clinical expertise and international collaboration is not just a professional opportunity — it is a critical investment in the resilience and future of Ukraine’s healthcare system.
To advance this mission, Global Medical Knowledge Alliance (GMKA), together with Boston Children’s Hospital and with support from Foundation S through the Know-HOW educational initiative of the Tabletochki Foundation, organized a clinical observership for two Ukrainian physicians at Boston Children’s Hospital, one of the world’s leading pediatric medical centers.
The participants — Dr. Viktor Rokutov, a pediatric orthopedic and trauma surgeon from the Regional Medical Center for Family Health in Dnipro, and Dr. Taras Borachok, a pediatric anesthesiologist from the Clinical Center for Pediatric Medicine in Lviv — gained hands-on exposure to the hospital’s clinical workflows, multidisciplinary decision-making, patient safety systems, and approaches to complex pediatric cases. The knowledge and insights they acquired are already being applied back home, informing the work of their departments and enhancing care for the children they treat every day.
Boston Children’s Hospital, the main training and research hospital of Harvard Medical School, is globally recognized for treating the most complex pediatric cases and for setting international standards in pediatric medicine through research, innovation, and education. Observing these systems firsthand gives Ukrainian clinicians practical tools to strengthen processes, improve teamwork, and implement evidence-based practices in their own hospitals.
“This training significantly influenced my understanding of a well-developed healthcare system,” said Dr. Rokutov. “The organization of clinical work is impressive: everyone is truly in the right place, performing their role carefully and responsibly. This experience motivates me to focus on continuous self-improvement and on improving how care is organized in my own department.”
The true value of the observership extends far beyond the individual physicians. Knowledge gained in Boston is being shared with colleagues, shaping departmental protocols, and directly influencing clinical decisions. In Ukrainian hospitals — where doctors often manage high patient volumes with limited resources — even small improvements in organization, communication, and clinical approach can have a measurable impact on thousands of young patients each year.
Equally important was the opportunity to establish lasting professional connections.
“This is one of the key reasons such observerships matter. At any moment, a clinical case may arise that you won’t find described in the literature. In those situations, having contacts with colleagues who encounter such cases more often and can offer guidance is incredibly valuable,” said Dr. Borachok.
Both physicians are participants in the Know-HOW educational initiative of the Tabletochki Foundation, which has invested in the professional development of Ukrainian medical specialists since 2017. GMKA supports these programs because international clinical training creates system-level benefits — strengthening expertise, building knowledge-sharing networks, and ultimately improving care across Ukraine.
GMKA is deeply grateful to its partners and supporters whose commitment makes this work possible. Together, we are helping ensure that even in the face of war, Ukrainian children receive care informed by the best global medical standards — today and in the years to come.