SickKids
Paediatric Fellowship Program
by Walter Derzko
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On Friday,
November 1, 2013, The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids),
together with the Children of Chornobyl Canadian Fund (CCCF) and the
Ukrainian Canadian Congress (UCC) launched the Ukraine Child Health
Fellowship Program to an enthusiastic audience of well over 100
invited guests. The evening was opened by MC Chrystia Freeland. She
also introduced the two Ukrainian paediatric neurosurgery fellows
undergoing clinical training at SickKids: Dr. Taras Mykytyn,
paediatric neurosurgeon from Lviv, Ukraine and Dr. Konstiantyn
Kostiuk, a general neurosurgeon from Kyiv Ukraine.
The first
speaker was Dr. Stanley Zlotkin, Chief, Centre for Global Child
Health, Hospital for Sick Children, who spoke about the hospital’s
ongoing international initiatives. As Canada’s leading paediatric
health sciences centre, the Global Child Health program is based on
four integrated components: research; education and capacity
building; advocacy and knowledge translation; and a national-global
health policy initiative.
Dr. James
Rutka, neurosurgeon at SickKids and Project Leader for the fellowship
program explained the importance of better access to proper care for
children in Ukraine, with specific and often complex health issues.
Dr Rutka traveled to Ukraine in June of this year along with Dr. Mark
Bernstein, (professor of surgery at the University of Toronto and
neurosurgeon at Toronto Western Hospital). Dr Rutka, who proudly
proclaimed his Ukrainian heritage, then showed an entertaining
travel log of pictures, which he described as a very memorable trip.
This included sightseeing and as well as clinical visits with young
patients in Lviv and Kyiv hospitals. Both doctors even suited up and
performed a complex neurological operation to train their
counterparts in Ukraine.
Then Dr.
Myroslava Romach, Director, CCCF and International Medical Liaison
for the Ukrainian Paediatric Fellowship Program was presented with an
electronic album of Dr. Rutka’s slides as a thank you gift. She
organized and guided Dr. Rutka and Dr. Berstein on their recent trip
to Ukraine.
Paul Grod,
President of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress (UCC) brought greeting
from the UCC, and spoke about the need for the community to support
this worthwhile project. He then publicly kicked off the fundraising
campaign by donating $1000 from the Paul Grod family.
Other
special guests included Anatoliy Oliynyk, Acting Consul General of
Ukraine in Toronto, Ted Garrard, President and CEO SickKids
Foundation, Grant Sterling, VP SickKids Foundation, and Dr. Mychailo
Kondracki, and Renata Roman, Co-Presidents of the Children of
Chornobyl Canadian Fund.
Major
gifts to date have included: $1.05 Million donated to the CCCF by
Fredrick Tkachuk of Saskatchewan (The CCCF then donated the gift to
the SickKids Foundation); $50,000 from the CCCF to purchase medical
equipment in Ukraine, such as a neurosurgical microscope. Dr. Romach
and her husband have committed to match donations in support of the
fundraising campaign up to $100,000. The Paul Grod family offered a
$1,000 donation, as mentioned above.
After the
formal event, the crowd was treated to wine and a delicious food
table, which included traditional Ukrainian perogies with onions and
bacon bits. Many people stayed well past the official program and
late into the evening chatting and socializing. See future editions
of New Pathway newspaper for interviews with Dr James Rutka, Dr.
Myroslava Romach and the two neurosurgical fellows from Ukraine.
PHOTO
Front Row (L. to R.): Dr
Mychailo Kondracki, Renata Roman, Dr. James Rutka, Dr. Myroslava
Romach, Chrystia Freeland, Dr. Stanley Zlotkin, wife of Dr. Kostiuk,
Dr. Kostiantyn Kostiuk. Back Row (L. to R.): Dr. Taras Mykytyn, Paul
Grod