New humanitarian fellowship created at UCalgary addresses the wounds of war

Dr. Olga Denysiuk is a highly skilled eye surgeon in Ukraine who now finds herself at the frontlines of ophthalmic trauma care caused by war. 

“Every day, I am fighting my war in the operating room,” says Denysiuk, MD, PhD. “Cases of eye trauma are mounting and it’s critical that we have surgeons trained to delicately manage eyelid and orbital injuries.”

Denysiuk is one of two ocular specialists selected for a unique humanitarian fellowship at the University of Calgary’s Cumming School of Medicine (CSM), training surgeons in areas of geopolitical crisis in advanced periocular reconstructive techniques. 

“The devastating effects of war extend beyond the battlefield, leaving lasting scars on the bodies and lives of those affected,” says Dr. Karim Punja, MD, an orbit and oculofacial plastic surgeon and clinical associate professor at CSM. 

“Recognizing the acute shortage of oculofacial plastic surgery expertise, we devised a fellowship that is as much about healing those impacted by war as it is about learning.” 

During the one-year program, Denysiuk will spend four months immersed in advanced surgical techniques in Calgary, then return to Ukraine for four months to apply those skills with virtual and in-person surgical mentorship from Punja; Dr. Michael Kryshtalskyj, MD, a fourth-year ophthalmology resident; and other Alberta Health Services surgeons. The cycle completes with a four-month return to Calgary.

The idea for the fellowship grew out of an impromptu conversation between Punja and Kryshtalskyj, who is also the co-founder of the Canadian Ophthalmological Society Foundation’s Eyes on Ukraine Initiative. The pan-Canadian program is dedicated to supporting the treatment of eye injuries in Ukraine.

“The need for specialized care in treating complex blast injuries will persist for decades,” says Kryshtalskyj. “Fellowship opportunities for Ukrainian ophthalmologists to train in orbit and oculofacial plastic surgery will ensure that Ukraine has the capacity to care for these important injuries in the years to come.”

Ukraine has only a handful of oculofacial plastic surgeons who have the expertise to delicately manage eyelid and orbital injuries, despite being a country of approximately 50 million people.

“Soon after the war started, I started to look for ways I could help,” says Kryshtalskyj, whose grandparents immigrated to Canada from Ukraine after the Second World War. 

Denysiuk and Dr. Oksana Petrenko, MD, PhD, are expected to start the fellowship in the fall. Training sites will include Foothills Medical Centre, Rockyview General Hospital, Alberta Children’s Hospital, Holy Cross Surgical Services and Orbit Eye Centre. 

Punja says a lot of people and organizations came together to make these surgical fellowships a reality.

“We’ve had a lot of support from the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta, as well as the University of Calgary and Alberta Health Services,” says Punja. “I hope this unique fellowship becomes a template for other departments and academic institutions.”

Punja says the one-year format allows gradual learning alongside providing care where the new skills are needed most. Upon completion of the fellowship, the fellow must also be willing to serve the people of Ukraine and to continue paying it forward by providing training to other surgeons. To help with the knowledge translation, Punja will work alongside Denysiuk and Petrenko, in Ukraine, as they apply the new skills and share that knowledge with others. 

“The surgical training is far more impactful by joining my students and their learners in Ukraine,” he says. “It will also allow me to better understand the horrific reality of their situation and how best to garner additional support in terms of capital equipment, surgical supplies and learning resources.” 

CSM leadership is pleased to see the humanitarian fellowship take shape, says Dr. Lisa Welikovitch, MD, senior associate dean of education. “Dr. Punja is a respected educator. We are proud that he will be able to use this expertise to train surgeons in areas of geopolitical crisis," Welikovitch says. 

"We hope the fellowship involving two surgeons from Ukraine is the first of many that can be offered at the Cumming School of Medicine.”

Eyes on Ukraine is fundraising to help support the ophthalmologists during their fellowship and to purchase the supplies required when they return to Ukraine to perform the specialized procedures they’ll learn.