Ukraine

The second-largest country in eastern Europe, Ukraine is an independent nation with a geopolitically charged history that has informed its development over centuries. In February 2022, Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and the continuing conflict has had a disastrous impact on civilian life. There is widespread suffering among Ukraine’s people and serious damage to the country’s infrastructure.

The health-related problems occurring – and mounting – are described by the World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe in a recent report: “Attacks on the country’s health system and its power network threaten people, compromise the provision of health care, and complicate the distribution of essential medicines and equipment. Delays and interruptions to treatment have been affecting millions of people, exacerbating war-related trauma and disease both within and beyond the country’s borders.”

Resource needs are vast and encompass many health-related aspects, from emergency response and disaster relief through long-term rebuilding and ongoing attention to health, in all its complex forms. Effective and efficient mobilization of resources depends on the availability of timely and accurate information about on-the-ground dynamics in Ukraine and the surrounding region.

Contributing to Solutions

At Rutgers Global Health Institute, we are actively engaged in research and collaborations that are focused on health issues in Ukraine. These initiatives originated with a first-of-its-kind study, led by assistant professor of global health and epidemiology Ubydul Haque and published in BMJ Global Health, about the health impacts of the Russia-Ukraine war. Today, Rutgers Global Health Institute is working with partners at 12 universities and research institutions in Ukraine. Together, we are conducting multimodal research to identify the urgent health problems that have been created or exacerbated by the conflict. We also are continuously optimizing our research efforts in order to predict and address the unrelenting health-related challenges that lie ahead.

Active Collaborations

Throughout Ukraine, Rutgers Global Health Institute has partnered with multiple universities and research institutions to address health-related problems in the country and region.

• Bogomolets National Medical University
• Danylo Halytsky Lviv National Medical University
• Kharkiv National Medical University
• Kyiv Medical University
• Lviv Polytechnic National University
• National Aerospace University
• National Research Center for Radiation Medicine
• National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine
• Odesa Regional Center for Public Health
• Poltava State Medical University
• Sumy State University
• Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv

Research Studies

Led by principal investigator Ubydul Haque, an assistant professor of global health at Rutgers Global Health Institute and assistant professor of epidemiology at Rutgers School of Public Health, the following research studies are completed or underway: