User:Олег Вдов'як/Global Medical Knowledge Alliance

Global Medical Knowledge Alliance is an international organization founded in 2017 by Ukrainian-American surgeons.

Based in Boston, its nonprofit and non-governmental purpose is to continue increasing the capacity of the Ukrainian health care system through the dissemination of evidence-based medical information and implementation of educational and humanitarian projects in the field of medicine. The organization’s founder and CEO is Nelya Melnitchouk, MD, MSc, FACS.

GMKA Ukraine, the official representative of the Global Medical Knowledge Alliance in Ukraine, was registered in 2022.

Mission
Global Medical Knowledge Alliance (GMKA) is working to improve cancer and trauma care in Ukraine and globally by developing educational content for both physicians and patients that is evidence-based, written by experts, and available through an online educational platform.

Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, GMKA has expanded its work to include medical relief efforts. The organization has worked to develop and distribute educational materials in the Ukrainian language, provide medical supplies, and support patients and medical professionals in this time of crisis.

Team
Members of the GMKA team are internationally recognized experts in their respective fields, active practitioners of medicine and surgery, opinion leaders and members of diverse medical groups from around the world.

GMKA’s educational materials respond to the critical need for open access, reliable, translated and evidence-based information in Ukraine and globally. GMKA articles undergo a rigorous peer-review process and are translated into Ukrainian by trained medical translators.

ATLS translation
GMKA’s members translated the Advanced Trauma Life Support training manual into Ukrainian, ensuring Ukrainian health care professionals have the ability to access training materials developed by the American College of Surgeons for the management of acute trauma cases. ATLS is considered the world standard for medical professionals who care for trauma patients. The approach is systematic and concise as well as safe and reliable.

The manual consists of 13 chapters that contain important information on chest, head, musculoskeletal system and eye injuries. Also, ATLS provides a method for the immediate management of injured patients and information on managing patients with burns, conducting an initial examination of patients requiring acute trauma care, and providing medical assistance with limited resources during mass casualty incidents, such as wartime.

Cancer care at the time of war
The Russian invasion of Ukraine has disrupted the ability of physicians to care for their patients. This disruption is especially critical in the field of cancer care, as delays in the evaluation and treatment of cancer can lead to uncontrollable disease progression and worsening of patient prognoses.

GMKA is working with the National Cancer Institute in Kyiv, Ukraine, as well as with other regional cancer centers, to assess critical needs within the Ukrainian health care system and assess gaps in cancer care. Electronic data collection will be crucial in the provision of care and distribution of vital oncologic resources during the war, as well as the rebuilding of the medical system in Ukraine in the following years.

Aid for Ukraine
GMKA is committed to supporting Ukrainian physicians and hospitals in crisis. The organization provides medical and surgical supplies to hospitals based on their most critical needs by performing formal gap analyses with Ukrainian hospitals, health organizations and partner physicians on the frontlines.

GMKA has a reliable delivery system through established logistical networks in the United States and Europe and has delivered stop the bleed kits, tourniquets, surgical instruments, surgical staplers, electrosurgical equipment, surgical headlights and other critically needed supplies to multiple hospitals across Ukraine.

Observerships for Ukrainian physicians and trainees
The Russian invasion of Ukraine has disrupted the ability of physicians and medical schools to train the next generation of doctors. GMKA is working with the American Society for Clinical Society for Clinical Oncology (ASCO), the Ukrainian Medical Association of North America (UMANA), Dana Farber Cancer Institute (DFCI), Stanford University, the MD Anderson Cancer Center, Brown University, and other partners to secure funding and streamline logistics for the creation of 3-6 month observerships, visiting instructor positions, and research opportunities for Ukrainian physicians and trainees.

Mobile App HealUA
GMKA has partnered with Empat studio to create the HealUA application. This mobile platform allows Ukrainian physicians and physicians from other countries to communicate patient care concerns, share knowledge and experience, and answer each other’s questions regarding clinical topics.

Links

 * Offficial website