DUNDEE University has been commended for its support of medical students displaced by the war in Ukraine.
Professor Iain Gillespie, the university’s principal and vice-chancellor, has received a special medal and plaque from Dnipro State Medical University (DSMU), from where students have travelled to Dundee to continue with their training.
Teaching at Dnipro has been severely impacted since the Russian invasion of Ukraine with hands-on opportunities available for Ukrainian students who remain in their homeland.
The twinning agreement with the Ukrainian university is part of a wider package of involvement with Dundee’s School of Medicine that includes supporting learning and fundraising.
Professor Kamilla Mahrlamova joined from DSMU and is acting as a mentor and support for Viktoriia and Olesia, two students who are continuing their studies in Dundee.
She said: “The Ukrainian healthcare system is currently searching for ways out of this crisis, and we are trying to build a new medical care model closer to global standards.
“The sustainability of DSMU’s medical education programme globally and during wartime requires us to reach out internationally to seek out the highest standard of medical education for our future doctors.
“After the war is over, we would like to invite representatives of the University of Dundee to DSMU. This active international cooperation will contribute to raising the status of DSMU in higher medical education circles.”
The head of medicine at Dundee University Dr Ellie Hothersall said: “We hope that this is the beginning of a regular series of placements for students from Dnipro, as we work through the complex logistics involved.”
This comes as Chinese leader Xi Jinping met with Vladimir Putin after the International Criminal Court charged the Russian President with war crimes.
On Sunday, Putin visited the occupied port city of Mariupol which marked his first trip to Ukrainian territory that Moscow annexed in September.
