WHO Europe Public Health Leadership Course 2024 – Kyiv, Ukraine

So happy to be part of the faculty delivering a Public Health Leadership course in Ukraine. It’s designed for 50 Ukrainian public health leaders to enhance their skills in communication (that’s me) and so much more, all while identifying innovative approaches to emerging public health challenges. I led three sessions on communications.

I was bowled over by the Ukrainians I met who are delivering front line services in the middle of a war – rehabilitation to soldiers, primary health care to the elderly in Donetsk and Kharkiv, mental health services to everyone. Imagine life when the air raid alarm goes off on your phone 1-3 times a night. We all rushed to the air raid shelter. The Ukrainians first checked their social media channels to see what it was (missile, drone) and then decided whether to take cover. I met the head of nursing in Ukraine who had to make the tough choice to send her 13 year old daughter to Germany while she stayed to support her country.

I’ve heard some incredible stories around increasing trust in vaccination, improving mental health, rehabilitating soldiers, motivating your team (even when you don’t feel like it), enhancing the quality of nursing, putting the people of your country ahead of your own desires, working with communities to solve challenges, all in the middle of a war.

Gives new meaning to the words resilience and grit. And makes the few trips to the air raid shelter we’ve done pale in comparison of what these people do every single day.

And I am delighted to discover that Chicken Kyiv is even more delicious in the place where it is from!