2775 - Strengthening Radiation Oncology in Ukraine through Coordinated Education and Global Partnership
Presenter(s)
N. Kovalchuk1, R. Zelinskyi2, Z. Shepil3, S. Brovchuk4, N. Suchowerska5, V. Iakovenko6, Y. Lozko7, A. Riby8, A. Flanigan8, K. Pavelko8, M. Winemar9, A. P. M. Ternström10, L. Boldrini11, Z. S. Morris12, D. A. Diaz Pardo13, M. Kamrava14, E. Kruse15, S. Goodwin16, J. Hart17, and B. Li18; 1Department of Radiation Oncology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 2Spizhenko Clinic, Kyiv, Ukraine, 3Kyiv Regional Oncology Dispensary, Kyiv, Ukraine, 4LISOD Israeli Oncology Hospital, Pliuty, Ukraine, 5School of Physics, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia, 6Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, 7Stanford Cancer Institute Palo Alto, Palo Alto, CA, 8SweCare, Stockholm, Sweden, 9Södersjukhuset, Stockholm, Sweden, 10Akademiska Sjukhuset, Stockholm, Sweden, 11Fondazione Policlinico Universitario “A. Gemelli” IRCCS, Rome, Italy, 12Department of Human Oncology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, 13University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, 14Cedars Sinai, Los Angeles, CA, 15Rayos Contra Cancer, Seattle, WA, 16PNNL, Richland, WA, United States, 17Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Seattle, WA, United States, 18Department of Radiation Oncology, Fred Hutch Cancer Center, University of Washington, Seattle, WA
Purpose/Objective(s): Russia’s occupation of parts of Ukraine in 2014 and full-scale invasion in 2022 led to 12 radiation oncology departments being occupied and 4 bombed. Nearly one-third of Ukraine’s MV EBRT fleet still relies on aging Co-60 units (mostly procured in Russia) whose source replacement is no longer feasible. As new linear accelerators and brachytherapy afterloaders are rapidly deployed by the Ministry of Health and RT departments, coordinated nationwide workforce training became essential. In response, Help Ukraine Group and Rayos Contra Cancer, with support from SweCare, Elekta, the Office of Radiological Security, and partners including ASTRO, ESTRO, AAPM, and ABS, launched a national education initiative in 2025 to support Ukraine’s transition to modern 3D, IMRT, SBRT, and brachytherapy and strengthen clinical, technical, and research capacity.
Materials/Methods: This mixed-format initiative combined practical on-site, virtual remote, and international training. In Ukraine, eight 3-day hands-on workshops were organized by HUG for ROs and RTTs at the Shalimov Institute, and 15 workshops for MPs at the Spizhenko Clinic and National Cancer Institute, Kyiv. Twelve RO/MP/RTT professionals completed 2-week observerships at Södersjukhuset and Akademiska Sjukhuset (Sweden). Three participants attended ESTRO 2025 in Vienna. Virtual training included RCC-led courses on transitioning from 2D to 3D RT, plan evaluation, and head-and-neck contouring, as well as HUG-led SBRT, brachytherapy, radiobiology, and research methodology courses in collaboration with ASTRO, AAPM, ABS, and ESTRO. ESTRO also provided 40 contouring course registrations. In addition, mentorship was provided by the Australian radiation oncology teams to the clinics transitioning from Co-60 to IMRT, and RTT book was translated into Ukrainian. Program evaluation included pre-/post-tests and satisfaction surveys after each activity.
Results: A total of 1,079 training participations from 37 RT centers (covering 67% of all RT workforce in the country) were recorded across all formats: 777 virtual, 124 on-site workshops, 12 international observerships, and 166 conference-based sessions. Virtual participants demonstrated a 47.3% mean improvement in test scores, with satisfaction ratings of 9.8/10. On-site workshop participants showed a 29.7% knowledge gain and rated sessions 10.0/10. Observership participants reported high satisfaction (9.8/10) and implementation of new clinical workflows at their home institutions.
Conclusion: This coordinated national training model, combining local workshops, RTT education resources, international observerships, mentorship, and virtual learning strengthened Ukraine’s RT capacity during wartime. Continued investment in such collaborative frameworks is essential to support Ukraine’s transition to modern RT and build long-term system resilience.