Orthopaedic surgeons at Hamilton Health Sciences (HHS) and McMaster University are helping their Ukrainian counterparts provide more effective and specialized care to patients injured in war. The ASSIST Canada – Ukraine Project aims to strengthen the skills and capacity of Ukrainian surgeons, enabling them to bring new knowledge and skills back home to improve patient care and support the broader Ukrainian health care system.
“Witnessing Russia’s unprovoked attacks on Ukraine, especially on civilian infrastructure, I felt compelled to act. With a small, mostly volunteer team, we launched the ASSIST project to support surgeons thrust into crisis,” says Dr. Mark Pahuta, spine surgeon at HHS, WH Kwok Chair in Spinal Surgery Research at McMaster University, and founder/lead for ASSIST Canada – Ukraine.
“The team started by collecting donated fracture implants, supplies and other medical equipment. We then began training Ukrainian surgeons virtually, and have since welcomed 11 Ukrainian physicians to HHS to learn specialized skills that they can take back to help their fellow citizens.”
In 2022 in response to the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, McMaster University’s Department of Surgery began training surgeons in Ukraine virtually through the ASSIST Project – which stands for “Advanced Surgical Skills and ImplantS for Trauma”. In 2024, the project expanded to invite three experienced Ukrainian trauma surgeons to HHS to observe and learn specialized practices and complex case treatment in a clinical setting. And in 2024 the McMaster-Ukraine Orthopaedic Trauma Fellowship launched, in which four Ukrainian trauma surgeons came to Hamilton and learned advanced and specialized techniques through an apprenticeship model at HHS.
“The McMaster-Ukraine Orthopaedic Trauma Fellowship is possibly the first trauma-focused Fellowship for Ukrainians in Canada,” says Dr. Paul Moroz, surgical professor at McMaster University and a co-founder with Dr. Pahuta of the ASSIST Project. “Hands-on, in-person, training may be the highest-standard for surgical education enabling the fastest acquisition of advanced surgical skills.”
A significant proportion of combat injuries are orthopedic traumas affecting the arms and legs. These injuries have lasting consequences – young individuals may face the rest of their life with the loss of one or more limbs. ASSIST’s primary mission is to reduce these long-term impacts by improving surgical outcomes.
“The learning and sharing that has taken place through the project has not only been beneficial for the surgeons returning to Ukraine, but for the surgeons based in Hamilton as well,” says Dr. Mohit Bhandari, Distinguished University Professor and Chair of the Department of Surgery at McMaster University. “The relationships we’ve built with Ukrainian surgeons has helped us to understand the larger needs and opportunities to help those affected by war.”
Moving forward, the project is expanding its support for Ukrainian medical professionals, continuing the Orthopaedic Trauma Fellowship in 2025–2026, and actively working to secure funding to sustain and grow the program – the next fellow will be arriving this month (October).
Currently, the project is hosting Dr. Mariia Kuzeikiv until April 2026. In Ukraine, Kuzeikiv works in a public trauma hospital, where she treats civilians and military officers who have been injured in the conflict.
“Most of the patients I work with suffer from gunshot and blast trauma – mostly it's blast trauma from explosions,” she said. “My main goal is to help a patient recover primary movements.”
Once back in Ukraine, Kuzeikiv hopes to use what she learned in Hamilton to help those injured in Lviv.
“I really think that I'll improve my skills and I'll implement everything that they’re [teaching] here because it's very necessary right now,” she said.
ASSIST will be launching a spine surgery fellowship starting in April 2026, and the Project will continue to identify and address the educational needs of Ukrainian surgeons, and help hospital partners in Ukraine acquire critical surgical equipment – strengthening health care capacity across the country.
“We’re delighted to welcome our friends from Ukraine, and I’m proud of the strong collaboration across our teams that makes opportunities like this possible,” says Dr. Matthew Denkers, interim surgeon-in-chief at HHS and Associate Professor of Orthopedic Surgery at McMaster University.
The ASSIST initiative was developed by a small project team supported by volunteers, under the leadership of Dr. Mark Pahuta, and enabled through generous support from health care partners and charitable funders.