Combating Tuberculosis in Wartime: WHO Delegation Visits Karazin University

Karazin University welcomed a delegation from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Public Health Center of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine. International and national experts learned about the experience of organising tuberculosis care in the Kharkiv region, the Medical School’s research activities and educational opportunities, and discussed areas for future cooperation.

The delegation included Askar Yedilbayev, a senior tuberculosis expert from the WHO Regional Office for Europe in Kazakhstan; physician Leonid Krishchenko; Yana Terleieva, Head of the Tuberculosis Management and Control Department at the Public Health Center and National Tuberculosis Elimination Coordinator; Olesia Medvedieva, a phthisiatrician in the same department; and Liudmyla Prylepina, Chief Analytics Specialist at the Public Health Center.

During the meeting, representatives of the Medical School presented a report entitled “The Fortress in the East: Apocalyptic Notes of a Medical Researcher in War Settings.” It focused on the University’s work in frontline Kharkiv, tuberculosis research, and the possibilities for conducting clinical trials despite security threats, infrastructure damage, and power outages.

Particular attention was paid to interdisciplinary cooperation: at Karazin University, medical researchers work alongside biologists, chemists, physicists, mathematicians and information technology specialists. The experts were introduced to research into the genetic characteristics of the tuberculosis pathogen and its drug resistance. Promising areas of further research include immune responses and biomarkers of difficult-to-treat tuberculosis, as well as non-tuberculous mycobacteria.

Medical education was another important topic of discussion. School representatives outlined students’ practical training at clinical sites, the use of simulation equipment, and international lectures on respiratory