Ukraine at the AMEE 2024 Conference

From August 24 to 28, 2024, the AMEE 2024 international conference, one of the largest events in medical education, took place in Basel, Switzerland. For the third time, the Ukrainian-Swiss project “Medical Education Development” participated in this prestigious event, alongside representatives from four Ukrainian universities: Danylo Halytsky Lviv National Medical University, Bukovinian State Medical University, Sumy State University, and Uzhhorod National University.

The conference offered participants a unique opportunity to present their research, explore global trends in medical education, and exchange ideas with over 3,300 colleagues from 108 countries.

Representatives of the project, Olena Ihnashchuk and Olha Korolenko, delivered presentations in various conference sessions. Olena presented the results of a study conducted by the project’s co-authors on the challenges faced by Ukrainian medical universities during the full-scale invasion in a poster presentation. Additionally, she contributed to the “Point of View” session with a thought-provoking discussion titled: “How Many CPD Points Does It Take to Be a Good Doctor?”

Olha, who participated online, shared the results of a study on the evaluation of the educational environment in undergraduate medical education, comparing data from 2019 and 2023.

A particular point of pride was the participation of Ukrainian educators, whose abstracts were selected by the conference’s organizing committee. One of their works was even nominated for the Patil Award for Innovation in Education. For many participants, this was their first experience presenting at AMEE and speaking live at such a prestigious level.

The educators shared their impressions:

“I’m incredibly happy to have had the opportunity to feel like a part of AMEE, bringing attention to crucial areas and issues in higher medical education, particularly diversity and inclusion, the use of artificial intelligence, and simulation methods for developing clinical and communication skills in future doctors,” shared Liubov Hutor from Danylo Halytsky Lviv National Medical University.

“I was particularly impressed by topics related to integrating artificial intelligence into the learning process, adapting medical education to climate change, developing students’ soft skills, and fostering individualized approaches to teaching and mentoring. These areas are highly relevant to our country, and I’m confident that adopting such practices can significantly improve the quality of training for future doctors,” said Oleksandra Reho from Uzhhorod National University.

During their time in Basel, the educators also visited the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, which implements the Medical Education Development Project in Ukraine. Colleagues from the institute and the University of Basel shared their experience in integrating research components into medical training programs, including through MD-PhD pathways.

The “Medical Education Development” project continues to implement the best global practices in preparing Ukrainian healthcare professionals. Participation in AMEE 2024 is a significant step toward achieving this goal.

Read more about AMEE 2024 in the project newsletter: Newsletter-16 (PDF).