Ukraine war relief

Background

This project brings maternity doctors from Odesa to a UW-affiliated teaching hospital (with NICU) to learn modern, evidence-based obstetric and postpartum practices. It matters because births in Ukraine occur under rocket/drone threats and outdated Soviet-era protocols, and mothers must often buy their own low-quality supplies—even surgical sutures—leading to preventable complications. Our goals: (1) hands-on clinical shadowing to modernize care; (2) a supplies drive to equip Odesa with quality postpartum items; (3) curated shipments of natural postpartum care kits to speed healing; and (4) exposure to a stand-alone birth center to adapt techniques for low-resource or bomb-shelter conditions. Outcomes we aim for: safer deliveries, faster maternal recovery, reduced infection/dehiscence, and a sustainable knowledge-transfer pipeline between U.S. and Ukrainian clinicians.