UA Initiative’s on the ground volunteer team in Poland was recently contacted by a school librarian in Puławy who was seeking urgent help for a student named Zofia. At sixteen, Zofia left Ukraine alone at the start of the war and has been trying to build a life in Poland without stable family support. She has been managing anxiety, depression, panic attacks and insomnia while maintaining a 4.5 GPA and planning for university.
A Ukrainian refugee who came to the U.S. seeking safety and a new beginning — taken too soon.
At just 23 years old, Iryna Zarutska had already survived the war in Ukraine and built a new life in Charlotte, North Carolina. She worked hard to support her mother and younger siblings, dreaming of peace, stability, and a future filled with possibility.
One of the impactful initiatives is the Administrative International Observership Program, which
welcomes early- and mid-career oncology teams from Ukraine for four-week rotations at leading US
University Cancer Centers. Each program is customized to the team’s s goals for their Cancer
Center, giving them tailored exposure to advanced practices across surgery, oncology and
operations.
Pack the Plane organizes medical missions that provide hands-on guidance and training through supervised, combined cases with mixed US and Ukrainian physician teams. In addition to teaching, our teams helps to close gaps left by physicians serving on the front lines, stepping in to support local medical educators and conduct clinical consultations with patients. All missions are logistically and financially supported by Pack the Plane, while participating physicians use their personal time to travel and volunteer in Ukraine.
