Foreign Language Week at Ternopil National Medical University

From April 21 to 25, 2025, the Department of Foreign Languages at I.Ya. Horbachevsky Ternopil National Medical University hosted Foreign Language Week. The department’s faculty—Professors Nadiia Fedchyshyn and Tetiana Khvalyboha, Associate Professors Nataliia Yelahina, Halyna Klishch, Mariia Kichula, Ivanna Humenna, Halyna Kitura, Iryna Prokop, Mariia Bobak, and Lecturer Nataliia Hantimurova—organized engaging and interactive activities in English and German.

Professor Tetiana Khvalyboha organized the now traditional and popular “Brainstorming” game for students of the Medical Faculty (groups MM-120 and MM-213). In a relaxed and friendly atmosphere, students demonstrated excellent knowledge, creativity, and the ability to think in English, gaining not only new skills but also great enjoyment from teamwork.

Students of group MM-218, with Associate Professor Nataliia Yelahina, held an interactive lesson in English for Professional Purposes through presentations on current topics in women’s reproductive health. The participants presented thorough reports in English on the following themes: fertility preservation in women with cancer (methods, ethical aspects, and interdisciplinary collaboration); polycystic ovary syndrome (symptoms, diagnosis, lifestyle changes, and psychological effects); endometriosis (causes of late diagnosis, accessible treatment, and improving communication with patients); innovative contraceptive technologies (patient awareness and new developments); and maternal mortality and unequal access to prenatal care across different countries.

Students of group MM-217 demonstrated remarkable abilities and creativity during their English for Professional Purposes class on the topic of Infertility, supervised by Associate Professor Iryna Prokop. They prepared engaging presentations, creative tasks, crosswords, and a quiz, showing a strong interest in learning professional medical English.

Associate Professor Ivanna Humenna conducted a series of sessions where students presented projects in both English and Latin. Group MM-116 focused on the Blood Circulatory System, emphasizing anatomical vocabulary and organ functions. Future dentists from group SS-103 delivered presentations on Gingivitis, incorporating medical terminology and clinical case studies. Students from group MM-112 presented Latin projects on Solid Dosage Forms, explaining prescription formulas and terminology. These sessions fostered professional language development, vocabulary growth, and public speaking skills in English and Latin.

A dynamic and creative English for Professional Purposes lesson was held for first-year dental students of group SS-105, led by Associate Professor Halyna Kitura. Students creatively explored the topic of Xerostomia, emphasized the role of English for professional use in mastering dental terminology, and demonstrated strong command of dental English, quick responsiveness, and effective teamwork.

Students of group 210 from the Medical Faculty, together with Associate Professor Mariia Kichula, explored the topic Female Reproductive System by crafting an imaginative story about the Swan family living closely with their “neighbors” (other body organs). Each family member was described in detail, representing a vital component of the reproductive system.

As Foreign Language Week coincided with the Easter period, Lecturer Nataliia Hantimurova and students of group MM-104 organized a session dedicated to Easter traditions around the world. Students delivered informative and captivating presentations about Easter celebrations in Spain, Italy, the UK, Sweden, Norway, the Philippines, Greece, Poland, Germany, and Israel.

Latin language instructors—Associate Professors Tetiana Savaryn, Roman Kotsiuba, Ivanna Vorona, and Halyna Palasiuk—conducted a series of well-structured lessons that combined traditional academic content with interactive methods.

Associate Professor Ivanna Vorona worked with groups MM-119 and MM-109 using presentations, slides, diagrams, and crosswords to study liquid dosage forms and how to write prescriptions for them. They analyzed prescription structure in detail.

Group MM-120 explored Liquid Dosage Forms in a Latin class conducted by Associate Professor Tetiana Savaryn. Students created presentations about the history of liquid medicines, prescription practices, innovations in production, and even fun facts about their taste.

Under the guidance of Associate Professor Roman Kotsiuba, students from groups MM-116 and SS-103 prepared informative presentations on The Role of Latin: Past and Present and The Importance of Learning Latin in Dentistry. The student projects were well-structured, meaningful, and included examples from professional practice.

Foreign Language Week at the department once again proved that language learning not only opens up new professional opportunities, but also broadens horizons, develops communication skills, and inspires creativity.

Heartfelt thanks to all the faculty and students for their enthusiasm, creativity, and high level of preparation!