Participation of Associate Professor of the Department of Pediatrics No. 2, Viktoriia Furdela, in the 18th Scientific and Practical Conference with International Participation “Modern Pediatric Endocrinology”

At the beginning of May this year, Associate Professor of the Department of Pediatrics No. 2, Viktoriia Furdela, took part in the 18th Scientific and Practical Conference with International Participation “Modern Pediatric Endocrinology,” organized by the All-Ukrainian Public Organization “Association of Pediatric Endocrinologists of Ukraine” under the leadership of the Chair of the Association’s Board and expert of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine in the field of Endocrinological Care, Doctor of Medical Sciences, Professor Nataliia Zelinska. This annual traditional meeting of pediatric endocrinologists from across Ukraine is held each year in one of the regional centers of the country, and this time, it took place in Chernivtsi.

The conference was dedicated to the 20th anniversary of the “Association of Pediatric Endocrinologists of Ukraine,” which is also an associate member of the European Society of Endocrinology (ESE) and the European Society for Pediatric Endocrinology (ESPE). For several years, the conference has been held in a hybrid online/offline format, which, especially during wartime, enables broad participation by colleagues from various specialties across Ukraine and abroad. The program spanned two working days and was divided into four sections and a satellite symposium.

Associate Professor Viktoriia Furdela delivered a presentation, “Prediction of Cardiometabolic Risks in Adolescents with Obesity through the Lens of Metabolically Dysfunctional-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease,” in which she presented the results of a long-term study involving nearly 400 patients, conducted at the Department of Pediatrics No. 2 of I. Horbachevsky Ternopil National Medical University, and shared successful clinical experience in managing pediatric patients with high cardiometabolic risk.

Given the rapid increase in obesity among children and adolescents in Ukraine and worldwide, the topic of this research is of particular relevance in the context of preventing fatal and non-fatal atherosclerotic cardiovascular events in young working-age individuals, especially under the current realities of our country. The presentation generated significant interest and numerous questions from colleagues and practicing physicians in attendance, highlighting one of the undeniable advantages of in-person professional meetings.

During the second day of the conference, Associate Professor Viktoriia Furdela moderated the section entitled “Various Endocrine Disorders.”

The conference program covered the most pressing and controversial topics, including: modern principles of diagnosis and treatment of diabetes mellitus and its complications under wartime conditions; diagnostic algorithms and treatment options for precocious puberty and inverted puberty; disorders of sexual development and differentiation; opportunities for diagnosing and timely treating hormone-active tumors of various localizations; and the impact of genetic and somatic disorders on growth and nutritional status in children of different ages, along with approaches to addressing these challenges.

Participants also discussed current challenges in providing care for children with severe and rare conditions in Ukraine and ways to overcome them, particularly in genetic diagnostics, insulin pump therapy, and the use of continuous glucose monitoring sensors for the youngest patients with diabetes mellitus across different regions of the country, under state funding.

The experience and knowledge gained will be implemented both in the practical activities of the School of Diabetes for Children and Adolescents in Ternopil and in the educational process of the Department of Pediatrics No. 2, contributing to the enhancement of students’ knowledge and skills in accordance with modern international standards and preparing them to work effectively under the challenging conditions of present-day Ukraine.