TNMU Teacher Participated in Medical Seminar on Oncology in Salzburg

At the beginning of May 2023, Assistant Professor of L. Kovalchuk Department of Surgery № 1, Urology and Minimally Invasive Surgery participated in the MSKCC Seminar in Oncology A: Gastrointestinal Cancers as part of the Open Medical Institute (OMI) international training seminar held at the Schloss Arenberg base in Salzburg (Austria). The seminar lasted a week.

Group photo of seminar participants and lecturers

The Open Medical Institute (OMI) is an international initiative for medical professionals that, through education and research, aims to improve healthcare on a global scale. OMI’s weekly seminars are offered to highly qualified English-speaking physicians from Central and Eastern Europe, Asia, Africa, Latin America and other countries with economies in transition. They are organized by the Salzburg Stiftung der American Austrian Foundation and co-financed by the Austrian Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Research.

Stepan Hrytsenko with colleagues from Poland

Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Centre’s mission is to beat cancer for life. To spread this mission to the world, during the workshop, six teachers from the USA and one teacher from Austria gathered at Arenberg Castle to share their knowledge with 33 students from more than 20 countries.

Official seminar statistics

The course was taught by Dr. David G. Pfister, Professor of Medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine, Chief of the Division of Head and Neck Oncology in the Department of Medicine, Co-Chair of the Head and Neck Cancer Group, and Assistant Deputy Chief Medical Officer for strategic partnerships at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Dr. Pfister is a veteran of OMI and has supported OMI since 2004.

Dr. Garrett M. Nash, visiting associate in the Division of Colorectal Surgery at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, co-directed the course for the week. Additional experts included Dr. Nitya Raj, Dr. Marsha Reingold, Dr. Moshe Shike, Dr. Kevin K. Soares, and Dr. Lucas Weiss, who works at the Paracelsus University of Medicine in Salzburg.

Receiving a certificate from OMI leaders and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center lecturers

The program of the seminar covered almost all localizations of cancer of the abdominal organs and related to their pathogenesis, radiological staging, oncosurgical aspects of the development of treatment strategies based on molecular markers, the specifics of the treatment of gastrointestinal cancer of different age groups based on the study of individual pathogenetic mechanisms of tumour formation, endoscopic possibilities of diagnosis and early removal, as well as decision-making based on a multidisciplinary treatment approach. Participation in the seminar opened up new opportunities for professional improvement, obtaining information about the latest, newest achievements in oncosurgical and medical treatment of patients with oncological diseases of the abdominal cavity and will allow to outline the horizons of future scientific research.

During the final assessment of the participants on the seminar material

33 participants had the opportunity to present the results of their own research and unique clinical cases. Invited lecturers from the United States of America shared the content of new clinical protocols, acquired experience and interesting practical cases during 7 days. During the panel discussions, members of the scientific staff and participants had the opportunity to ask questions of the speakers and offer their own perspective.

Stepan Hrytsenko presenting his clinical case during the seminar.

Below are the links of European associations’ websites, being a member of which you can participate in various educational (including grant) programs in the areas of surgery, oncology, gastroenterology, etc.:

United European Gastroenterology https://www.ueg.eu/

European Society for Medical Oncology http://www.esmo.org/

European Digestive Surgery http://www.edsurgery.org/

European Society of Digestive Oncology http://www.esdo.eu/

European Society of Surgical Oncology http://www.essoweb.org/