TNMU at the Origins of the Creation of the Ketamine-Assisted Therapy Association in Ukraine

On June 1, 2026, a landmark event for Ukrainian medicine took place in Kyiv — the Professional Forum on Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy. The key event of the forum, which brought together nearly 80 leading psychiatrists, psychotherapists, researchers, and veterans, was the signing of a multilateral Memorandum of Cooperation.

Representatives of I. Horbachevsky Ternopil National Medical University officially joined this large-scale initiative aimed at implementing alternative treatment methods for resistant depression.

The honored guests and speakers from TNMU were Professor Olena Venher, Head of the Department of Psychiatry, Narcology and Medical Psychology, and Associate Professor Olha Liuta from the same department. TNMU researchers participated in professional panel discussions dedicated to medical protocols, ethical standards, and legal aspects of implementing innovative therapeutic approaches.

The Memorandum was also signed by representatives of the State Institution “Center for Mental Health and Rehabilitation of Veterans ‘Lisova Polyana’,” the international organization “Heal Ukraine Trauma” (HUT), the Ukrainian Psychedelic Research Association (UPRA), the charitable foundation “HAT,” the Ternopil Regional Clinical Psychoneurological Hospital, and the Institute of Mental Recovery of Ukraine.

The signatories committed themselves to jointly developing and implementing research projects, introducing innovative educational programs, training and certifying new specialists according to the highest professional and ethical standards, participating in the development of safe protocols for ketamine-assisted therapy (KAT) to overcome depressive disorders among veterans, military personnel, and their families, as well as scaling advanced group and individual methods of mental recovery.

The forum began with powerful and deeply moving stories from military personnel and healthcare professionals who have already experienced successful recovery from severe depressive conditions with the help of KAT.

Representatives of TNMU sincerely thank the organizers, “Heal Ukraine Trauma” and “UPRA,” as well as all partners for the professional dialogue and shared commitment to preserving the mental health of Ukrainians.