TNMU Team Participated in an Educational Experiment on Developing Empathy and Communication in Medical Education
From July 6 to 9, 2026, the forum “Educational Experiment for Medical Professionals: Learning / Empathy / Communication” was held in Voievodyno (Turia Pasika village, Zakarpattia region). The event was organized by the Swiss-Ukrainian Project “Development of Medical Education in Ukraine” in cooperation with Anastasiia Leukhina—author of Not a Scary Book at All, compiler of the manual Humanity and Empathy in Healthcare: A Guide for Educators, supervisor of peer-learning groups, author of the Humanity Laboratories in Medical Education course, co-founder of the Let Me into the ICU movement, and Chair of the NGO Horizontals.
The forum brought together nearly 100 participants from across Ukraine, including medical university faculty members, practicing physicians, nurses, psychologists, facilitators, representatives of non-governmental organizations, and educational projects. Rather than being a traditional conference, it served as a platform for horizontal learning, open dialogue, and the exchange of experience among professionals united by the shared values of humanity, empathy, high-quality healthcare, and medical education.
The event marked the culmination of a nine-month peer-learning initiative dedicated to strengthening clinical communication and empathy, while also providing an opportunity to discuss further steps toward implementing a person-centred approach in medical education across Ukraine.
I. Horbachevsky Ternopil National Medical University was represented at the forum by Associate Professors Nataliia Haliiash, Iryna Borovyk, Sofiia Husak, and Nataliia Petrenko.
With the support of the Swiss-Ukrainian Project “Development of Medical Education in Ukraine,” TNMU began expanding its person-centred educational approach as early as 2021, when the Humanity Workshop was launched. The workshop was facilitated by Nataliia Haliiash, Iryna Borovyk, and Sofiia Husak, and its outcomes contributed to the development of the teaching manual Humanity and Empathy in Healthcare. Based on this publication, TNMU introduced the elective course “Humanity and Empathy in Healthcare Practice” for students of the medical and dental faculties. In addition, Associate Professors Nataliia Haliiash, Iryna Borovyk, and Nataliia Petrenko teach the course “Professional Communication in Medical Practice,” integrating the principles of person-centred care and clinical empathy into the educational process.
A new stage of collaboration began in 2025 with the launch of Peer-Learning Workshops for medical educators and healthcare professionals. Nataliia Haliiash and Iryna Borovyk served as peer-group facilitators, while Nataliia Petrenko and Oleksandra Shulhai actively participated in the programme. The nine-month collaborative work of these groups concluded with the educational experiment in Zakarpattia.
The forum aimed to strengthen the professional community of medical educators, promote mutual learning, enhance facilitation and teaching competencies, and explore ways to integrate empathetic communication into medical curricula and healthcare practice.
Instead of traditional lectures, participants engaged in live dialogue, self-directed sessions, group discussions, and collaborative learning. Particular attention was devoted to communication skills, professional boundaries, burnout prevention, shared decision-making with patients, effective teamwork, and strategies for implementing change in professional environments.
Associate Professor Sofiia Husak presented an original session entitled “The Art of Being There: Where Are the Boundaries of Empathy?”, focusing on professional boundaries and empathetic interaction. The session was co-facilitated by Anastasiia Horetska, co-author of the teaching manual and a military psychologist, who highlighted the specific features of communication with military personnel and approaches to addressing complex emotional needs.
In partnership with DocuClub and Docudays UA, participants explored documentary films that served as a basis for discussions on contemporary challenges in healthcare, taboo topics, person-centred care, and the development of a culture of empathy in medical education. One of the outcomes of these film discussions was the collaborative creation of a “Roadmap for Humanity” in medical education.
The self-directed session format enabled participants to determine discussion topics independently, select speakers, share practical experience, and jointly develop solutions to professional challenges.
The forum became an important platform for professional exchange, community building among medical educators, and the exploration of innovative approaches to teaching communication and clinical empathy. The ideas, tools, and educational practices gained through this initiative will be incorporated into the further development of TNMU’s educational programmes, contributing to the training of physicians who combine professional competence with humanity, empathy, and respect for patients.
On behalf of I. Horbachevsky Ternopil National Medical University, the forum participants expressed their sincere gratitude to the Swiss-Ukrainian Project “Development of Medical Education in Ukraine” for its long-standing and consistent support of medical education, for fostering a professional community of like-minded educators, and for providing unique opportunities for learning, professional development, and international exchange. Through this partnership, TNMU faculty members continue to adopt contemporary approaches to medical education, explore innovative educational practices, experiment with modern teaching methods, and integrate them into the training of future physicians. Such initiatives make a significant contribution to the development of a person-centred culture in medical education and to improving the quality of healthcare professional training in Ukraine.