James Rutka

Dr. James Rutka is a paediatric neurosurgeon. He became involved in Ukraine through the Ukraine Pediatric Fellowship Program (UPFP) established at the Hospital for Sick Children. The capacity building program, originally established in 2012, initially focused on the fields of neurosurgery and psychiatry. Since its inception, the Sick Kids team has increased in size and the program has expanded to include the disciplines of anesthesiology, neonatology, neurology, oncology, pediatric surgery and radiology. 

The program is a bilateral exchange program where health professionals from the University of Toronto visit numerous cities in the Ukraine to consult on patients, guide surgeries and teach. Ukrainian pediatric specialists and fellows then come to the Hospital for Sick Children for observerships. The program has endowed philanthropic funding for sustainability and centres for partnering are selected based on need and willingness to change. 

The success of the program and the resilience of the Ukrainian people is evident in that, even after a 3-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic and Russian invasion of Ukraine, there have distinct changes in patient management and outcomes. When the program first started, equipment and resources were severely lacking. Support from Western donors and programs such as UPFP have been instrumental in helping Ukraine to rebuild its healthcare infrastructure and adapt to newer medical technologies. 

For more information regarding the impact of the program: 

• Myroslava K. Romach and James T Rutka. Building Healthcare Capacity in Pediatric Neurosurgery and Psychiatry in a Post-Soviet System: Ukraine. World Neurosurg (2018) 111:166-174. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wneu.2017.11.178 
• Eisha Christian, Myroslava Romach, and James T Rutka. Assistance amidst air alerts and angst: Ukraine unbroken. J Neurosurg September 29, 2023 Published online September 29, 2023; DOI: 10.3171/2023.8.JNS231781.