On May 15, Sanofi Ukraine awarded the winners of the Sanofi Award to Young Scientists for Medical Research contest. The mission of the contest is to support young people (under 40 years of age) whose daily work aims at empowering the health of Ukrainians and discovering new diagnostic and treatment methods. 101 scientific articles from 17 regions of Ukraine were submitted to the contest. The main criteria for the evaluation were 1) practical value, 2) innovative approach, 3) and representativeness of the research. The jury – experts and scholars of National Academy of Medical Sciences – chose the best works. Authors Kateryna Rudenka, Olexiy Nekhlopochyn and Olga Shulga received prizes of 150, 100, and 50 thousand UAH for the first, second, and third place, respectively.
This project chose an ambitious motto: #future_motivates. At the awards ceremony, Guilhem Granier, Sanofi Ukraine Country Chair, expressed the idea that the best way to predict the future is to create it. It leaves no doubt that by implementing this contest, the company is contributing to the creation of the future of medical science in Ukraine, which is an unconventional yet responsible task for a business operating in Ukraine. The Kyiv Post joins in congratulating on the contest! Below is an interview with Olga Shulga, who was awarded for her research in multiple sclerosis, entitled “A prospective study of the effect of the psycho-emotional response of patients with clinically isolated multiple sclerosis syndrome on atrophic changes in the brain”.
The Victory
How do you feel about the victory and how did it affect your life?
This was a very pleasant surprise, which I still haven’t gotten used to. I am engaged in scientific activities only beyond normal working hours. Primarily, I am a practicing physician responsible for coordinating the whole neuro department branch of the hospital in Lutsk, which takes a lot of time and effort. Nevertheless, everything can be done if the motivation is strong.
Previously, I received financial support only for my research abroad. In Ukraine, there are scholarships from the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, the President, and the Cabinet of Ministers, but they are targeted at scientists of the National Academy of Medical Sciences or medical universities only. Sanofi Award to Young Scientists for Medical Research, however, is the first contest in Ukraine that gives young practitioners a chance to win a scholarship or a prize for their research in healthcare. I hope Sanofi Ukraine will continue supporting young scientists, and that other companies will join this truly important social initiative. For young scientists, contests like this are the best proof that we are on the right track, and a great motivation to grow.
What are your plans for further development of your Sanofi Award-winning research?
I will continue to work with the group of patients I have been observing, to understand what will happen to them in a dynamic perspective of 10 years. I will definitely advise patients to work with a clinical psychologist and, most likely, will include a pharmacotherapy regiment for emotional disorders in my routine practice. I do realize that a more extensive research is required, but given the reliability of the results, I assume it is worthwhile to start working in this direction. Also, a Master’s program in clinical psychology is being launched in Lutsk, so this scientific area will continue to develop here in our city.
Guilhem Granier, Sanofi Ukraine Country Chair: “We launched the Sanofi Award to Young Scientists for Medical Research to support brave and talented young medical scientists. By initiating this project, we want to let the younger generation of researchers know that we at Sanofi value their work. The engagement for our first year of the Sanofi Award clearly shows that we need to continue with the contest next year and encourage Ukrainian scholars to keep up the good work. As for the winners and those who submitted their works this year, I sincerely share their enthusiasm, and truly hope that this recognition of their achievements will become an investment to further advancements in medical innovations in Ukraine.”
Opportunities
What helps a young scientist to find new opportunities?
First of all, a scientist should be fluent in at least one foreign language. Since nowadays the language of science is English, I would recommend perspective scholars to diligently study English medical terminology.
Second, it is important for a medical scientist to be able to read and evaluate the statistics, and then choose the appropriate statistical method. These two factors will account for 70% of their success.
Lastly, every researcher needs courage and patience. The courage to submit everywhere, knowing not all their requests will earn funding; and the patience to accept these refusals and then work even harder. I also recommend young scientists to be more creative in writing motivation letters, as it is important to stand out from the hundreds of others who compete for a the same scholarships.
Last but by far not least, scientists need to be in good health. It is fundamental in fulfilling one’s biggest dreams.
How did your participation in foreign internships start?
I took an interest in science when I was a medical student, and attended many Ukrainian and international scientific conferences. I quickly realized that my advancement in the field would depend on my enthusiasm and involvement, and would be enriched with every new experience, including learning about internship opportunities.
While studying at university, I danced in a Lviv dance ensemble, which performed at various foreign festivals. During one of these trips, I befriended a German philanthropist who donates to orphaned children in Ukraine. I asked him if he could facilitate an internship for me in the local hospital. Everything worked out and I took part in an internship program.
Since then, I have gone to Germany every summer to gain new experience. I submitted my first internship application to a very popular program – Salzburg Medical Seminars – that organized internships in all specialties of medicine. The requirements of the internship were that applicants must be mid-career and between 30-45 years old. I was told that I could not be accepted because I was a student, a novice, but that did not stop me. I decided to submit my papers until I got a positive reply. As a result, I became the youngest member of the Salzburg Medical Seminars at just twenty-four years old. After this, I received invitations from almost every other program. Every year I managed to win 2-3 scholarships. It was extremely pleasant to realize that institutions abroad are ready to invest their resources in me as a young scientist.
In Germany, I was given direct access to patients, which brought me invaluable practical experience. During my three-week internship in the United States, I observed students studying a discipline called “Behavior” in order to better understand why most patients react to their illnesses so depressingly. In Ukraine, such training methods are only becoming popular among doctors. In my opinion, it explains why the attitude towards a patient in western developed countries is more ethical. It goes without saying that foreign internships have fundamentally influenced my worldview as a physician.
You must be receiving offers to work abroad – why do you choose to continue your research work in Ukraine?
I believe that provincialism lies in the way of thinking, not in the geography. I’ve received invitations to work in Australia and the United States, but I have turned down these offers because there was a lot at stake here at home. I want to work in Ukraine because our country shows great promise and potential, especially when it comes to human resources. Let’s hope that the reforms can change the current reality, making it easier to keep our young scientists in Ukraine.
Vitaliy Tsymbalyuk, President of the National Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine, and Chairman of the Sanofi Award jury: “I am proud that the NAMS of Ukraine became the partner of Sanofi Award to Young Scientists for Medical Research, and it was a great honor for me to head the jury of the contest. Together with my colleagues, I reviewed dozens of submitted research papers and was impressed by the broad circle of interests of our young Ukrainian scholars. It was also interesting to see how social changes in Ukraine affect the development of medical science. Now, when the winners are defined and awarded, there are only two things left to do: thank the young scientists who dare try, and hope that Sanofi Award will continue to engage and support more young talents.”
Multiple Sclerosis Therapy
What has shaped your research interests?
I have been studying strokes for many years. This was the subject of my Ph.D. thesis. However, as the 1980’s and ’90’s were considered the “peak of strokes” decades of neurology, demyelinating diseases are actively developing and becoming widespread today. Therefore, modern neurological science and clinical studies are focusing on these debilitating diseases.
There have also been many new opportunities to help patients with multiple sclerosis. This was crucial in my decision to start fighting MS. Unfortunately, multiple sclerosis predominantly affects people aged 30-40, and a lot of young people in the Volyn region, including 10 children, suffer from this disease. In 2011, I was appointed a regional non-staff neurology specialist of Lutsk Health Care Department. In that position, I compiled a register of patients with multiple sclerosis, because it’s impossible to analyze the situation without knowing the epidemiology. The registry of patients is updated every year.
Do you think multiple sclerosis will become a curable disease one day?
It is not an easy question to answer. My estimation is that, for now, multiple sclerosis has been successfully researched by 15%. We still have a long way to go to fully understand this disease. With the advent of new therapies, we can achieve a new level of treatment for the disease. As soon as we have a treatment for multiple sclerosis, we can treat other autoimmune diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis, vitiligo, and psoriasis. It should be a revolutionary medicine.
What is your philosophy of life?
We need to live in a harmony with ourselves and with the outside world – try to be friendly. The goodness returns to us.
The winners of the Sanofi Award to Young Scientists for Medical Research:
- 1st place – Kateryna Rudenka, researcher for the department of ENT-childhood diseases of the “Institute of Otolaryngology named after. Prof. O.S. Kolomiychenko NAMS of Ukraine”. Kateryna Rudenka took the first place with her scientific work “Prevention and restoration of damages of morphofunctional state of curvature in experimentally induced aminoglycoside ototoxicosis”;
- 2nd place – Olexiy Nekhlоpochyn, neurosurgeon at the Romodanov Neurosurgery Institute of the National Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine: Department of Spinal Cord and Spine Disease. Olexiy Nekhlоpochyn took the second place with scientific work “Improvement of the results of surgical treatment of patients with traumatic lesions of the cervical spine at the sub-axial level”;
- 3rd place – Olga Shulga, head of the neurological department of the Volyn Regional Clinical Hospital. Olga Shulga took the third place with the scientific work “A prospective study of the effect of psychoemotional response of patients with clinically isolated multiple sclerosis syndrome on atrophic changes in the brain”.
