October 27, 2017

UMANA foundation fosters medical education in 2017

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Scholarship recipients of the UMANA Foundation (from left): William Buniak, Solomiya Grushchak, Michael Kochis, Victoria Kuritza, Nazar Nebeluk and Peter Tylawsky.

The UMANA Foundation-sponsored CPR course for Plast scouts in Seattle.

The UMANA Foundation-sponsored CPR course for Plast scouts in Seattle.

CHICAGO – The UMANA Foundation is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization established to improve medical literacy and knowledge among Ukrainians worldwide. It is the educational and instructive arm of the Ukrainian Medical Association of North America (UMANA), awarding scholarships, sponsoring CPR classes and supporting educational conferences.

This 2017-2018 academic year, the UMANA Foundation and its Dr. Walter and Olha Prokopiw Scholarship Fund has awarded six scholarships, encouraging and supporting students who have chosen a profession in the healing arts. Since 2007, the foundation has awarded 50 scholarships to deserving medical and dental students who are studying in the United States and Canada.

Each recipient receives $3,000 to defray some of the expenses of medical or dental school tuition. The cost of one year of medical education nears $50,000. Many students incur large debts upon graduating. To help relieve the financial burden, the foundation seeks to assist students of Ukrainian descent who show promise and commitment in their health care careers.

Scholarship recipients of the UMANA Foundation (from left): William Buniak, Solomiya Grushchak, Michael Kochis, Victoria Kuritza, Nazar Nebeluk and Peter Tylawsky.

Scholarship recipients of the UMANA Foundation (from left): William Buniak, Solomiya Grushchak, Michael Kochis, Victoria Kuritza, Nazar Nebeluk and Peter Tylawsky.

The following are this year’s scholarships recipients.

• William Buniak is a third-year medical student at New York Institute of Technology – College of Osteopathic Medicine. He has a master’s degree in nutrition from Cornell University. An avid triathlete, he is interested in resistance training and weight maintenance. He was a lecturer at the 2015 UMANA conference on the topic of endurance sports nutrition.

• Solomiya Grushchak is a fourth-year medical student at Loyola Stritch School of Medicine near Chicago. She continues to receive high honors grades in her classes. Her interest in dermatology has prompted her to do research work on melanomas, the most deadly skin cancer. She has presented classes at the local Ukrainian grammar school through the “Sun Smarts” program, helping to educate the children about sun damage.

• Michael Kochis is a third-year medical student at Harvard Medical School. He is involved in Ukrainian life through his Orthodox parish in Pennsylvania, where his father is the pastor. He volunteers in depressed neighborhoods, helping the underprivileged. He mentors and encourages youths with neuromuscular disabilities by teaching them rock climbing.

• Victoria Kuritza will begin her second year at the University of Illinois College of Medicine. She is a member of the community health fair for underinsured sponsored by the college. She mentors students at the medical school. She is long-time member of Plast Ukrainian Scouting Organization who continues to be active in organizing camps for teen scouts. She is an active UMANA Illinois member.

• Nazary Nebeluk is a third-year student at Louisiana State School of Medicine M.D./Ph.D. program. His interest in infectious disease allowed him to establish the Infectious Disease Interest Group. His poster presentation (treatment of ocular diseases in viral illnesses) at Louisiana State Medical research symposium won first place. He is now in the Ph.D. part of his program-microbiology and tries to stay active in Plast.

• Peter Tylawsky is a third-year student at the New York University College of Dentistry. He is at the top of his class and received an award for the highest GPA. He helped write the curriculum for teaching middle school students about dental care. He continues to remain active in the Ukrainian American Youth Association.

New student scholarship applications for the 2018-2019 academic year will be posted on the UMANA website www.umana.org in February 2018.

The UMANA Foundation continues to enable camp counselors to learn cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) skills in preparation for unforeseen accidents and health-related events at Ukrainian summer youth camps. A dozen participants from Plast Ukrainian Scouting Organization in Seattle, Washington, recently completed the course.

To date, the foundation has provided training for over 520 camp counselors in these basic life-support skills. By performing simple procedures and following certain guidelines, it is possible to save lives until medical professionals arrive.

This past August, the foundation sponsored training for 12 teachers at Chicago’s St. Nicholas Cathedral School in first aid, CPR and use of automatic external defibrillators (AED). The staff is now more confident in dealing with potentially life-threatening situations that might arise at the school.

Organizations that would like to offer CPR and/or first aid classes, should consider applying to the UMANA Foundation for a grant to help offset course expenses. E-mail [email protected] or call 773-278-6262 for more information.

In keeping with its mission to improve medical knowledge, the foundation supported the successful UMANA scientific conference “Rehabilitation and Reintegration – Helping Ukrainians Help Themselves” held in Washington in June. Twenty speakers from the United States, Canada and Ukraine focused on ways to advance the practice of rehabilitation medicine in Ukraine, and the interaction among professionals was productive. (See The Weekly,

To support any of the above projects or to donate to the UMANA Foundation readers may visit www.razoo.com and search for UMANA Foundation. For more information call 773-278-6262.

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