A second cohort of Ukrainian medical students are receiving training at the university as part of a landmark programme initiated last year. 

The seven-week summer course, run by the University of Cambridge School of Clinical Medicine, offers twenty-one students from one of Kharkiv's top medical universities fully-funded opportunities to gain practical experience.

Kharkiv National Medical University students have had education disrupted since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and the programme runs clinical placements to offer hands-on learning, in partnership with Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Royal Papworth Hospital, and the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust.

The students will be hosted at Homerton College, with travel and living expenses paid by biotechnology company Illumina.

After completing their placements, the University has said that students will receive a "learning portfolio" to continue supporting healthcare training at Kharkiv National Medical University.

Elina Sushchenko, 22, is one of the medical students taking part in the programme.

Having originally been born in Donetsk, Suschenko fled the region with her family when the city was seized in 2014, heading to Kharkiv, where she has served as a nurse since the 2022 invasion.

“We are the future generation of Ukraine; we need to rebuild our country. If we only stay focused on negative emotions, we cannot help”, Suschenko said, speaking to the university about her desires to qualify as a surgeon.

Paul Wilkinson, a clinical dean at the School of Clinical Medicine, told the university: “Medicine is people-centred, and the work of a doctor is about focusing on the needs of individuals".

“It goes without saying that this kind of in-person learning with patients is vital for young medics,” he continued.

The medical placements are being run as part of Cambridge's 'Help for Ukraine' support package, which includes residential placements, research grants, and student hardship funds.