Dr. Chandra Hassan Provides ITLS Training in Odessa

While many organizations interested in supporting Ukraine have been quick to import doctors and medical experts, it is often far more productive and efficient to work on creating a self-sustaining network of healthcare providers within the country. Dr. Chandra Hassan, the Director of Bariatric Surgery at Mt. Sinai Hospital in Chicago and a UMC Medical Board Member, has been working to support the creation of such a system. Dr. Hassan, with UCMOC’s support, has traveled to Ukraine not to directly treat patients but to provide new healthcare practitioners with the skills they need to treat patients.

Specifically, Dr. Hassan has been providing International Trauma Life Support (ITLS) training in Odesa, Ukraine. ITLS is a global non-profit organization that is working to prevent death and disability from trauma by providing life-saving medical and trauma care skills. The training offered by the organization is particularly relevant to situations of conflict, where traumatic wounds, such as deep cuts, lacerations, and punctures, are particularly prevalent.

The knowledge that Dr. Hassan is sharing through this initiative enables dozens of new healthcare providers to save lives and mobility by responding appropriately to medical emergencies. Moreover, by teaching his students how to teach emergency response medicine, Dr. Hassan ensures that the network of medical practitioners can independently self-renew and grow.