At our January Razom IT Speaker Series event, we learned how civic tech is driving change in Ukraine. Artem Borodatyuk, co-founder of the platform for social good, “Moy Gorod” visited New York and shared his experience of launching an online platform in Odessa, Ukraine that gets citizens to create and implement projects to make their city more livable. He calls it a marketplace of social projects and civic activists.
Razom IT presents “My City”: A marketplace of social projects & activists in Odessa
Published: January 13, 2016
Razom IT presents “Ukraine: Rise of Tech Nation” with Yevgen Sysoyev
Published: December 23, 2015
An astounding number of tech innovations around the globe are fueled by talent from Ukraine. You might not realize it, but you have benefited from them if you’ve used Ford’s in-car infotainment system, Reuters award-winning photography app, Nokia’s customer retail experience, or Deutsche Bank’s Risk Management System.
At our December Razom IT Speaker Series event, we had a great lineup of established Ukrainian IT professionals talk about the rise of Ukraine as a technology nation.
Christmas Jazz with Shokolad and Bria Blessing
Published: December 20, 2015
Shockolad, ethno-jazz band from Lviv, performed in New York, together with singer Bria Blessing. Here are a few shots from their heart warming performance. Razom was excited to be a promotional sponsor and partner up with Roman Kobuley on bringing quality Ukrainian music to New York.
Helsinki Commission Briefing on Human Rights Violations in Crimea
Published: December 19, 2015
On December 11, 2015 VOLYA Institute for Contemporary Law and Society (Ivanna Bilych, Svitlana Krasynska, Bohdan Pechenyak) and Razom for Ukraine with the moderator Orest Deychakiwsky from the U.S. Helsinki Commission together with guest speakers from Ukraine Andrii Klymenko, Богдан Яременко, and Юрій Яценко, held a briefing in the U.S. Congress on human rights violations in Russian occupied Crimea.
Resume of the world news on the MH-17 catastrophe
Published: October 14, 2015
We would like to share a special report completed by our OKO media monitoring team.
The subject of Flight MH-17, shot down over Donbas, was widely discussed in the world mass-media several times during the last year. Since July, 2014 until today, the search engine of the OKO project filtered over 13 thousand articles and videos concerning Flight MH-17, the course of investigation and the victims of this tragedy. OKO volunteer-annotators used our informational system to group each article into shorter list of main topics and write short comment about it.
Pantelyk: Ukrainian Fashion in NYC
Published: October 1, 2015
The Pantelyk Fashion Show was a high energy event celebrating Ukrainian culture with the New York community! A young fashion designer Ira Lysa, along with other artist from Ukraine, has developed a project that promotes contemporary Ukrainian art. We were excited to share this art with the New York community.
Legal Report “Human Right on Occupied Territory: Case of Crimea” Released
Published: June 15, 2015
On behalf of Razom, a team of international lawyers has just completed work on a second legal report “Human Rights on Occupied Territory: Case of Crimea”.
Representing Ukraine at Passport DC
Published: May 10, 2015
Passport DC is month-long journey around the world highlighting DC’s thriving international diplomatic community and its lively and varied culture. We were honored to be invited by two different embassies, Embassy of Lithuania and Embassy of Ukraine to showcase Ukrainian culture during the Open Doors events of Passport DC.
Humanitarian Crisis in Ukraine: Impact and Solutions
Published: April 21, 2015
Representatives of UNHCR (UN Refugee agency), UNICEF, and ECHO (EU Humanitarian aid and Civil Protection department) spoke about their important work of alleviating human suffering in Ukraine. They reaffirmed their commitment to providing humanitarian assistance to the displaced people in Ukraine. These organizations are also ready to help Ukraine’s government rise to the urgent challenge of implementing the legal framework and physical infrastructure necessary to respond to the current IDP crisis.
Talk by Timothy Snyder: “Ukraine, Russia, and the Future of Europe”
Published: April 13, 2015
On April 13th, 2015 Yale historian Timothy Snyder spoke at Columbia University on the ongoing hybrid war between Russian and Ukraine, and its significance for the region, Europe, and the world. Professor Snyder discussed how what may appear to be a regional crisis could soon shape more of the world.
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Oblast Competitions
In 2018 we’re planning to cover expenses for 30 teams (6 people per team) at Oblast STEM competitions.
Total Budget is $4500
Ruslan Batytskyi
Director, writer and cinematographer with three completed award-winning shorts as well as a feature documentary in post-production. After starting his filmmaker career at 2009, Ruslan brings his skills in project management, process analysis and systems models (received during obtaining MA in cybernetics 2003-2008) and applies them to the creative thinking and artistic thought-processes of film. He also holds BA in Film and Television directing (from the Kyiv National University of theatre, cinema and television by Karpenko-Karyi).
“A chance to participate in The Co-Pilot project it’s an amazing opportunity to help others and to tell the story that will engage and inspire people around the world”
2017 Trip Itinerary
We are gearing up for our 2017 Mission trip. It’ll be a 3-month adventure during which we plan to work with neurosurgeons from several centers from all around the country. Dr.Tomycz has also been invited to deliver an address at the annual Ukrainian Neurosurgery Conference 2017 in Kharkiv.
May 20: arrive in Kyiv, Ukraine
May 22-26: meet with area surgeons at participating centers
May 29- June 9: two week master class with Igor Kurilets MD at the International Neurosurgery Center
June 12-13: Visit to Medical Institute of Sumy State University
June 14-16: Ukrainian Neurosurgery Conference 2017 in Kharkiv
June 19-23: one week course and master class operating in complex spine and craniocervical with Ukrainian spinal surgeons and trainees from Romadanov Institute and International Neurosurgery Center
June 24-July 7: Come back to United States for two weeks
July 10-21: two week master class with Dr. Schlegov at the Neurovascular Institute
July 24-August 4: two week master class in pediatric neurosurgery with surgeons at Lviv Children’s Hospital
August 5-18: travel to out-lying centers of excellence (Stryii, Ivano-Frankivsk, Odesa)
August 21-31: operate with surgeons at Central Military Hospital and International Neurosurgery Center in Kyiv
September 15: leave Ukraine for United States
Surgical Mentors and Medical Support Staff
The best way to train surgeons is by providing hands-on mentorship and assistance in the operating room. One of the primary goals of the Co-Pilot Project is the continued recruitment of high quality surgeons from United States and Canada to spend time with Ukrainian counterparts, consulting on patients and performing procedures.
Surgical Mentors traveling to Ukraine
- Jefferson Miley, MD – neurointerventionalist
- Jonathan Forbes, MD – skull base neurosurgeon
- Matthew Geck, MD – orthopedic spine surgeon
Not all of the healthcare volunteers will be able to travel to Ukraine but they still will play an important role from home. Utilizing contemporary technology, including live streaming of surgeries and communication via social media the medical support staff will advice and mentor Ukrainian neurosurgeons as they confront difficult cases.
Medical Support Staff
- Bido Patel, MD – neuroradiologist
- Chandra Krishnan, MD – neuropathologist
- Ginger Harrod, MD – neuro-oncologist
Advisory Staff
- Tim George, MD – pediatric neurosurgeon
- Jim Rose, MD – vascular neurosurgeon
- Ryan Murdoch, MD – orthopedic spine surgeon
- Patrick Combs, MD – craniofacial surgeon
- Nestor Tomycz, MD – functional neurosurgeon
- Aaron Stayman, MD – vascular neurologist
- Jim Rutka – pediatric neurosurgeon
- Ben Warf – pediatric neurosurgeon
Participating Centers in Ukraine Page
Since our exploratory trip in 2016 we have identified a cohort of motivated and talented surgeons who are hungry for additional instruction and eager for collaboration.
- Igor Kurilets, MD (International Neurosurgery Center)
- Ivan Protsenko, MD (Romadanov Institute)
- Kostiantyn Kostiuk, MD (Romadanov Institute)
- Vitali Ganjuk, MD (Central Military Hospital, Kyiv)
- Taras Mykytyn, MD (Lviv Children’s Hospital)
- Dmytro Shcheglov, MD (Neurovascular Institute)
Luke Tomycz, MD
Dr. Luke Tomycz is the newest addition to the pediatric neurosurgical team at Dell Children’s Medical Center. Dr. Tomycz finished first in his high school class of over 200 students and attended Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge, MA where he double-majored in biology and chemical engineering. He accepted the prestigious Dean’s Full-Tuition Scholarship to attend medical school at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor where he first developed an interest in neurosurgery. After medical school, he began his formal neurosurgical training at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN where he trained under the late Noel Tulipan, MD, a pioneer in fetal neurosurgery for myelomeningocele. During his seven-year residency, he spent two years obtaining an in-folded fellowship in endovascular surgery, becoming proficient in the treatment of aneurysms, AVMs, Moya-Moya syndrome, and complex dural AV fistulae of adults and children. After this, Dr. Tomycz spent an additional year at Seattle Children’s Hospital performing a large volume of complex epilepsy surgery with Jeff Ojemann, MD. Following an exhaustive job search, Dr.Tomycz was attracted to Austin as the city was in the process of launching a new medical school at the University of Texas.
Dr. Tomycz specializes in all aspects of pediatric neurosurgery including brain tumors, epilepsy, Chiari malformation, tethered cord syndrome, CSF shunting, and intracranial endoscopy. As one of the only dual-trained, pediatric and endovascular neurosurgeons in the country, he is particularly interested in Moya-Moya, brain aneurysms and AVMs, arteriovenous fistulae, and other complex neurovascular disorders in children as well as adults. His research interests include the use of engineering innovations to improve treatments for hydrocephalus and he has published on a wide variety of neurosurgical topics. Outside the operating room, Dr. Tomycz enjoys playing guitar and hiking in the mountains. He has travelled extensively to perform neurosurgery and take part in short-term medical mission work – in Cuba, Kenya, Honduras, Ecuador, and Ukraine.
Dr. Tomycz grew up with four grandparents who told stories of their youth and taught their grandchildren the language of their homeland – Ukraine. His parents were both born in refugee camps following the second world war, and came to this country in the early 1950s with virtually nothing. His father excelled in academics and went into medicine, and both Luke and his brother Nestor followed suit, pursuing a career in neurosurgery. During a long period of study and training that lasted more than 15 years, Luke resolved to return to the homeland of his grandparents and provide the kind of high quality care that children receive in the United States.
Mariya Soroka
In 2014 at the peak of protests in the Maidan, Mariya joined several fellow Ukrainians living in New York City to create Razom, a young, energetic, and progressive start-up which seeks to amplify the voice of Ukraine to an American audience. An active member of the board, she is responsible for organizing cultural events as well as cooperating with government representatives, activists, and various civic groups and human rights organizations in support of Ukraine’s quest for democracy.
CPP info
Mariya is also heavily involved with fundraising for Razom’s projects via crowdsourcing, charity events, and online petitions. After graduating from Penn State University with a BA in Advertising and Public Relations and a dual minor in Entrepreneurship and International Studies, Mariya spent over 5 years in Manhattan working within the content marketing industry. She believes in the enormous potential of dedicated volunteers around the world working to rebuild Ukraine one project at a time.
Mariana Magala
Mariana Magala was born in Lviv, Ukraine. She graduated from The University of Chicago in 2013 and holds a B.A. in Economics and Slavic Languages and Literature. Currently, Mariana is a Strategic Analytics Manager at Interline Brands (subsidiary of The Home Depot) in Jacksonville, Florida. She specializes in analytics, business strategy, and nonprofit development. Mariana was the co-chair of a pro-bono consulting group for nonprofits in Chicago for 3 years and is currently the treasurer for a young professionals group at MOSH (Museum of Science and History in Jacksonville).
Mariana joined Razom’s Neurosurgical initiative in 2016. She is very excited to collaborate with the team and develop the initiative into a highly successful program.