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Coventry University researcher invited as international expert to bolster healthcare and rehabilitation in Ukraine
Dr Agnieszka Lewko (second left) with healthcare professionals and academics in Ukraine
University news / Research news
Tuesday 14 October 2025
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The evolving needs of Ukraine’s healthcare system are being helped by the expertise of a researcher from Coventry University.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine means that the jobs of those treating the injured and wounded are changing at a rapid pace and Dr Agnieszka Lewko is playing a major role in training those at the forefront of the country’s healthcare efforts.
Dr Lewko, Assistant Professor at Coventry University’s Research Centre for Healthcare and Communities, was one of the international experts invited to train Ukrainian university lecturers in intensive care (ICU) physiotherapy as part of a project led by the charity foundation Patients of Ukraine in partnership with the Ukrainian Physical Therapists Association and Ukrainian Society of Ergotherapists, and funded by WHO Ukraine.
The project is strengthening the capacity of physiotherapy education across the country, with a specific focus on ICU physiotherapy and rehabilitation. Dr Lewko delivered advanced training to physiotherapy lecturers representing 10 universities from across Ukraine, who completed an online theoretical module and practical training in Lviv.
Dr Lewko also toured several hospitals to learn more about current physiotherapy and rehabilitation practices in Ukraine, as well as meeting Deans and Heads of the Department of Therapy, Rehabilitation and Morphology, in the Department of Postgraduate Studies, at the Vasyl Stefanyk Carpathian National University in the city of Ivano-Frankivsk, and the Andrei Krupynskyi Lviv Medical Academy. She explored potential areas for future collaboration, including joint research, simulation-based training and strengthening the physiotherapy workforce.
It was a privilege to work alongside dedicated Ukrainian colleagues who are making significant strides in physiotherapy education and practice under very challenging conditions. Our continued collaboration since 2022 has laid a strong foundation for impactful work and I look forward to working together on upcoming new projects, building sustainability through research and leadership.
Dr Lewko, Assistant Professor at the Research Centre for Healthcare and Communities
We are deeply grateful to Dr Lewko for her continued support and partnership with Ukraine since 2022. From the very beginning of our co-operation she has not only been a trainer and international expert but also a dedicated researcher whose contribution extends far beyond teaching.
Thanks to her efforts in 2023 we conducted comprehensive ICU physiotherapy training for 40 participants and later presented a report on its outcomes at the World Physiotherapy Congress 2025.
Dr Lewko will also play a key role in upcoming studies on rehabilitation needs and effectiveness in ICU within the TRUE project - supported by Switzerland – that are aligned with Ukraine’s strategic development of rehabilitation supporting efforts of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine.
We are planning further research on the integration of a comprehensive ICU physiotherapy curriculum – with the support of WHO Ukraine – into Ukrainian university programmes and our collaboration is already delivering tangible results and laying the foundations for a sustainable future of rehabilitation in Ukraine.
Professor Kateryna Tymruk-Skoropad, Strategic Advisor on Rehabilitation Human Capital Development at Patients of Ukraine and member of the Ukrainian Physical Therapists Association
Dr Lewko - who has been involved in the humanitarian efforts in Ukraine ever since Russia invaded in February 2022 - was also invited to speak at the Third Congress of Physical Therapy in Lviv which saw Coventry University work alongside the likes of WHO Ukraine, the Red Cross Ukraine and the European Union Commission. In her presentation she highlighted the importance of research in advancing physiotherapy practice and discussed opportunities for ongoing international partnerships, in particular with a representative of the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute of the University of Cambridge from Switzerland.
Find out more about the Research Centre for Healthcare and Communities.
