Ukrainian physician at CU: I Am More Useful When I'm Working in My Field

Physician Iryna Voronkina is one of thousands of Ukrainians who had to flee their homes due to the Russian aggression. She has now been living in Slovakia for three years, working at the Institute of Microbiology at the Faculty of Medicine of Comenius University. She is one of the people who were able to successfully apply their professional expertise in a new country. She teaches, supervises theses, and participates in research grants.

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Dr Voronkina is originally from Kharkiv, where she studied medicine at Kharkiv State Medical University and specialised in microbiology. She worked as a physician–bacteriologist in a hospital and later in a diagnostic laboratory. After earning her PhD, she worked at the I. I. Mechnikov Institute of Microbiology and Immunology of the National Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine, where she gradually rose to a senior management position.

She didn’t leave Kharkiv immediately after the war broke out. “At first, we were all in shock. We couldn’t believe it would last long, we thought it had to end soon,” she recalls her feelings in the early days of the invasion. Kharkiv lies near the Russian border and has been a target of heavy Russian attacks since the start of the war. There was no shelter near the block of flats where Iryna Voronkina and her family lived; the metro was too far away, so during air raids, they would simply move from their rooms into the corridor, away from the windows. The shelling by the aggressor gradually intensified at night. “They would start around 2 a.m., just when we had finally fallen asleep, and would go on until morning. It was nearly impossible to get any rest.”

Bratislava Offered Help

The decision to leave was made in May 2022, after the atrocities in Bucha, occupied for a month by Russian troops, came to light. “When I heard what they had done to the children, to girls, I was in shock. I stopped thinking about myself and my career altogether. My husband and I had only one thought: how to save our daughter. She was 15 at the time and had just spent two years studying online during the pandemic. We wanted her to have a normal life, to be able to grow, to attend school and dance lessons, which she had loved since childhood, and not to live in fear.”

Because of all this, Iryna Voronkina began looking for ways to leave. Several European universities and research institutes were offering support to Ukrainian scientists. She sent out applications to various countries. She had a lot to offer – her experience working in hospitals and labs, her skills in research and grant-writing, team management, and in teaching students.

A positive response came from the Faculty of Natural Sciences of Comenius University. “Professor Helena Bujdáková, Head of the Department of Microbiology and Virology, called me and said she had a position for a year and that I could come with my daughter. So, in August 2022, we came to Slovakia.”

Engaged in Both Teaching and Research

Dr Voronkina had only visited Bratislava once before, in 2019, during a trip from Prague. “I liked the city; the trams were similar to those back home, and the atmosphere was pleasant. I remember thinking it would be a nice place to live.”

During the first few months, the support of Professor Bujdáková and others at the faculty was invaluable. They were housed at the Družba dormitory, first in the student section known as the Swedish Houses, and this year in the professors’ residence. “In retrospect, I realise that I was in a state of shock during those early months. Sometimes I would enter a shop and have no idea what I was supposed to do - everything just blurred into a field of colours. It took about six months for my brain to start functioning normally again,” she explains.

After two months at the Faculty of Natural Sciences, she got the chance to move to the Faculty of Medicine, where, as a physician, she felt more “at home.” Since November 2022, she has been a team member at the Institute of Microbiology, led by Professor Adriana Liptáková. The faculty received funding for her position through a grant from the Recovery Plan under a scheme supporting excellent researchers affected by the war in Ukraine. She is also part of a research team that received an APVV grant last year. Their project studies vaccine efficacy in patients with chronic recurrent infections, using advanced methods to analyse immune system responses.

She started learning Slovak immediately upon arrival, following online courses provided by the Faculty of Medicine for three months, and then taking in-person lessons at the Centre for Continuing Education of Comenius University. Today, she communicates fluently. She says her biggest language breakthrough came when she began teaching courses last academic year. “I have no idea how the students survived it,” she laughs. “Honestly, my Slovak was a disaster. I spent hours preparing for each exercise and lecture, searching for terminology, translating examples from clinical practice. But all the students passed their exams.” This is now her third semester of teaching, and she feels much more confident.

Diploma Recognition

A major milestone for Iryna Voronkina was the recognition of her medical degree and PhD, which required a great deal of time, effort, and bureaucracy. She had to submit many documents from her home university – some of which took up to a year to obtain – and pass final state exams at the Faculty of Medicine. “I wasn’t prepared for how difficult it would be. After all, I graduated 20 years ago, and have since specialised in clinical microbiology. Suddenly I had to sit exams in gynaecology or surgery, and in Slovak,” she says. She passed on the first try, thanks also to the support of colleagues at both the Faculty of Natural Sciences and the Faculty of Medicine. She and other Ukrainian doctors in similar situations helped each other along the way.

Her next goal is to complete specialisation studies in microbiology and earn board certification. She is also working hard to improve her English, as the faculty would like her to teach in the English-language programme.

The Same, Yet Different

She adapted to the university work environment quickly. In Bratislava, medical and lab procedures are very similar to those in Ukraine. However, she says science works much better in Slovakia. “Every year, we have opportunities to apply for various calls and secure grants that allow us to purchase modern research equipment, publish in prestigious journals, and attend major and interesting conferences. These opportunities are motivating: they provide inspiration and financial support to continue scientific work. In Ukraine, unfortunately, scientists have recently only been receiving base salaries - and even those are low. That’s one of the main reasons why young people are leaving science, and why Ukrainian research is losing its global competitiveness. I know my colleagues have brilliant ideas, but they simply can’t realise them due to lack of resources.”

She is grateful to be working in her field and using her skills. “Of course, I could do manual labour, but I believe I’m more useful by working in my profession. I can do more good this way.”

Mentally at Home Every Day

Like many foreign workers and students, Iryna Voronkina deals with issues such as appointments at the immigration office and paperwork for herself and her daughter. She’s happy that her daughter Liza has adapted very well in Slovakia. Liza attends grammar school, is part of a dance club, and has made new friends.

Still, Ukraine is constantly on her mind. Every morning, she checks her phone to see where in Ukraine attacks have occurred and what’s happening in Kharkiv. “I can’t start the day without making sure everyone back home is safe. It’s been three years. It’s mentally exhausting, but I have no choice.”

Her husband had to stay behind. He’s not allowed to leave the country and is caring for his mother, whose rural home was destroyed as early as May 2022. For three years, he has only seen his wife and daughter through a screen. “I’m afraid to go back alone without my daughter, and I’m afraid to take her with me. It’s dangerous. Just before Easter this year, the Russians bombed a children’s centre - the former Pioneer House - where my daughter used to go for dance training.” Her parents are still in Kharkiv. She hopes they will be able to visit Bratislava for Christmas if all goes well.

 

We Need People Like Her More Than Ever

How do the two women responsible for Iryna Voronkina’s successful integration view her arrival and work?

“Dr Iryna Voronkina is the kind of person every boss would want on their team. She was able to integrate into our workplace immediately. She is an investigator on KEGA, VEGA, and APVV grants, is involved in teaching, and is enrolled in a specialisation study programme. She is extremely positive - nothing is an obstacle, everything is a challenge. You could see this when she was fighting to have her degree recognised, or dealing with bureaucracy. Our institute has previously welcomed people driven from their homes by war: we have colleagues from Afghanistan and Serbia. They enrich us. We need people like her more than ever. What saddens me is that she can’t be with her family. Her story makes us realise how often we fret about trivialities and how little we appreciate what we have.”

Prof. Adriana Liptáková, Head of the Institute of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Comenius University

“At our faculty, we were running a major European project, CEMBO, under the TWINING scheme. When the war broke out, we posted on the European portal that we could help researchers in need through this project. Dr Voronkina was the first to respond, and we invited her to Bratislava. That same week, another Ukrainian researcher contacted us - Dr Larysa Bugyna, a researcher in natural sciences, whose expertise also made her a great fit for our team. I got in touch with Professor Liptáková at the Faculty of Medicine, knowing they were short-staffed, and told her I had a physician–microbiologist. We wrote a project under the Recovery Plan’s scheme to support researchers threatened by the conflict in Ukraine, and it was successful. Iryna moved to the Faculty of Medicine, and Larysa has since become an excellent addition to our team. Thanks to one call, two of our institutions gained skilled professionals and helped two women - two mothers - in need. I see the presence of foreign colleagues as a benefit. Our people learn to tolerate different customs and cultures. It’s very enriching.”

Prof. Helena Bujdáková, Head of the Department of Microbiology and Virology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Comenius University

 

Text by Barbora Tancerová

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