Crisis in Ukraine: U.S. doctors, hospitals step up to help

Published April 26, 2022

AAMCNews reported on how medical trainees have been assisting in the conflict in Ukraine. The story noted that the Global Surgical and Medical Support Group, founded by Aaron Epstein, MD, surgical resident in the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at UB, has dispatched roughly 50 volunteers to Ukraine, where they have trained some 4,000 civilians. Epstein ran a one-day course for civilians designed to teach “all the basics of how to save a life,” including decontaminating people who may have been exposed to  chemical and biological warfare. Epstein noted: “Many people want to help. We’ve gotten thousands of applications to join our team. But very few are equipped with the necessary training and are psychologically ready for the reality of what’s involved.”