This year, the Training and Innovation Center for Prosthetics and Rehabilitation (Center) was launched at the Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute on the basis of the Institute of Postgraduate Education (IPE).
It was created with the participation of partners - the Sikorsky Challenge Innovation Holding, the Kolo Charitable Foundation, the U+ NGO, the Parashar Industries prosthesis manufacturer, and the Bez Obmezheniy (No Limits) rehabilitation center. The Center's work is focused on two areas: training and innovation.
Since the beginning of this academic year, the Center has developed and implemented advanced training courses for specialists working in the first of these areas. For our country, training specialists capable of improving the quality of life of people affected by the military aggression of the Russian Federation has become a crucial task. Due to the acute shortage of specialists in this field, the course in prosthetic rehabilitation was introduced as a priority. It immediately became popular among specialists, so several cycles of training have already taken place.
In a conversation with a KP correspondent, Natalia Seminska, the Center's director, said that with each subsequent cycle, the curriculum is being improved, primarily due to an increase in the practical component, as classes are held both at our center and at the Bez Obmezheniy rehabilitation center and in medical institutions. The feedback from the students and teachers of special disciplines plays a significant role in this process. During the course of their studies, those students who have already completed the training at the Center were additionally given the opportunity to participate in events held jointly with partners, including the Sikorsky Challenge International Festival of Innovative Projects, the IV International Forum Facing The Future, the International Conference Safety and Modern Rehabilitation Technologies, and others. In addition, the students, at their request, were involved in the process of installing sports prostheses for 20 military personnel from Levitate (Denmark) as part of the project "Implementation of Innovative Prosthetics Technologies in Ukraine", as well as in trainings during the "Amputee rehab summit - 2023" from the Protez foundation (USA).
At the end of January, the third batch of students graduated.
The total number of people who have completed the courses is 54 specialists. All of them will be able to provide qualified assistance to military and civilians affected by the military aggression of the Russian Federation.
The development of the Prosthetics and Rehabilitation Center continues. Already in February 2024, in cooperation with the Faculty of Sociology and Law, courses in military psychology were introduced to improve the skills of civilian psychologists. According to Natalia Seminska, the faculty's researchers have developed a training program designed not only to help the military, but also their family members and civilians affected by Russia's military aggression. In addition, the Center's partners have initiated the development of a new certificate program at the Faculty of Biomedical Engineering in the specialty 227 "Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy" that will meet international standards. This will make it possible to train specialists in prosthetic rehabilitation and limb prosthetics. It is worth noting that the shortage of such specialists in the country prompted the Ministry of Health of Ukraine to increase the state order for training one thousand rehabilitation specialists.
According to the director of the Center, effective cooperation with partners allowed our university to become a corporate member of the International Society of Prosthetists/Orthotists (ISPO) in 2024. This will contribute to the formation of new educational and certificate programs in the field of prosthetics and rehabilitation, as well as provide access to educational programs that have received an accreditation certificate from ISPO. There are also opportunities to receive consultations from ISPO experts. In addition, the Center's staff will have access to the publications of a specialized journal that publishes materials on current research in the fields of prosthetics, orthotics and rehabilitation. Also, there is now an opportunity to improve the skills of scientific and practical staff during various webinars organized by ISPO specialists. Thus, all opportunities will be used to promote the development of this industry and raise the level of awareness of our students.
As part of the Center's cooperation with leading domestic prosthesis manufacturers - Parashar Industries, the Center for Prosthetics, Orthotics and Rehabilitation "Bez Obmezheniy" and Esper Bionic LLC - students of the Faculty of Biomedical Engineering and the Mechanical Engineering Institute have the opportunity to study in a dual form, undergo pre-degree internships, and even now, under martial law, visit existing production facilities. It is worth noting that the number of faculties involved in the implementation of this project is constantly growing.
The innovative component of the Center's development strategy involves the use of the latest technologies that are being studied, developed, and tested. Its implementation, according to Natalia Seminska, will allow us to involve even more innovators and scientists from our country and other countries in the Sikorsky Challenge Ukraine innovation ecosystem, who will be able to implement their ideas through the use of modern technologies for the manufacture of samples and prototypes, strengthen networking among scientists and direct their efforts to strengthen the innovation component of the industry.
In their work, the Center's management and employees rely on the study and implementation of best practices and analytical research in the field of prosthetics and rehabilitation of patients both at the national level and abroad. In 2023, the Center's staff focused on studying key technologies for the manufacture of prostheses, in particular their main elements: stump receivers, sleeves, mechanical parts for upper and lower limb prosthetics. It has been determined that the implementation of additive technologies in the field of prosthetics will give a powerful impetus and become the basis for obtaining tangible results in the near future.
The Center is focused on the development and implementation of advanced technologies that will ensure innovative production development. Additive technologies, which are among the most advanced, can radically change the production and quality of finished products. Currently, consultations are underway with the world's leading companies, including General Electric Additive, HP, 3D system, ZEISS Industrial Quality Solutions and others, to implement these production processes by purchasing a wide range of high-tech equipment. According to Natalia Seminska, negotiations are currently underway with research and production centers for prosthetics Levitate (Denmark), Koalaa (UK), as well as with colleagues from the Czech Republic, the USA, and Spain.
To implement this strategy, the Center's specialists use the experience of the world's leading companies and participate in public discussions, including those held at the Social Policy Committee of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, on the state of prosthetics in Ukraine. Based on the results of the discussions, the Center joined the preparation of a strategy for the development of the prosthetics industry (taking into account the continued need to replace and repair a large number of prosthetic products) and improvement of the system of professional development and training of prosthetists, expansion of training programs for prosthetists and orthotists, and holding training and practical seminars to study technological processes in the field of prosthetics and rehabilitation.
It is clear that all of the above is not enough to develop the Center. Developing our own and implementing the best existing prosthetic technologies and practices of physical and psychological rehabilitation of victims of Russian aggression, as well as returning them to full life requires studying foreign experience. To this end, the Center's partners took part in the international exhibition of additive technologies "Formnext22" held in Frankfurt (Germany). Within the framework of the grant "Supporting the Mental Health of Ukrainian Wounded Soldiers and Their Families through Training and Cooperation with Ukrainian Educators", cooperation has been established with the hospital and the Tallinn Medical School (Estonia). Work is also underway to prepare projects for the National Research Foundation of Ukraine and obtain grants to attract additional funding and, accordingly, expand the Center's capabilities. Significant efforts are being made to ensure that all these developments contribute to the involvement of as many scientists and university students as possible in the implementation of innovative developments not only in the field of prosthetics and rehabilitation, but also in other areas that are essential for the development of our country.