The First National Congress on Emergency Medical Care, held in Kyiv, Ukraine, in September 2025, marked a turning point for the nation’s out-of-hospital and emergency medicine community. For the first time, the entire spectrum of emergency care — out-of-hospital practitioners, hospital teams, civil disaster agencies, and military medical staff — gathered with international partners to shape the future of Ukrainian emergency medicine.

Inaugural address by Dr. Judith Tintinalli. (Click to enlarge.)

The Congress opened with an address by Judith Tintinalli, MD, MS, FACEP, one of the most prominent figures in American emergency medicine and editor of the field’s landmark textbook, “Tintinalli’s Emergency Medicine: A Comprehensive Study Guide,” in its ninth edition worldwide. Her presence symbolized both global solidarity and the recognition that Ukraine’s system transformation is now part of the international conversation. “The emergency medicine situation in Ukraine requires a training model that is a hybrid of civilian and military emergency medicine, and that must fit the heart and soul of the Ukrainian people,” she told ACEP Now.

Alongside Dr. Tintinalli, American, Canadian, Japanese and European faculty joined Ukrainian colleagues in plenary sessions, workshops, and policy discussions. Their involvement emphasized a central theme: Ukraine’s integration with Western and NATO standards of emergency and disaster medicine.

A Conference in Wartime

The context made this event unlike any other. The Congress convened under the daily reality of missile alerts, drone strikes, and sustained attacks on medical facilities, ambulances, and health care personnel.

The Pochayna Event Hall was selected for its large capacity and built-in safety measures. Redundant power systems, encrypted communications, and clearly marked air-raid shelters ensured the program could proceed even during alerts — a logistical achievement that mirrored the incredible resilience that Ukrainian emergency responders demonstrate every day.

Led by Dr. Vitaliy Krylyuk, director of Ukraine’s National Center for Emergency Care and Disaster Medicine and ACEP’s liaison to Ukraine, the organizing team gathered representatives from every sector of emergency health care. Delegates included the Ministries of Health and Internal Affairs, the State Emergency Service, the Armed Forces Medical Service, universities, non-governmental organizations, and international partners, such as the World Health Organization.

“The reform of Ukraine’s emergency medical care system began in 2019. Despite the start of the full-scale Russian–Ukrainian war in 2022, this reform has continued successfully,” said Dr. Krylyuk. “Over the past three years, many changes have been implemented, adapted to the realities of war. We are ready to cooperate with international partners and committed to introducing the best global practices in Ukraine. The Congress provides an opportunity to unite the efforts of key experts in this field.”