Wheler Family Great Minds Lecture Series “On the Ground in Ukraine” scheduled for October 27.
The first lecture in a new annual four-part Wheler Family Great Minds Lecture Series entitled On the Ground in Ukraine is October 27 at 3:30 p.m.
The lecture will feature two women who left their homes and businesses to assist Ukrainians during the war. Dr. Tanya Bucierka, emergency medicine and volunteer, and Ivanka Siolkowsky, television personality, business owner and volunteer will be joined in conversation by Dr. Christina Bobesky, associate professor of Human Services at Cazenovia College, with an opportunity for questions from the audience.
Dr. Bucierka grew up in a community of 25,000 Ukrainians in Rochester, New York and now lives in Oregon. After seeing the devastation on television from the war in Ukraine, she knew her language skills and emergency medicine training could help in some way. Through Med Global, Dr. Bucierka was able to go to Ukraine to practice global health and disaster medicine. She lectured physicians on chemical warfare and blast injuries, created a mobile medical clinic going from shelter to shelter to treat refugees, and she taught Ukrainian doctors and other medical professionals on ultrasound and similar technologies.
Siolkowsky is a TV personality and professional organizer known as The Tidy Moose in Canada with 28,000 social media followers. She is a Ukrainian-Canadian who left her daily routine to help displaced families in Ukraine. She volunteered at the Ukraine/Poland border, rebuilt homes in Bucha, spent weeks in underground bunkers, and spread joy by working with children and painting flowers over bullet holes on fences. She has been featured by several media outlets including the Washington Post, The Morning Show and Breakfast Television and more. Her social media followers have donated thousands in support of her work in Ukraine.
In between treating refugees, Bucierka joined forces with Siolkowsky to build camouflage nets for the military and distribute food. During On the Ground in Ukraine, Bucierka and Siolkowsky will discuss their experiences and provide firsthand insight into the impact of the war on Ukrainians.
The Great Minds Lecture Series is sponsored by the Wheler family and is free and open to the public. The event will be hosted on Zoom, and advance registration is required.