Join the Duke Center for Global Mental Health Trainee Community for an Ask Me Anything (AMA) session with Mariia Savchyna, MD, PhD Student in Health Sciences.
In this session, Mariia will share her journey from medical training in Kyiv, Ukraine, to pursuing a PhD in Health Sciences at Jagiellonian University Medical College in Poland. She will discuss her experiences conducting research on refugee health and the impacts of war, as well as navigating doctoral training and building a career in global mental health research.
Mariia’s research explores how stress and trauma affect the health and well-being of refugees, with a particular focus on biological markers of stress and resilience. Her work includes studying biomarkers such as cortisol and telomere length among families affected by war. She also contributes to research examining health-system barriers and facilitators to accessing emergency care among Ukrainian refugees in Poland.
About Mariia Savchyna
Mariia completed her medical education at Bogomolets National Medical University in Kyiv, Ukraine, before moving to Poland to pursue her PhD in Health Sciences at Jagiellonian University Medical College. Her research focuses on refugee health, stress, trauma, and resilience, with an emphasis on understanding the biological effects of war and displacement.
She is currently involved in two research projects:
- STRONG Study — Stress, Trauma, Resilience Of New Generations
PI: Grażyna Jasienska
The study examines stress, trauma, and resilience among populations affected by war, including the biological pathways through which prolonged stress may influence health. - EDuREF Study — Investigating the Barriers and Facilitators to Emergency Department Use Among Refugees from Ukraine in Poland
PI: Iwona Bielska
This project examines health-system barriers and facilitators that influence access to emergency department care among Ukrainian refugees in Poland.
Open to Duke Center for Global Mental Health students and trainees.