In the summer, the second phase of cooperation began between Superhumans, the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Republic of Slovenia, and ITF. Within this new stage of the project, which will run throughout 2025–2026, 20 patients in need of prosthetics and rehabilitation will receive assistance thanks to the support of Slovenian partners.
The first joint initiative in 2024 has already demonstrated the effectiveness of this partnership: the Superhumans team helped 25 patients receive upper and lower limb prosthetics and complete a full rehabilitation course.
Regular monthly medical missions, organized together with international partners, have become an integral part of Superhumans’ work. They not only allow more patients to receive high-quality care in a shorter time but also create a powerful platform for knowledge exchange and professional growth. International prosthetists work side by side with Ukrainian specialists, implementing new technologies, sharing expertise, and raising the standard of services.
Such missions also help reduce the workload on the local team, opening up more opportunities to focus on complex cases, continuous learning, and the development of innovative approaches to patient recovery.
The project is implemented with the financial support of the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Republic of Slovenia through the Slovenia Aid & Partnerships program.
A three-day intensive training program for Ukrainian doctors and rehabilitation professionals was held in Lviv. This program was organized by Danylo Halytsky Lviv National Medical University in collaboration with Austrian Professor Burkhard Gustorff and the Superhumans Center for war trauma.
Over 40 specialists from across Ukraine participated in the program, including anesthesiologists, physical therapists, physiatrists, psychologists, and neurologists. These professionals work daily with patients experiencing pain from injuries and amputations.
Why Does This Matter?
Pain is more than just a symptom — it significantly impacts a patient’s quality of life. In times of war, with an increasing number of individuals suffering from severe injuries, phantom pain, and chronic trauma, effective pain management becomes essential for human dignity, functional recovery, and reintegration into everyday life.
However, many Ukrainian professionals still lack systematic training in this field. This is why multidisciplinary programs like this are not just relevant; they are critically necessary.
Theoretical Module Highlights
Participants explored key topics, including:
The physiology of nociception and pain inhibition mechanisms
Pain classification: acute, chronic, neuropathic, and phantom pain
The relationship between pain and post-traumatic stress
Modern treatment strategies for phantom limb pain after amputations
Differential diagnosis of headaches following trauma
Interdisciplinary approaches to complex pain treatment
Practical Module (Superhumans Center)
At the state-of-the-art Superhumans Center, participants engaged in small-group workshops focused on:
Assessing pain in various clinical contexts
Selecting appropriate treatment strategies
Techniques such as mirror therapy, visualization, and exercises for phantom pain
Physical and manual therapy methods
Psychological interventions for chronic pain
Working with military patients
The importance of communication in pain management
Event Partners
Sigmund Freud Private University (Austria)
Ottakring Clinic, Vienna
Embassy of the Republic of Austria in Ukraine
Austrian Cooperation Office in Lviv
What’s Next?
This school is just the beginning. In 2025–2026, the Superhumans Center and Lviv National Medical University plan to hold similar training sessions at least twice a year, engaging professionals from various disciplines, including physiatrists, rehabilitation experts, anesthesiologists, neurologists, and others.
Our goal is to establish a sustainable national pain management system grounded in a multidisciplinary approach and aligned with European clinical protocols.
Enrollment is now open for a unique training program on 3D socket fabrication, combining cutting-edge 3D modeling, scanning, and printing technologies with hands-on clinical application!
Prosthetists interested in integrating digital technologies into their practice and eager to learn how to use 3D printing in socket fabrication. If you’re ready to master advanced tools and approaches—don’t miss this opportunity.
📌 The training program includes:
3D Modeling with 3DMedX ▫️ Introduction to the software ▫️ Modeling sockets and exporting files for printing ▫️ Preparing models for 3D printing
3D Scanning of Patients ▫️ Types of scanners and principles of operation ▫️ Choosing the right scanner and workflow ▫️ Live patient scanning, data processing, and export
Basics of FDM Printing ▫️ Choosing the right printer and materials (PETG, PP) ▫️ Printer setup, calibration, and maintenance ▫️ Troubleshooting common printing issues
Slicer Software & Print Preparation ▫️ Basic settings and G-code generation ▫️ Post-processing of printed parts
Final Prosthesis Assembly & Patient Fitting ▫️ Final assembly ▫️ Fitting, adjustments, and clinical recommendations
This training is part of the NL4Superhumans project, supported by Netherlands for Ukraine (NL4UA), Healthcare4Ukraine, and the Superhumans Foundation. The project is funded by the Ukraine Partnership Facility (UPF) and implemented by the Netherlands Enterprise Agency on behalf of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands.
Date: February 5–7, 2025 Location: I.I. Mechnikov Hospital, Dnipro
Participants will have the opportunity to attend theoretical lectures by leading experts in emergency surgery and reconstructive medicine, practice surgical techniques in the operating room, and analyze real clinical cases.
Among the workshop speakers are Superhumans Center surgeons Stepan Kuchabskyi and Danylo Turkevych, orthopedic trauma surgeon of the Medical Unit of the 12th Brigade of the National Guard of Ukraine “Azov” Dmytro Shmatko, and orthopedic trauma surgeon from Mechnikov Hospital Andriy Vasyliev.
Workshop Format
For trauma surgeons, orthopedic surgeons, general surgeons, and military doctors.
Goal
To gain specialized experience in diagnosing, planning, surgical intervention, anesthetic support, pharmacological management, and postoperative care for patients with combat limb trauma.
Key Competencies Participants Will Gain
Providing care for patients with combat-related limb injuries
Performing fasciotomy for blast injuries
Understanding modern amputation techniques and wound management
Grasping the principles of reconstructive interventions
Training Format
Lectures – 15 hours
Practical sessions – 7.5 hours
Discussion – 3 hours
Assessment – 1 hour
Final Assessment
Test (10 questions)
The program is designed for medical professionals seeking to enhance their skills in emergency care, advanced reconstructive surgery, and rehabilitation of patients with combat injuries.
Participants will receive up-to-date information on treatment methods and protocols used both in field conditions and modern clinical settings.
This event is supported by the Ministry of Health of Ukraine, the Health Departments of Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporizhzhia regions, the I.I. Mechnikov Dnipropetrovsk Regional Clinical Hospital, and the nationwide center for war trauma — Superhumans.
A huge task for the people of Ukraine is helping those injured in the war rebuild their lives. The Superhumans Center, a state-of-the-art medical center, opened its doors last weekend. It will provide prosthetic limbs, rehabilitation, PTSD treatment and reconstructive surgery to wounded soldiers and civilians — all for free. Joining Julia to discuss is Superhumans cofounder Andrey Stavnitser.
Lviv, Ukraine, April 14, 2023 – Superhumans Center, a national world-class medical center that ensures specialized care for all Ukrainians wounded by war, opens its doors today. Superhumans will provide prosthetics, rehabilitation, PTSD treatment and eventually reconstructive surgery free of charge. The Center is located on the campus of the Regional Veterans Hospital, but is independently managed. First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska and Ukraine’s Minister of Health Victor Liashko are Superhumans board members.
After the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine began on February 24, 2022, Ukrainian entrepreneurs Andrey Stavnitser and Philipp Grushko took their logistical know-how and built humanitarian distribution centers in Poland, the United Kingdom and the United States. Several months into the war, Stavnitser and team were appalled as more Ukrainian soldiers returned from the frontlines without limbs. Ukraine’s medical community had little experience with complicated amputations or prosthetics and with the precipitous decline in the economy, the state faces real limits in supporting victims of war.
More than 10,000 Ukrainians need prosthetics, and the WHO estimates that one in four Ukrainians will have mental health problems after the war ends.
Olga Rudnieva, a well-known non-profit leader in Ukraine, serves as CEO of Superhumans. Dr.Andriy Vilenskiy, a pediatrician, former head of private clinics and the National Health Service, is Superhumans’ medical director.
As a non-profit, Superhumans is driven by support from donors and charities. Most significantly, Superhumans received $16.3 million in funding from the Howard G. Buffett Foundation to underwrite all construction and equipment costs for the Superhumans Center. The Buffett Foundation also provided $1 million to cover the cost of prosthetics for the center’s first patients.
Today, Superhumans Center opened the first wing of the medical center which includes the prosthetics lab and rehabilitation center. The second stage, which includes the reconstructive surgery department and sleeping quarters for visiting international doctors, will open by the end of 2023.
Superhumans Center is committed to a comprehensive approach to care and to changing the perception and psychology of Ukrainians with limb loss. Prostheses will be manufactured and assembled in the Center. The laboratory has been built and equipped with support from the leading German company Ottobock. The rehabilitation department has a large swimming pool as well as facilities for physical therapy.
“The bravest soldiers on the planet, Ukrainian defenders, should know that they will be taken care of back at home. This is my personal duty, my way to thank those who will get our victory. Soldiers and civilians, who have given their health for the sake of Ukraine’s freedom, will receive the latest technologies, best global medical expertise, and an individual approach at Superhumans – everything they need to get back to their active lives. We have already traveled around the world to bring all of that into one place, in Ukraine, and we will keep doing that,” said Superhumans co-founder Andrey Stavnitser.
At the opening ceremony, First Lady Olena Zelenska and American philanthropist Howard G. Buffett pointed out the importance of the project.
«Superhumans is not just a name of the project. I think that’s a new social agreement put in one word. A philosophy, worth not only a clinic, but a whole country. Superheroes instead of victims. Superpowers instead of disabilities. We want to build not just a clinic, but a super-country for Ukrainians. Because all of them are superhumans”, – said Olena Zelenska.
“We are honored to be a part of this extraordinary effort to bring world-class care to Ukrainians who have suffered life-altering injuries from this war – they are truly “superhumans,” said Howard G. Buffett, Chairman and CEO of the Howard G. Buffett Foundation. “Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine is a war on civilians, and many men, women, and children will lose their lives—or their limbs—even long after the war ends due to the pervasive presence of landmines. This Center is a step towards giving Ukrainians a chance to rebuild their lives and their country. We must also do everything possible to end this war and the daily devastation it creates for all Ukrainians.”
Sir Richard Branson recently visited the center ahead of its opening. He said, “The Superhumans Centre is a truly remarkable place, and it will change the lives of thousands of Ukrainians, restoring quality of life to the injured.
“During my visit to the center, I had the wonderful privilege of meeting two of the people who have been wounded on the frontline. Their courage, positive spirit, and continued commitment to the people of Ukraine is awe-inspiring.
“We are honored to support Superhumans and their mission to give these extraordinary people the help they need to live the life they deserve.”
Even before being fully launched, Superhumans has already started to set prosthetics for military personnel and civilians. Two soldiers received bionic Hero Arms from an exclusive partner of Superhumans, British manufacturer Open Bionics. Six more patients, veterans and civilians, came back from Germany in April, where they received leg prostheses and rehabilitation at Ottobock headquarters.
Superhumans Center plans to expand to five regions of Ukraine to bring care closer to patients. A National Education Center will be launched this fall to address shortages in Ukraine’s healthcare system.
Superhumans Center is supported by global and Ukrainian celebrities and companies. Ambassadors of the project include: Sting, Trudie Styler, Bear Grylls, Natalie Jaresko, Richard Branson’s Foundation CEO Jean Oelwang, Masi Nayem, Andriy Danylko, Yegor Gordeev, and MONATIK.
Companies supporting Superhumans include Mastercard, Freedom Finance, Payoneer, Cargill, Crown Agents, SD Capital, Loro Piana, SoftServe, and PrivatBank.
We are honoured to announce that the globally renowned adventurer and television presenter Bear Grylls is joining the Superhumans Ambassador team.
In the autumn of last year, Bear Grylls visited Ukraine to film a very special and exclusive documentary about our lives during the war. At that time, we were experiencing constant attacks on energy infrastructure and almost daily blackouts. Bear conducted a personal interview with the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky. The film about Ukraine was presented yesterday, and this is an incredibly important show of support for us, as millions of viewers around the world watch Bear’s work.
We will also be exploring opportunities with BecomingX, the learning and development company Bear co-founded to support our educational goals and showcase how injured veterans and civilians can realise their potential and live fulfilling lives.
In addition to being an incredibly talented individual and a true master of his craft, Bear Grylls is also a person with a big heart. His genuine admiration for the Superhumans, his desire to help everyone, and his belief that Superhumans rehabilitation centres will soon open across the country are both captivating and inspiring!
Bear, the whole Superhumans community, and our team is sincerely grateful for your support and faith in us!
CNN has been interested in how Superhumans is progressing since day 1 we announced the project. We are sincerely grateful to Zain Asher for being deeply involved into what’s going on in Ukraine and keeping us in focus. In March Andrey Stavnitser, Superhumans co-founder, talked to One World with Zain Asher to share the news on how we set the bionic arms to soldiers before even being fully operational.
