The Physiopedia team is thrilled to highlight Kateryna Tymruk-Skoropad’s work. Kateryna is a hard-working and kind person with a smile that always brightens up the days of the Plus team. In addition to translating, she helps review and assign courses for translation, a crucial task for our translation team She and Tetiana, our other wonderful Ukrainian translator has translated 243 courses into Ukrainian. This has resulted in over 62,000 activities logged and over 7,800 courses completed by Ukrainian rehabilitation professionals.
We can proudly say that she is a key player in improving rehabilitation education in Ukraine – not only by translating courses for Physiopedia Plus but also by organising congresses and other events for Ukrainian rehabilitation colleagues. She also teaches at the Lviv State University of Physical Culture. Well done Kateryna for being our Top Contributor for March!
Your name: Kateryna Tymruk-Skoropad 
Time active with Physiopedia: Since May 2022.
Current role with Physiopedia: I am a Translator of content into Ukrainian for Physiopedia Plus courses.
Where did you go to university/college? I graduated with a Master of Physical Therapy from Lviv State University of Physical Culture. In 2007, I completed a PhD, and in 2021 I completed a Doctor of Science degree.
Where do you work? In addition to my work with Physiopedia, I also work at the Department of Physical Therapy at Lviv State University of Physical Culture, Lviv, Ukraine.
Describe your role: With Physiopedia, I review and translate Plus courses from English to Ukrainian. It is a great experience, as I am continuously learning new information about rehabilitation medicine as I work.
I am also a Lecturer, Guarantor of the Doctor of Philosophy programme at Lviv State University of Physical Culture, Supervisor of postgraduate students, and Researcher. My academic and research interests are respiratory physical therapy and research methods.
What is the most rewarding part of working with Physiopedia? The most rewarding part of working with Physiopedia is the opportunity to obtain the most up-to-date, modern, systematic knowledge of rehabilitation from experts from around the world. Also, to understand advanced approaches and trends in the development of physical therapy and rehabilitation. I am thrilled to be able to communicate and work alongside an incredible, motivated, friendly team. It is amazing to see how the influential work of a large team from all over the world is organised and contributing to the growth of our profession.
What are some of the more challenging aspects about your work? As I am from Ukraine and we have been at war since 2014, which in 2022 escalated into a full-scale Russian invasion, the most significant personal challenge for me is to keep my performance and emotional state at a level that allows me to work as efficiently as possible. The uncertainty for the country and my family, the loss or injury of a vast number of friends and people I don’t know, bombing even in remote parts of the country, night and day air alarms – this is what every Ukrainian in the country is going through. The feeling that I am doing too little to win and significantly less than the men and women who defend us with weapons – gives me the strength to do everything possible to improve the quality of physical therapy and rehabilitation in our country.
What are some of your professional passions? My greatest passion is preparing and conducting professional educational events for physical therapists. Trainings, congresses, courses, schools – the greatest joy and satisfaction is when you go from the idea of the event to its completion and realise that everything went very well, and efficiently, and you get great feedback and requests from participants to invite them to the next event. I am also very passionate about working with international colleagues and partners to strengthen the capacity of universities to provide quality education and clinicians to provide quality rehabilitation services. It is very motivating to see positive changes and results.
What are a few of your personal passions? I love spending time travelling with my family. Walking in the woods with my dog, Neo, and jogging also give me energy. I love watching films and having friends come to visit. I love playing tennis, especially with my son.
What would be your advice to a newly graduating physiotherapist? Be responsible for the profession. Do not believe that someone else should take steps to improve the profession of physical therapy.
Be reflective. This allows you to have better communication, better relationships, and move as a professional in the right direction. Be proactive. Personally, change your practice, the environment around you, something in your professional life without waiting for it to be forced. To see possible ways of improvement and take the first step towards this implementation. It brings great satisfaction and opens up great opportunities for self-realisation.
Where do you see yourself in 5 years? I want to develop my leadership skills and become an international expert in building and strengthening rehabilitation capacities. I believe I will continue working with undergraduate and postgraduate students and be an expert in physical therapy and rehabilitation in important national initiatives.
What are the best things about being a part of the Physiopedia team? I am very proud and honoured to be a part of the Physiopedia team. I could never have imagined before that I would be able to contribute to the largest and most renowned rehabilitation education platform in the world. The best thing is to be among incredible people, professionals in their field, to communicate with experts. The best aspect of this work is being able to learn while working.
How has being a Physiopedia volunteer helped your professional development/career progression? I saw first-hand how a large international team of specialists work together and implement ideas. I gained the experience and understanding that allowed me to become an effective strategic expert of the large initiative “War Trauma Rehabilitation in Ukraine”. Also, my cooperation with Physiopediа allowed me to promote the maximum involvement of the professional national organisation of physical therapists to disseminate information about Physiopediа and attract membership. This also strengthens our non-governmental organisation – the Ukrainian Physical Therapist Assiciation (UPTA). My cooperation with Physiopediа is a unique experience that adds value to me as a professional and is always an advantage when I establish contacts and cooperation with other projects, initiatives or partners.
What are your hopes and aspirations for Physiopedia? I really want to continue working with Physiopediа. I want the presence of Physiopediа in Ukraine to increase. I hope that translation and provision of Ukrainian adaptation of Physiopedia resources into Ukrainian will be a permanent part of Physiopedia’s activities. I also hope that over time, the opportunity to implement more ideas and activities of Physiopediа in Ukraine will grow.
What is your favourite Plus course? I enjoy the impressive number of courses. I have completed more than 115 courses. But I have special emotions from all the courses under the Rehabilitation Leadership Programme, and the An Introduction to Implicit Bias in Healthcare course.
Anything else you would like to share? I would like to thank my colleagues from the Translation Team (Jorge Rodríguez, Annemarie Frank, Paola Marturano, Tetiana Baryshok, Vanessa Rondeau), the representative of Physiopediа in Ukraine – Olya Kovalchuk, and Larisa Hoffmann, with whom we cooperate on the development of university education in Ukraine, and everyone who supports and inspires Physiopediа. Also, I thank Rachael and Tony Lowe for their trust and support. 