Submitted by la334 on Wed, 16/09/2026 - 14:49
The Nadija Research Foundation is establishing a new research centre in Lviv, Ukraine, in partnership with eight international universities, including the University of Cambridge, to address the long-term psychological impacts of war on children and families.
The Nadija Foundation developed the research initiative, a Nordic-Ukrainian organisation dedicated to improving healthcare for war-affected youth. To build a strong evidence base for its interventions, the foundation established an independent research arm in Lviv.
The Research Foundation aims to improve the lives of children and young people during ongoing conflict, strengthen research and clinical expertise in Ukraine in the years ahead, and ultimately enable shared learning across regions of ongoing conflict. Working closely with Ukrainian researchers and communities, including schools, will help ensure that the perspectives, experiences, and needs of children and families take centre stage in the research.
The University of Cambridge joins an international consortium that includes the Universities of Zurich, Copenhagen, Linköping, Helsinki, and New South Wales, alongside Ukrainian institutions Danylo Halytsky Lviv National Medical University and the Ukrainian Catholic University.
Dr Eolene Boyd, an Assistant Research Professor in Cambridge’s Department of Psychiatry, represents the university as a founding member on the Foundation’s Governing Board. Dr Boyd brings specialist expertise in public mental health, resilience, and community-based research to help guide the centre's strategy. Using approaches that are sensitive to the needs of those experiencing ongoing trauma while also showing great resilience, she works closely with “experts by experience” in communities and schools.
“This is a unique opportunity to work alongside Ukrainian colleagues and communities to understand what children and families need during conflict, and how research can help improve the support available to them now, rather than waiting until the war ends,” says Dr Boyd.
“My work focuses on co-researching with communities, drawing on their insights, experiences and understandings of their own circumstances,” Dr Boyd notes. “I’m pleased to bring this perspective to the collaboration and to support the Foundation’s longer-term ambitions for children and young people’s mental health.”
The Lviv research centre has begun with two projects, with more under development:
- The UNITY Study: A multi-year longitudinal investigation following 3,000 families across Ukraine to track mental health trends, coping strategies, and long-term resilience.
- WHO EASE Adaptation: A project adapting the World Health Organisation’s Early Adolescent Skills for Emotions program for Ukrainian youth, including developing a digital platform tailored to navigate disruptions like air-raid sirens and remote schooling.
The new research hub forms one component of a broader healthcare initiative. Beyond its academic work, the Nadija Foundation delivers remote psychological care via telemedicine across Ukraine and is preparing to open a specialised physical rehabilitation hospital in Lviv.
Further Information:
Learn more about the Nadija Foundation and Dr Boyd’s research work through the University of Cambridge.