News & Events

Hosted by Dublin City University, the mid-term management and quality-assurance meeting reviewed progress toward milestones and coordinated upcoming dissemination and awareness activities.

Newly equipped Digi-CHange Labs have become operational, integrating digital diagnostics and AI-based simulations into medical and nursing curricula, advancing interprofessional collaboration.

On 20 May 2026, a seminar entitled “Possibilities of Digital Thermometry for Assessing the Course of the Wound Healing Process Using the WALCOM HT-18+ Thermal Imager” was held at Ivan Puluj Ternopil National Technical University. 

The seminar was delivered by Professor Andrii Sverstiuk, Digi-CHange Project Coordinator at I. Horbachevsky Ternopil National Medical University, together with Oleksandr Kulianda, postgraduate student at the Department of Medical Biochemistry, under the scientific supervision of Professor Mykhailo Korda. The presentation focused on the use of infrared thermography and digital processing of thermograms for non-invasive monitoring of wound healing. Particular attention was given to the potential of digital thermometry to support objective assessment of local microcirculatory changes, inflammatory response, angiogenesis, and the effectiveness of regenerative biomaterials. 

 

The seminar also demonstrated how digital image processing, segmentation of regions of interest, and quantitative analysis of temperature distribution may reduce the subjective interpretation of results and contribute to more standardised approaches in biomedical research. These methods are closely linked with current priorities in digital medicine, including improved diagnostic accuracy, reproducibility of research results, and personalised approaches to treatment. 

The activity is directly aligned with the objectives of Digi-CHange, which aims to strengthen digital transformation in healthcare education by supporting the integration of digital health competencies, data-driven approaches, and innovative teaching methods into medical and healthcare curricula. By presenting practical applications of digital technologies in biomedical research and education, the seminar contributed to raising awareness of the importance of preparing future healthcare professionals for the evolving digital healthcare environment.

On 13 May, the international online cluster event “Building Resilient Minds for a Digital Future”, organised within the framework of three Erasmus+ projects: BURN, Digi-CHange, and UkraineDigiTrans, as held. The event focused on resilience, adaptability, and digital transformation in higher education. Digi-CHange project was represented by Professor Ekaterina Kldiashvili (TMA), who delivered a presentation titled “While Algorithms Learn, Human Thinking Still Matters.” The presentation introduced the Digi-CHange perspective on digital transformation in healthcare education and emphasised that artificial intelligence, digital tools, simulations, and data-based learning should strengthen, not replace, human thinking, professional judgement, teamwork, and patient-centred care. Professor Kldiashvili highlighted that Digi-CHange supports the digital transformation of medical and nursing education through curriculum reform, Digi-CHange Labs, AI-based simulations, digital health competency assessment tools, and awareness-raising activities. A key message of the presentation was that future healthcare professionals should be prepared not only to use digital tools, but also to interpret them responsibly and critically.

The event also included presentations from the BURN and UkraineDigiTrans projects, an invited talk on data in medical education, and a panel discussion on changing educational pathways in Ukrainian and Georgian higher education institutions. 

On 9 May 2026, I. Horbachevsky Ternopil National Medical University held a webinar within the framework of the All-Ukrainian Research Competition of the Junior Academy of Sciences of Ukraine in the Information Technology division.

The event was organised within the framework of the Digi-CHange project and aimed to support participants preparing for the national competition, while also promoting the role of digital transformation in education and healthcare. Young researchers presented innovative projects focused on semantic search systems, indoor microclimate control, personalised digital platforms, and secure communication technologies. 

This partner activity reflects Digi-CHange’s commitment to raising awareness about digital health, encouraging interdisciplinary thinking, and inspiring future innovation at the intersection of medicine, education, and information technology.

Within the framework of Digi-CHange project, I. Horbachevsky Ternopil National Medical University
organised a series of partner-level dissemination activities from 23 April to 5 May 2026.
The lectures, webinars and student presentations focused on artificial intelligence, telemedicine, biosignal
analysis, digital pathology, medical image analysis and AI-supported clinical thinking. These activities
contributed to the wider Digi-CHange consortium effort to modernise medical and nursing education and
strengthen digital health competencies among future healthcare professionals. Through practical
examples, the activities showed how digital tools can support biomedical data analysis, clinical reasoning,
student research, and the integration of innovative technologies into healthcare education. The sessions
also highlighted the importance of preparing medical and nursing students for digitally enabled healthcare
environments.
This partner activity reflects the Digi-CHange commitment to curriculum digitalisation, interdisciplinary
collaboration, and the development of future-oriented digital health education across the consortium.

World Health Day highlights the importance of building accessible, resilient, and future-ready healthcare systems. The World Health Organization emphasizes that digital technologies are essential in addressing global challenges such as healthcare workforce shortages and unequal access to care.

In response to these priorities, the Digi-CHange project contributes to strengthening digital health education in Georgia and Ukraine through a structured approach to curriculum transformation and capacity building.

The project focuses on three key areas:

Modernising medical and nursing curricula, ensuring that digital health competencies are systematically integrated into education and aligned with evolving healthcare needs.

Establishing Digi-CHange Labs, which provide students with hands-on experience using digital health tools and diagnostic technologies in practice-oriented learning environments.

Embedding artificial intelligence and strengthening academia–industry cooperation, supporting the development of clinical reasoning, digital skills, and closer alignment between education, research, and healthcare systems.

Through these actions, Digi-CHange supports the development of a digitally competent healthcare workforce capable of delivering patient-centred care and responding to current and future health system challenges.

As a dissemination activity linked to World Health Day, this post connects global health priorities with concrete project actions, demonstrates the role of education in strengthening healthcare systems, and highlights the added value of European cooperation in supporting systemic change.

INFOR ELEA organized the first "Digital Health Tools within Digi-CHange Labs" Training of Trainers programme. Representatives from Georgia, Ukraine, Latvia, and Ireland received hands-on experience in using digital tools for teaching and clinical simulation.

The Erasmus+ Capacity Building in Higher Education project Digi-CHange — Digital Transformation and Curriculum Development for Healthcare Teams was presented in Episode 37 of the international podcast produced by the Pitt Health and Explainable AI Research Laboratory, supported by the Computational Pathology & AI Center of Excellence (CPACE) at the University of Pittsburgh.

The discussion addressed a growing challenge for healthcare education: clinical practice increasingly relies on digital infrastructures, electronic records and AI-supported decision systems, while educational programmes often still treat these competencies as secondary rather than essential professional skills.

Representing the Digi-CHange consortium, Ekaterina (Eka) Kldiashvili from the project coordinator - Petre Shotadze Tbilisi Medical Academy, explained how the project responds through curriculum-level reform. Instead of introducing separate technical subjects, Digi-CHange integrates digital and AI literacy directly into clinical reasoning and everyday teaching.

Within this approach, students learn not only to use digital tools but to critically interpret algorithmic recommendations, understand uncertainty and bias, and retain professional responsibility when working in technology-supported environments. The discussion emphasised that trustworthy artificial intelligence in healthcare depends as much on education as on technology.

The podcast brings together international experts to explore explainability, transparency and ethics in medical AI. Participation in the episode demonstrates the project’s contribution to the global dialogue on preparing healthcare professionals for data-driven medicine.

Digi-CHange is an Erasmus+ funded Capacity Building in Higher Education project aimed at embedding digital health competencies and interdisciplinary collaboration into healthcare curricula across partner universities. Digi-CHange is funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.

Digi-CHange Working Group Meeting: Aligning the Next Steps of Curriculum Transformation On 6 February 2026, partners of the Digi-CHange project met online for a working group session focused on the practical phase of implementation. The meeting brought together academic and clinical partners to coordinate upcoming activities and to clarify how the project’s ideas will be translated into everyday teaching practice. A central part of the discussion concerned the Training of Trainers (ToT) programme. Rather than being treated as a short training event, it is planned as a mechanism for building institutional capacity. The aim is to prepare educators who will be able to introduce and sustain digital health teaching within their universities after the project period, ensuring that knowledge remains embedded in curricula and not limited to individual participants. Partners also discussed how digital health competencies should appear in study programmes. Instead of immediately creating new subjects, institutions will first analyse where digital practices already exist within current courses — for example in clinical documentation, imaging, simulations, and decision-support tools. Based on this mapping, courses will be updated to make these competencies explicit learning outcomes. In some cases, dedicated modules may also be introduced where broader conceptual understanding is required. The discussion clarified an important principle of the project: Digi-CHange does not aim to develop new technological platforms, but to strengthen professional judgement in technology-rich environments. The focus therefore remains on how future healthcare professionals interpret information, recognise system limitations, and remain responsible for decisions supported by digital tools. Partners also reviewed procurement procedures and dissemination planning. Equipment selection is progressing across institutions, and a shared tracking approach will be used to record outreach activities throughout the project. The meeting confirmed a shared direction: curriculum transformation will be gradual and evidence-based — starting from analysis, continuing through course revision, and supported by trained educators capable of sustaining the changes in the long term.

Digi-CHange Erasmus+ Project Enters Implementation Phase 8-9 January, 2026 The Erasmus+ Capacity Building in Higher Education project Digi-CHange – Digital Transformation and Curriculum Development for Healthcare Teams has officially entered its implementation phase, marking an important step toward modernising medical and nursing education through digital health, artificial intelligence, and interdisciplinary collaboration. A key early milestone in the project’s implementation was the first international gathering of the Digi-CHange consortium, held in January 2026 at Riga Technical University (RTU). The meeting brought together academic leaders, healthcare educators and professionals, as well as digital innovation experts from Georgia, Ukraine, Ireland, Italy, and Latvia, signalling the project’s transition from preparation to coordinated action and confirming a shared commitment to long-term educational reform. A central message highlighted during the meeting was that digital transformation in healthcare is not only about technology. It is about equipping future doctors and nurses with the skills, judgement, and confidence needed to work together in increasingly digital clinical environments. Digi-CHange responds directly to this need by embedding digital health competencies across education and lifelong learning. The project focuses on reforming medical and nursing curricula to better reflect real-world healthcare practice, where digital tools, data, and artificial intelligence increasingly support clinical decision-making. Through a strong team-based approach, Digi-CHange ensures that doctors and nurses are trained to collaborate effectively while maintaining ethical, patient-centred care. Key activities of the project include the development of digitally enriched curricula, the integration of AI-based simulations into education and training, the establishment of Digi-CHange Labs as practical learning environments, and the creation of assessment tools to evaluate digital health competencies. In parallel, the project will implement a Digital Health Awareness Campaign targeting educators, students, healthcare professionals, and society at large. By supporting higher education institutions in Georgia and Ukraine, Digi-CHange contributes to strengthening healthcare systems, improving workforce readiness, and aligning education with European and global digital health priorities.

The MEDIC 2025 panel "Innovation, Education, and Digital Transformation" sparked a powerful conversation on how technology, creativity, and human values are reshaping the way doctors are trained and healthcare evolves. Bringing together diverse perspectives — from digital health competencies and empathy in medical training to creative student storytelling — the session demonstrated that innovation in medicine is not just about advanced tools, but about how we think, learn, and care. Speakers highlighted why digital tools must support clinical thinking rather than replace it, inspiring a shift from digital skills toward digital mindsets grounded in ethical and compassionate care. The panel also spotlighted emotional intelligence through insights from medical students, and showcased how digital storytelling can transform public health awareness — proof that future innovation thrives where science meets empathy, creativity, and collaboration.