Dr. Maryna Baydyuk honored by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy!
On September 21st, Dr. Maryna Baydyuk, an Assistant Research Professor in the Huang Lab, was honored by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during his diplomatic visit to Washington, D.C. Born in Kyiv, Dr. Baydyuk moved to the United States to study biology at CUNY Hunter College (B.A.) and pharmacology at Georgetown (Ph.D.). At a ceremony at the National Archives, she received the National Order of Merit, 3rd Degree, an honor given to Ukrainian individuals for outstanding achievements in economics, military and politics, culture, and science.
Dr. Baydyuk was honored following her incredible humanitarian work as President of United Help Ukraine (UHU), an organization founded after the 2014 Russian annexation of Crimea and the beginning of war in Eastern Ukraine to coordinate protests in D.C. and fundraise to help Ukrainian people affected by war. Although UHU was originally a small, local organization, support for its work swelled dramatically after the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, allowing UHU to send over $60 million in medical and humanitarian supplies to Ukraine. After the ceremony, Dr. Baydyuk told WTOP News that being honored and thanked by President Zelensky was “definitely an important moment of [her] life.”
Alongside Dr. Jeffrey Huang, Dr. Baydyuk studies the development, function, and dysfunction of glia, non-neuronal cells in the central nervous system, and their relevance to neurodegenerative disorders such as multiple sclerosis. She has been a member of the Georgetown Biology community since she began her Ph.D. in 2005.
Congratulations Maryna!
- To read more about the event, visit https://bit.ly/maryna-baydyuk-honored (new window)
- To read more about United Help Ukraine, visit https://unitedhelpukraine.org/ (new window)