PRINCETON, N.J. – Ihor Kurilets Jr. is a neurosurgeon from Ukraine. He looks younger than his years and someone would be forgiven for thinking he was an undergraduate at Princeton University on the day he stood behind the lectern in the renovated Gothic building that houses the Princeton Institute for International and Regional Studies to deliver a lecture hosted by the Slavic Studies Department and Razom on September 25.
Dr. Kurilets and his father, Ihor Kurilets Sr., work at a specialized clinic in Kyiv which they founded. They treat patients with spine and brain ailments, but their work extends beyond brain surgery. They are creating an island of a different sort of medical care in Ukraine. They aspire to show by example that the vestiges of the Soviet-era medical care can be dismantled by providing quality care with transparent pricing. They treat patients and reduce corruption at the same time.