From October 9-10, 2026, the OMI held a satellite symposium in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan at the National Center for Maternal and Child Welfare. This symposium specialized in Obstetrics and Perinatology and was led by Dr. Alexander Farr (Medical University of Vienna), along with local faculty. OMI founder Dr. Wolfgang Aulitzky was also able to join as a guest speaker.
The idea for the symposium came about after Dr. Gulnur Zholdoshbekova, a young obstetrician and gynecologist from Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, did an observership with the Medical University of Vienna in 2025, where she pitched the idea to Dr. Farr. Dr. Zholdoshbekova had previously been a fellow at an OMI seminar in 2022 and was then inspired to facilitate this satellite symposium with the support of OMI local coordinator in Kyrgyzstan, Dr. Lola Asanalieva.
The symposium covered a variety of topics relating to obstetrics and perinatology, including the prevention of preterm birth, the management of pregnancies at the threshold of fetal viability, improvements in maternal and neonatal care, and future prospects for fetal therapy.
85 specialists from across Kyrgyzstan, as well as physicians from Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Russia were in attendance to learn the latest information relating to these obstetric hot topics.
On the first day, the symposium consisted of didactic lectures, followed by a round table discussion where fellows could ask questions about common issues related to obstetrics, as well as share clinical cases they have encountered in their practice in order to get feedback from the expert faculty. This is a very valuable opportunity for these fellows, as they can get opinions of doctors like Dr. Farr, who come from a European healthcare background, as well as expert medical professionals who are from their local community of Kyrgyzstan.
The two local faculty members joining Dr. Farr during the seminar were Dr. Arsen Askerov, who is the President of the Association of OB/GYN, and Dr. Cholpon Stakeeva, who is the Head of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Kyrgyz State Medical Academy. Both faculty members are esteemed doctors in the world of obstetrics and gynecology, and they were thrilled to share their expertise with all the enthusiastic physicians over the course of the two-day course.
On the last day of the symposium, a very special gathering happened to celebrate the completion of the course: an OMI fellows reunion! 36 OMI alumni from Bishkek, Osh, and the Chuy and Issyk-Kul regions met to celebrate all that they have learned thanks to the OMI. This reunion was also joined by Dr. Farr and Dr. Aulitzky. Local coordinator Dr. Lola Asanalieva had this to say about the meeting:
“The reunion provided a valuable opportunity to reconnect, share memories, and celebrate the professional community built through OMI’s educational programs.”
This reunion was extra special, as the OMI is celebrating 30 years in Kyrgyzstan this year! We are so happy that faculty and fellows were able to meet in Bishkek to celebrate all of their wonderful accomplishments.
