Yuriy Soroka, Wellstar North Fulton

With family still in Ukraine, Soroka had been deeply worried as Russian troops advanced in early 2022. Watching the war unfold on television and social media, he knew he couldn’t stand by.

Wellstar granted him a leave of absence, and in June 2022, the married father of three flew to Ukraine via Poland. There, he served as a medic and critical care evacuation nurse with the international humanitarian group Migrant Offshore Aid Station. He also trained Ukrainians in lifesaving medical skills.

“It is absolutely devastating,” Soroka said of the war. “The amount of trauma — I’ve never seen in my life.”

Since then, he has returned three times, most recently in the summer of 2024.

Levesque nominated Soroka for his 2025 AJC Nurse Excellence Award, saying: “I can honestly say I have never met a more compassionate, kind, caring nurse who selflessly gives to help his country and his people, all at great personal risk.”

Soroka was presented the award during a luncheon Thursday at Flourish Atlanta in Buckhead.

Nursing is in Soroka’s blood. His mother, Valentina, was a single mother and nurse in Ukraine, and he spent much of his childhood in hospitals and clinics where she worked. Inspired by her dedication, he longed to follow the same path. His oldest daughter, Karina, felt the same pull — she’s now a NICU nurse at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta at Scottish Rite.

“I loved everything about health care,” Soroka said.

Soroka and his wife, Nadia, fled Ukraine through Poland as refugees, settling in the United States in 2003. He became a naturalized citizen and worked construction jobs for six years before pursuing his dream. In 2013, he earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Kennesaw State University and built his career primarily in ICUs. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he doubled his efforts, working at both Northeast Georgia Medical Center in Gainesville and at Wellstar.

Now 49, he has no plans to leave the profession. He and Nadia, who works at a preschool, live in Roswell and have three daughters, ages 14, 20, and 24. One day, he hopes to become a flight nurse, continuing to push his skills to the next level.

“Nursing is a great calling and career, and a lifelong opportunity to learn,” he said. “Being able to volunteer in a war zone is another way of learning not to take things for granted.”

Read about our other 2025 winners