Olena Lysenko

Academic Research

As a visiting researcher at the Center for Media at Risk at the University of Pennsylvania's Annenberg School for Communication, I focused on studying war portrayal in documentaries and analyzing media's impact on public perception of war.

Ukrainian Filmmakers – Documenting a Decade of War

A country’s film industry is intrinsically tied to its economic, political and social circumstances. Ukraine, which gained independence in 1991, is no exception. The lingering effects of Soviet-era Russification policies, which were designed to suppress Ukrainian history, culture and language, continued to shape both Ukrainian society and its cinema for years. Economic crises in the post-Soviet era brought new challenges to film funding and distribution in Ukraine. The economic instability of th...

I participated in several roundtable discussions in University of Pennsylvania, including How is War Changing Media Futures in Ukraine?, Media Practice in an Emergent World Order, OWN IT Penn: Resiliency in Academia, and Reporting the First Draft of History: How to Write/Film the War in Ukraine at Princeton University. These engagements allowed me to share insights and engage with fellow academics and professionals in the field.

Furthermore, I conducted a workshop on ethical approaches to documentary filmmaking, sharing practical insights with PhD students from the University of Pennsylvania.

On a podcast discussing "The Role of Media in Making and Breaking Ukraine's War Effort," I shared my research findings and their relevance to current events. I was also featured in an article in the UPenn newspaper and Annenberg School for Communication website. 

As a research fellow with the Professional Fellows Program at American Councils for International Education, I conducted research on mental health services at the John L. McClellan Memorial Veterans' Hospital in Little Rock, Arkansas in 2021. While working remotely, I shared my research findings with Ukrainian activists and non-profits to support their efforts in reforming veterans' social benefits. My insights from roundtable discussions directly influenced advocacy initiatives and policy development. The fellowship also included specialized online leadership training focused on public sector and non-profit management.