Răzvan M. Chereches, MD, PhD

Title(s): Professor and Head

Department: Department of Public Health – College of Political, Administrative and Communication Sciences – Babes-Bolyai University

Dr. Cherecheș has extensive experience in research and capacity building projects addressing public health matters particularly in the fields of non-communicable diseases and of violence and injury prevention. Professor Cherecheș is also the executive director of the Center for Health Policy and Public Health since its foundation in 2005 and the initiator of the first Bachelor in Public Health taught in English in Eastern Europe. He demonstrates a commitment to advancing the field of public health by developing the first Master of Public Health in Romania, with a dual degree from Babes-Bolyai University, Romania and School of Public Health – State University New York, US.

Laurence Fuortes, BS, MS, MS

Title(s): Professor
Department: Occupational and Environmental Health – College of Public Health – University of Iowa

Dr. Fuortes is currently working on projects focusing on occupational and environmental toxicology and prevention. His recent work has revolved around medical screening of former atomic weapons workers in Iowa, being currently involved in the development of occupational health surveillance systems and epidemiologic evaluation of health outcomes in Burlington, Iowa, and of atomic weapons manufacturers and expansion of these activities to Department of defense contract workers.

Corinne Peek-Asa, MPH, PhD

Title(s): Professor, Associate Dean for Research
Department: Occupational and Environmental Health – College of Public Health – University of Iowa

Dr. Peek-Asa is an epidemiologist whose work focuses on the implementation and evaluation of programs and policies to prevent acute traumatic injuries and violence. She is the Director of the CDC-funded University of Iowa Injury Prevention Research Center and the co-PI of the iCREATE injury prevention training program. She was named a ResearchAmerica! Public Health Hero in 2010, and in 2017 received the University of Iowa Communicating Research Award.

Edith Parker, MPH, DrPH

Title(s): Professor and Head
Department: Community and Behavioral Health – College of Public Health – University of Iowa

Dr. Parker concentrates her research work on the design, implementation, and evaluation of community health promotion interventions to improve health status and reduce racial disparities in health, as well as translating and disseminating research findings for program and policy change. She serves as an invited member of the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) National Advisory Committee for Environmental Policy and Technology and is considered an expert on community-based participatory research.

Ken Resnikow, PhD

Title(s): Irwin M. Rosenstock Collegiate Professor
Department: Health Behavior and Health Education -School of Public Health – University of Michigan

Using Motivational Interviewing and e-Health, Dr. Resnikow’s work has focused on designing and evaluating behavior change programs across a wide range of health issues including smoking cessation, weight loss, diet and physical activity, medical adherence, cancer screening, organ donation, and substance use.  His work is rooted in principles of Chaos Theory and Self-Determination Theory. He has collaborated with researchers in over 25 countries including; South Africa, Australia, Mexico, Brazil, Portugal, Romania, and Holland and has trained over 1000 health professionals in motivational interviewing in both academic and health care delivery settings. He has published over 290 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters.

David Osterberg, MA, MS

Title(s): Clinical Professor

Department: Occupational and Environmental Health – College of Public Health – University of Iowa

Dr. Osterberg works in the Department of Occupational and Environmental Health on public policy in the fields of environmental health and environmental quality. He teaches a seminar in environmental health policy and the department’s only undergraduate course on occupational and environmental health. He specializes in research translation and community engagement for two federally funded centers, the Environmental Health Sciences Research Center and the Superfund Center. In addition, he is part of the Training Core for the Superfund Center.

Eugen Gurzau, MD, PhD

Title(s): Professor

Department: Department of Toxicology – College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering – University of Medicine and Pharmacy

Dr. Gurzau scientific activity and research is focusing on environmental and occupational health. He has a record of participation (of more than 30 years) in large European projects such as: “Arsenic health risk assessment and molecular epidemiology” – acronym ASHRAM, Human biomonitoring European program – acronyms COPHES and DEMOCOPHES, “Schools Indoor Pollution and Health: Observatory Network in Europe” – acronym SINPHONIE, and US projects, such as: “Detoxification of metals: in vitro and in vivo studies”,  in collaboration with University of Arizona, Tucson, “Copy number variation and basal cell carcinoma among an arsenic exposed population”, in collaboration with Yale University, Arsenic contaminated drinking water and spontaneous pregnancy loss in collaboration with State University of New York, University at Albany, and many others. He is also a Professor of Environmental, Occupational Health and Toxicology, Member of the Romanian Academy of Medical Sciences and Scientific Director of the Environmental Health Center in Cluj-Napoca.

Cristian Meghea, PhD

Title(s): Assistant Professor

Department: Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Biology – College of Human Medicine – Michigan State University

Dr. Meghea has a primary research interest in maternal and child health, with a specific focus on developing, implementing, and disseminating effective and sustainable interventions in limited resource settings to increase smoking cessation and prevention in families over the reproductive life span. This fits with the broader goal of his research, which is to using the prenatal and perinatal period as a window of opportunity to improve the long-term health of families and to reduce health inequities by designing, implementing, and evaluating interventions focused on tobacco control.

Adela Popa, PhD

Title(s): Associated Professor

Department: Department of Sociology and Social Work – College of Sciences – University of Lucian Blaga Sibiu

Dr. Popa has a broad research interest in healthcare reform and health policy.  She focused her work on studying the connection between community and health, with focus on how different stakeholders position themselves towards the health reform in Romania. Currently, she is the principal investigator in the first research project on returning to work after cancer in Romania, a qualitative study aiming to analyse the relevant policies for cancer and work and to explore the stakeholders’ perspectives on this topic.

Marius Ungureanu, MD, PhD 

Title(s): Researcher

Department: Department of Public Health – College of Political, Administrative and Communication Sciences – Babes-Bolyai University

Dr. Marius Ungureanu is a public health and health systems expert. His work focuses on health workforce and healthcare management as means of improving health system performance. Between 2016 and 2017, he served as Secretary of State in the Romanian Ministry of Health. His research interests lie at the intersection of public health, medicine, and health administration.

Bogdan Colceriu

Affiliation: Risky Business; Frisbo; Okian, Trilulilu

Bogdan is a successful serial entrepreneur and co-founder of the first accelerator fund in Romania, Risky Business (www.riskybusiness.ro). Cofounder and CEO of Frisbo (www.frisbo.ro), co-founder of Okian (www.okian.ro) cofounder of Trilulilu (www.trilulilu.ro). Bogdan is an e-commerce and branding expert. At Risky Business, he helps teams on product, branding, marketing strategies, go-to-market, and scaling. Besides tech, he also works with offline businesses including cheese-makers, chocolatiers, wineries, and others including delicious and the less edible.

Răzvan M. Cherecheș, MD, PhD – Department of Public Health, Center for Health Policy and Public Health – College of Political, Administrative and Communication Sciences – Babeș-Bolyai University Cluj-Napoca

Laurence Fuortes, BS, MD, MS – Occupational and Environmental Health – College of Public Health – University of Iowa

Corinne Peek-Asa, PhD – Occupational and Environmental Health – College of Public Health – University of Iowa

Elena Bozdog, PhD student –  Department of Public Health, Center for Health Policy and Public Health – College of Political, Administrative and Communication Sciences – Babeș-Bolyai University Cluj-Napoca

Razvan Bandici, BA –  Department of Public Health, Center for Health Policy and Public Health – College of Political, Administrative and Communication Sciences – Babeș-Bolyai University Cluj-Napoca

Alexandra Brînzaniuc, PhD student –  Department of Public Health, Center for Health Policy and Public Health – College of Political, Administrative and Communication Sciences – Babeș-Bolyai University Cluj-Napoca

Diana Dulf, PhD – Department of Public Health, Center for Health Policy and Public Health – College of Political, Administrative and Communication Sciences – Babeș-Bolyai University Cluj-Napoca

Ioana A. Rus, PhD student – Department of Public Health, Center for Health Policy and Public Health – College of Political, Administrative and Communication Sciences – Babeș-Bolyai University Cluj-Napoca

Alexandra Sidor, PhD student – Department of Public Health, Center for Health Policy and Public Health – College of Political, Administrative and Communication Sciences – Babeș-Bolyai University Cluj-Napoca

Sophie Switzer, MS – Student Services – College of Public Health – University of Iowa

 Kristina Venzke, MA – Center for International Rural and Environmental Health – College of Public Health – University of Iowa

Jill Welch, MA – Center for International Rural and Environmental Health – College of Public Health – University of Iowa

Catalin Ovidiu Baba, PhD – Department of Public Health, Administrative and Communication Sciences – Babeș-Bolyai University Cluj-Napoca

Răzvan M. Cherecheș, MD, PhD – Department of Public Health, Center for Health Policy and Public Health – College of Political, Administrative and Communication Sciences – Babeș-Bolyai University Cluj-Napoca

Adrian Copcea, MD – Asteco Medical Center, Cluj-Napoca

Diana Dulf, PhD – Department of Public Health, Center for Health Policy and Public Health – College of Political, Administrative and Communication Sciences – Babeș-Bolyai University Cluj-Napoca

Laurence Fuortes, BS, MD, MS – Occupational and Environmental Health – College of Public Health – University of Iowa

Eugen Gurzau, MD, PhD – Department of Public Health – College of Political, Administrative and Communication Sciences – Babeș-Bolyai University Cluj-Napoca

Natasa Loncarevic, PhD student – Unit for Health Promotion Research – University of Southern Denmark

Cristian Meghea, PhD – Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Biology – College of Human Medicine – Michigan State University

Crina  Muresan, PhD – Faculty of Food Science & Technology, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Cluj-Napoca

David Osterberg, MA, MS – Occupational and Environmental Health – College of Public Health – University of Iowa

Edith Parker, MPH, DrPH – Community and Behavioral Health – College of Public Health – University of Iowa

Corinne Peek-Asa, PhD – Occupational and Environmental Health – College of Public Health – University of Iowa

Ramona Suharoschi, PhD – Faculty of Food Science & Technology, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Cluj-Napoca

Bogdan Vasile, PhD – Faculty of Physical Education and Sport – Babeș-Bolyai University Cluj-Napoca

Program Description

Oral presentation sessions

Road traffic safety

Globally, road traffic is the cause of more than 1.5 million deaths and nearly 80 million healthy years of life lost annually. They are the leading cause of death for children and youth (World Bank, 2014) and a priority for prevention. Presentations included in this session will focus on sharing knowledge and examples of best practices to reduce the burden of road traffic injuries.

 Priority injury topics in children and elderly

Children, adolescents, and persons in advanced age bear the highest risk for injury (EuroSafe, 2014). Road traffic crashes are the major risks of injury for children and adolescents and falls are the major cause of injury deaths in elderly. Presentations in this session will share recent findings that can lead to increase the safety of vulnerable populations.

 Violence against women

Around one third (30%) of women experience some type of violence in their lifetime. For many survivors of violence, a visit to a health professional is the first point of contact, enabling them to access support and care. Therefore, strengthening the capacity of health care and women’s support services is crucial in the prevention and response to gender based violence. Presentations in this section will focus on multi-sectorial approaches to reduce violence against women.

Panel Sessions

Panel Session 1: Health systems responses to NCDs in Romania

Description: Globally, non-communicable diseases (NCDs) pose a great burden on the population and, by extension, to health systems. In Europe, NCDs account for up to 86% of deaths. In Romania, they are also the leading cause for disease and disability. Despite this, significant improvement is to be made at a health system level to adequately manage the impact of NCDs.  The purpose of this panel is to provide and integrated perspective on the challenges of managing NCDs in the Romanian healthcare system, as well as possible solutions to the identified challenges. To this end, the panel will explore several dimensions of the health systems responses to NCDs – the policy making process, financing, provider coordination, human resources for health management and data management.

Panel Moderator: Marius Ungureanu, MD, PhD – Department of Public Health – College of Political, Administrative and Communication Sciences – Babes-Bolyai University

Panel Speakers

Cassandra Butu, MD – WHO Romania

Emiliana Costiug, MD – Primary care physician Cluj-Napoca

Daniela Coza, MD – Institute of Oncology Cluj-Napoca

Olga Orasan, MD, PhD, – CFR Hospital Cluj-Napoca

Panel Session 2: Pregnancy as a window of opportunity to reduce exposure to tobacco smoke and other toxins

Description: Pregnancy and birth represent key motivators for receptivity to reduce exposure to tobacco smoke and other toxins known to harm the fetus and the mother. This panel will present an overview of the effects of various toxins during pregnancy and strategies to reduce such exposures, with a focus on smoking cessation efforts during pregnancy in Romania. The recently proposed national strategy for future smoke-free generations will be discussed, with an emphasis on protecting the fetus and the newborns from the harmful effects of tobacco smoking.

Panel Moderator: Cristian Meghea, PhD – Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Biology – College of Human Medicine – Michigan State University

Panel Speakers

Oana Blaga, PhD candidate – Department of Public Health – College of Political, Administrative and Communication Sciences – Babeș-Bolyai University Cluj-Napoca

Alexandra Brinzaniuc PhD candidate – Department of Public Health – College of Political, Administrative and Communication Sciences – Babeș-Bolyai University Cluj-Napoca

Eugen Gurzau, PhD – Department of Public Health – College of Political, Administrative and Communication Sciences – Babeș-Bolyai University Cluj-Napoca

Panel Session 3: Returning to work after cancer in Romania

A substantial proportion of cancer patients in Europe and Romania are of working age. Due to the increase in long-term survival rates after a cancer diagnosis, the problem of the cancer-ill workforce must become a concern for employers, workforce agencies and governments to consider. The existing literature shows the substantial benefits of returning to work for cancer patients, for their families and ultimately for the society. Whilst most of the European countries have already begun to address the problem of working after cancer, several countries, including Romania, are still struggling with meeting the basic needs of cancer patients. Both the level of awareness regarding the work-related consequences of cancer and the range of provision, greatly vary in different European countries and can be subject of analysis. Panel speakers will present the consequences cancer has on work and what exists in terms of policies and services in Romania in particular, and in other national settings as well. Moreover, speakers will highlight the personal experiences of cancer patients who returned to work, and the perspectives of NGOs’ representatives, physicians, employers, and other stakeholders involved in the process of returning to work.

Panel Moderator: Adela Popa, PhD  – Department of Sociology and Social Work – College of Sciences – University of Lucian Blaga Sibiu

Panel Speakers 

Felicia Morândău, PhD – Department of Journalism, Public Relations, Sociology and Psychology – “Lucian Blaga” University of Sibiu

Radu-Ioan Popa, PhD – Department of Journalism, Public Relations, Sociology and Psychology – “Lucian Blaga” University of Sibiu

Mihai Stelian Rusu, PhD – Department of Journalism, Public Relations, Sociology and Psychology – “Lucian Blaga” University of Sibiu

Panel Session 4: Lessons learned from NGOs’ representatives

Panel Moderator: Alexandra Brinzaniuc PhD candidate – Department of Public Health – College of Political, Administrative and Communication Sciences – Babeș-Bolyai University Cluj-Napoca

Panel Speakers 

Nicoleta Niste – Autism Transilvania

Adriana Melnic – Romanian Cancer Society

 Workshops

Workshop 1: Injury 101

Workshop presenter: Corinne Peek-Asa, MPH, PhD – Occupational and Environmental Health – College of Public Health – University of Iowa & Edith Parker, MPH, DrPH, Community and Behavioral Health – College of Public Health – University of Iowa

Description: The workshop is part of a larger initiative which is to create a critical mass of injury researchers from multiple disciplines and to engage injury and violence agencies and stakeholders, as part of the iCREATE Injury Program: Increasing Capacity in Research in Eastern Europe. The workshop focuses on describing the public health approaches to research and prevention of injuries. Some of the discussions will extent towards injury surveillance, communicating policy and advocacy, and introduction to implementation science.

Workshop 2: Start-up in Health

Workshop presenter: Bogdan Colceriu, Co-founder Risky Business; Co-founder, CEO Frisbo; Co-founder Okian, Co-founder Trilulilu; E-commerce and branding expert.

Description: From problem to idea to solution and action; from technology to product. Just as you don’t begin building a building with just a construction crew, you don’t start building a startup with a just a coding crew. There is an enormous amount of work between identifying a problem you want to solve, conceiving a solution that makes sense, and beginning coding. This short workshop is meant to engage participants in understanding the non-technical aspects of building a startup including scoping an idea into a vision, building a team, understanding users and value propositions, and of course dispel much of the nonsense hype out there about startups.

Workshop 3: Introduction to Implementation Science

Workshop presenter: Edith Parker, MPH, DrPH, Community and Behavioral Health – College of Public Health – University of Iowa

Description: Implementation science explores methods for integrating scientific evidence into public health and health care practice and policy. Specifically, it examines and addresses factors that may prevent or enhance the movement of effective evidence-based strategies or programs in health care and prevention into routine use. This workshop will focus on the rationale for and methods of implementation science, including theoretical approaches and research methods. The workshop will include a mixture of didactic information as well as hands-on exercises to allow participants to achieve a basic to medium understanding of Implementation Science.

 Workshop 4: Motivational Interviewing

Workshop presenter: Ken Resnikow, PhD – Department of Health Behavior & Health Education – School of Public Health – University of Michigan

Description: This workshop will provide an introduction to Motivational Interviewing, a client-centered style of counseling that is increasingly used in public health and medical settings.  The presentation will address the theoretical underpinnings, evidence of effectiveness, and essential principles and strategies. This will include the concepts of resistance, reactance, and change talk and the strategies of reflective listening and values alignment. The workshop leader has conducted MI workshops for practitioners and researchers throughout the US and globally.