2nd International Conference on Non-communicable Diseases (ICONiC)
Hold the Door Against Injury and Disease
May, 22nd – 24th 2017 Cluj-Napoca, Romania

We are pleased to announce the second edition of the International conference on Non-communicable Diseases (ICONiC). This edition of the conference is jointly organized by the Center for International Rural and Environmental Health and the Injury Prevention Research Center, College of Public Health, University of Iowa, in collaboration with the Department of Public Health, College of Political, Administrative and Communication Sciences, Babes-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca.
This edition of the conference addresses both the field of non-communicable disease and the field of violence and injury prevention and aims to provide a forum that enables practitioners, researchers, business developers and service users to share new research trends and evidence-based practices in the fields of non-communicable diseases and injur
The conference aims to:
- Identify health initiatives resulting in better health, education and wellbeing for individuals, families, and communities
- Promote international collaboration on non-communicable diseases and injury research and practice
- Increase awareness on the determinants on non-communicable diseases and of injury and violence
- Discuss strategies and identify priorities in the prevention of non-communicable diseases and injury focused areas
- Expand networking opportunities and build a community for the prevention of non-communicable diseases and injury
Attending the conference
If you work in health, education, social care, in the business domain or in international development, and you are interesting in generating ideas, projects and products to help communities create sustainable and lasting change, then ICONiC 2017 is a must-attend event.
We invite anyone with an interest in health science and practice, or in knowledge translation, dissemination and exchange to join us in Cluj-Napoca.
Conference registration
Participation in ICONiC 2017 is free of charge. Moreover, you can attend the conference without submitting an abstract. However, there is a limited number of available seats, so registration for the conference must be made in advance. Registration deadline is 11:59 p.m. CET on Monday, May 1st.
To register for ICONiC 2017, submit the conference registration form.
Call for abstracts
Abstract submissions are welcomed on original research topics concerning non-communicable diseases and injury, as well as best practices and lessons learned from interventions to prevent and/or manage non-communicable diseases and injury. Thus, we welcome abstracts from the field of non-communicabl
To submit your abstract, please fill in the following abstract submission form.
Please consider the abstract writing and submission guidelines, before sending your abstract.
Evaluation procedures
All submitted abstracts will be peer-reviewed by the International Scientific Committee.
Each abstract will be reviewed according to the following criteria:
1) Is the topic addressed relevant at national/international level?
2) Is the design of the study appropriate?
3) Have the data been collected and processed?
4) Are there (preliminary) results?
5) Does the study provide new insights in the field of the study?
6) Are the results relevant and national and/or international level?
Oral and poster presentation sessions
Oral presentation sessions are scheduled for 120 minutes each. Twenty minutes are allocated for each oral presentation. At the end of each oral presentation session, 20 minutes will be allocated for questions and discussion.
Posters will be exposed throughout the conference and will be presented in poster sessions.
Presenting authors must fill in the registration form before the established deadlines. Otherwise, their presentations will be excluded from the conference program.
To change the presenting author for a presentation, please contact the ICONiC organizing committee.
Please consider the oral and poster presentation guidelines, when preparing your presentation.
Important information
Abstract submission deadline: CLOSED
Notification of abstract acceptance/rejection: April 28th
Conference registration deadline: May 1st
Registration fees: conference participation is free of charge

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.
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.
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.
Hotel Opera Plaza, 10 – 12 General Traian Mosoiu Street, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Further details of the conference, including travel and accommodation directions, will be available shortly.
Contact
To get in touch with our Organizing Committee, use the following:
Phone: (+40) 264-402 215
Fax: (+40) 264-402 215
E-mail: iconic@publichealth.ro