About CHPPH
In an environment in which coherent action is needed to improve and protect population health and reduce health disparities, the Center for Health Policy and Public Health (CHPPH) is dedicated to developing and supporting interdisciplinary collaboration for public health research and practice in Romania, and beyond.
The vision of the CHPPH is a population in Central and Eastern Europe whose public health is maintained by the adequate response of public health systems to community needs. The long term goal of CHPPH is to become a premier academic and scientific resource in public health for Central-Eastern Europe.
Established in 2005, the CHPPH is a multidisciplinary team of researchers based at the Babeş-Bolyai University, Faculty of Political, Administrative and Communication Sciences, Institute for Social Research, committed to the advancement of public health in the region.
The activities that CHPPH are mainly undertaking are research-focused; however it also collaborates with other organizations for capacity-building, policy development and analysis, and health management matters. It conducts needs assessment, planning, implementation and evaluation of health-related programs that respond to the complex needs of communities and individuals, as well as conducts quality research with the ultimate goal of improving population health and reducing health disparities.
The core values which guide the CHPPH activity are:
Interdisciplinary collaboration: we commit to cross-discipline collaboration among professionals and organizations, actively involved in valuable public health initiatives or in health-related fields.
Sensitivity to community issues: we value and respect the community, giving its priorities a central position in our policies and practices. We strive to keep the well-being of communities central to our work, and engage members of communities in all stages.
Integrity and Respect: all activities in which the members of our center are involved in are governed by the principles of honesty, integrity, objectivity and fairness.
Quality: we aim to undertake the highest level of academic and research quality in all the activities we engage in, in order to support the health of communities.
Ethics: we place great value on the scientific integrity of all the members of our center and their work, discourage any type of conflicts of interest, and conduct research in a manner that is impartial and meets the highest standards of methodological integrity.
Loyalty: loyalty is deeply embedded into our organizational culture, and we promote an environment in which all members are committed to the mission, vision and values of the CHPPH.
Networking: we value the contribution of joint actions for health, thus we make every effort to build, and actively support, a public health network within Romania and across borders.
CHPPH Structure
The Center for Health Policy and Public Health has structured its activity into five research departments and one research management department.
1. Health Policy and Management Department
The Health Policy and Management Department (HPM) is intended to identify and tackle issues related to health policies and different health management aspects, both at a national and international level. The activities of the department cover a broad area of topics, such as policy assessment, policy proposals, health systems indicators and their management, methods of improving health professionals performance.
Staff: Marius Ungureanu MD, PhD(c)
Project management: Ioana-Andreea Rus, Oana Emanuela Marton-Vasarhelyi
Advisors: Joske Bunders, PhD
2. Epidemiology (EID)
The Epidemiology Department (EID) focuses upon research on infectious disease, particularly on zoonosis. EID is comprised of researchers with various backgrounds: epidemiology, veterinary medicine, laboratory, public health. The department is conducting research projects on topics like Influenza, MRSA with a focus on occupational exposure to zoonotic pathogens.
Staff: Alexandru Coman MD MS
Project management: Oana Emanuela Marton-Vasarhelyi
Associated Staff: Iosif Kasler, Daniel Maftei VMD, Paul Bria VMD, Claudiu Dragnea VMD, Marek Majdan PhD
Advisor: Gregory C. Gray, MD, MPH, FIDSA (Professor and Chair, Department of Environmental and Global Health, College of Public Health and Health Professions, Professor, Department of Infectious Diseases and Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Florida, US)
3. Statistics
Biostatistics Staff (STA) assists the other departments during project development and implementation, article writing or statistical reports by offering consultancy regarding data processing and analysis. The department's research directions include advanced methods of quantitative research, bioinformatics applications in the health care system and economic efficiency of the public health sector.
Staff: Bianca Baciu MA
Project Management: Ioana-Andreea Rus, Oana Emanuela Marton-Vasarhelyi, Alexandru Suciu
Associated Staff: Cristian Litan PhD
4. Community and Behavioral Health
The Department of Community and Behavioral Health (CBH) aims to undertake quality research for improving social and community health in the Eastern and Central European region and beyond, by promoting the understanding of the interplay between social, psychological, and behavioral factors that influence the health status of individuals and communities. The ultimate scope of the department is to develop, implement, and evaluate evidence-based programs and policies designed to address health risk behaviors and improve health outcomes.
Senior staff: Alexandra Brinzaniuc MA (Maternal and child health; social marketing), Cristian Meghea PhD (Maternal and child health)
Staff: Alexandra Sidor MA (Mental Health), Corina Vlăduţ MA (Mental Health), Oana M. Pop (Health promotion and social marketing), Dumitrela M. Negură (Maternal health),
Project Management: Ioana-Andreea Rus, Oana Emanuela Marton-Vasarhelyi, Alexandru Suciu
Interns: Ioana Cazan (Maternal and child health)
Associated researchers: Florin Oprescu MD PhD (Maternal and child health), Alina Zlati MA (Mental Health)
Advisors: Anne Baber-Wallis, PhD (Department of Epidemiology, the University of Iowa, USA); Claibourne I. Dungy, MD, PhD (University of Iowa Children's Hospital, USA)
Domains:
Child Health
Child health includes the exploration and prevention of environmental causes of children’s illnesses, including tobacco smoke exposure, sun exposure and injuries related to poor housing. Child health research aims to prevent child illness, promote child wellbeing, and ultimately improve the health across the lifespan.
Maternal Health
Maternal health represents the health of women during pregnancy, childbirth and the postpartum period. Our maternal health-targeted studies and programs pursue to protect mothers from tobacco smoke exposure and unprotected sun exposure, to increase initiation and duration of breastfeeding, and to improve maternal mental health.
Mental health
Mental health encompasses the promotion and prevention of mental illness and the enhancement of the quality of life for people with mental illness. Moreover, it aims to improve mental health services by increasing their accessibility, training people who work in related domains (primary care specialists), and to increase mental health literacy in the general population. Also, the already undertaken research studies address not only the promotion of mental health among adolescents through online counseling and support but also the wellbeing of people affected by chronic conditions and mental disorders by identifying and reducing the vulnerability of these populations in developing mental health problems, and in dealing with their mental health related challenges.
Health promotion and Social marketing
Health promotion is described as a mean to strengthen abilities to act, as an individual or as a community, in order to achieve positive health changes. As an integrated part of health promotion, social marketing pursues to enable individuals and communities - through innovative, tailored, audience-centered interventions - to improve health outcomes, improve social conditions, and have clean and safe environments.
5. Environmental Health Department
The Environmental Health Department (EH) carries out research of potential and existing environmental causes of illness, diseases, injuries and deaths. The department has three main areas of activity: injury and violence prevention, environmental health, and occupational health. Current and recent activities include health risks assessments and research on injury surveillance and control, traffic injuries, workplace violence, rural health, and occupational health.
Senior Staff: Diana Rus MA, PhD(c), Razvan Mircea Chereches MD PhD
Project management: Oana Emanuela Marton-Vasarhelyi
Associated Researchers: Melinda Gal MD
Junior staff: Erika Baragan (injury prevention); Mara Timofe (violence prevention), Ioana Alexandra Duse (environmental health)
Advisors: Corinne Peek-Asa, MPH, PhD (Injury Prevention Research Center, University of Iowa, USA); Thomas Cook, PT, PhD (Center for International Rural and Environmental Health, University of Iowa, USA)
6. Research Project Management Department
The Research Project Management Department (RPM) works to support the success of all the projects of the center by establishing and maintaining relations with stakeholders and partners, budgeting and monitoring costs, ensuring an adequate implementation of projects in the established time-frames, recruiting and conducting trainings, searching for funding opportunities. Even though the main activity of the department pursues the management of research projects, it also supports the development of capacity-building, networking and mobilities projects.
Senior Staff: Ioana-Andreea Rus
Staff: Elena Zavroţchi, Alexandru Suciu
Junior Staff: Emanuel Daniciuc
7. International Cooperation and Capacity Building Department
Development lines: The International Cooperation and Capacity Building Department supports the development for Center for Health Policy and Public Health members by facilitating the research and study internships in prestigious institutions around the world and through establishment of new partnerships with our institution. We have identified the following development lines:
To establish partnerships with public and private research institutions around the world;
To establish research and study mobility for CHPPH members;
To establish study mobility in public health field for Babes-Bolyai University students;
To establish continuous education in public health field for health practitioners from;
To organize national and international events;
To promote center image through PR specific activities
Human resources: at this moment, the department has 3 members. Their activities are developed in the areas mentioned above. In the following 2 years, besides these 3 members, we aim that each member to work with an intern (3 interns), with the possibility to promote them according to their capacities and results.
Articles: In the following two years the department aims to publish two articles on capacity development.
Mobilities: The mobilities are divided in 2 categories:
- For Learning – To participate in training courses on short term during a semester
- For research:
In the following two years we aim to develop a minimum of 18 learning internships and 20 research internships for CHPPH members.
For Babes-Bolyai University students we aim to organize a minimum of 25 learning mobilities in public health field in the following two years. We also aim to organize a minimum of 10 sessions for continuing education in public health field for practitioners from Romania.
The mobilities will take place both in Europe and United States of America with the possibility to organize mobilities in other continents, according to the financing programs that will be launched.
Conference participation: in the following two years the department aims to participate at 2 European conferences.
Collaboration with other local universities: the department aims to develop 2 capacity building programs in cooperation with Tirgu-Mures Medicine and Pharmacy University “Iuliu Hatieganu” Medicine and Pharmacy Cluj-Napoca in mental health and noncommunicable diseases prevention field.
Moreover, CHPPH aims to develop partnerships with “Grigore Popa” Medicine and Pharmacy University from Iasi, Cluj-Napoca Technical University, as well as “Victor Papilian” Medicine Faculty from “Lucian Blaga” University from Sibiu.
Grants: In the following two years, the department aims to submit grants worth minimum 1 milion euro/year. We aim to submit grants under the following programs:
Tempus – 1/year as a coordinator, 2/year as a partner;
FP7 – Marie Curie 1/year as a coordinator, 1/year as a partner;
Lifelong Learning Programme – 2/year as a coordinator, 2/year as a partner;
Bilateral cooperation – minimum 1 project for bilateral cooperation/year.
The interrelation between departments: the department for international cooperation and capacity building supports all centers’ departments. In the projects for capacity building the departments are contributing by expressing the priorities and necessities according to members name, research interests, other departments and existing partnerships and expertise in other research institutions. A special attention is given to ensure the visibility for results from other departments through specific activities for promotion.
Events: The department aims to organize an annual event promotes the image and results from Center for Health Policy and Public Health.
Senior Staff: Emanuela Marton-Vasarhelyi
Staff: Dragos Nechita
Junior Staff: Anca Iosub