TNMU Representatives Participated in the All-Ukrainian Scientific Conference on Public Health

On October 3-4, 2024, the city of Uzhhorod hosted the All-Ukrainian Scientific Conference with international participation “The Role of the Public Health System in the Implementation of the “Health Care System Development Strategy until 2030”.” The conference was organized by the All-Ukrainian Association of Public Health Specialists, Uzhhorod National University, the Ministry of Health of Ukraine, the Center for Public Health of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine, and the USAID project “Building a Resilient Public Health System.”

The Vice-Rector for Research and Educational Work, Professor Arkadiy Shulhay, and Acting Head of the Public Health and Health Care Management Department, Professor Nataliia Terenda, represented Ternopil National Medical University.

The forum featured scientists from American and European public health associations, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (Israel), the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute (Swiss TPH), Health Federation of Philadelphia (USA), Temple University, Drexel University (USA), the Heidelberg Institute of Global Health (Germany), and the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL).

The purpose of the conference was to professionally discuss the development of the public health system in Ukraine, the role and place of the public health system in implementing the “Health Care System Development Strategy until 2030,” as well as the current challenges facing the public health sector and ways to overcome them in the context of the war in Ukraine and the future post-war recovery by managers, practitioners in the public health system, scientists, representatives of higher education institutions, and national and international partners in the field of public health.

TNMU scientists actively participated in a session dedicated to discussing the development of human resources in the public health sector according to the European framework of competencies approaches to forming competencies in future public health professionals and the role of professional associations in building human resource potential in the public health field.

Professor Arkadiy Shulhay presented a report, “The Role of Professional Associations in Developing the Human Resource Potential of Public Health,” emphasizing issues related to training human resources in the public health sector in Ukraine, the development and implementation of educational programs and courses in public health, and continuous professional development. He stressed that “Professional associations in public health play a vital role in creating and developing human resource potential. They contribute to ensuring a high level of training for specialists, their continuous professional growth, and the development of leadership qualities. Through their active participation in the educational process, professional development, and advocacy, associations help ensure that the public health system is staffed with qualified personnel capable of effectively addressing contemporary challenges and improving the population’s health.”

Professor Natalia Terenda participated in a panel discussion on “Developing the Human Resource Potential of the Public Health System,” where she presented best practices for engaging young professionals in the field of public health, and in the workshop “Assessing Community Needs in Public Health,” where she learned the basics of community health needs assessment methodology.