Implementation of the Project under the Philipp Schwartz Initiative of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation and Internship of the Head of the Department of Public Health and Health Care Management at the Technical University of Munich

In August 2025, Prof. Hanna Saturska, Head of the Department of Public Health and Health Care Management of Ternopil National Medical University, successfully completed a three-year internship at the Technical University of Munich (Germany), which lasted from July 2022 to August 2025.

This internship became possible thanks to participation in the Philipp Schwartz Initiative (PSI) by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation (link) and collaboration with the Department of Public Health and Prevention at the Faculty of Medicine and Health of the Technical University of Munich (link). Together with German colleagues, Prof. Saturska developed a research project “Towards Creating Preconditions for a Sustainable Academic Teaching and Research Infrastructure in Public Health in Ukraine: Transfer of Knowledge from the German Context”, which received a grant to support both the project and her internship in Germany.

During the internship, Prof. Saturska held the position of Visiting Professor at TUM (profile).

The main goals included acquiring and transferring knowledge from the German university in a wide range of public health research activities, gaining academic teaching experience, mastering modern research skills, improving expertise in health care management, as well as engaging in academic exchange in public health and disease prevention. The program also provided opportunities to study the German health care system, public health curricula, and medical education, thereby enhancing international collaboration between universities and strengthening the professional competencies of academic staff.

During her stay at TUM, Prof. Saturska led research projects, including “Systematic Review of Master’s and Doctoral Programs in Public Health in Germany”, published in BMC Medical Education (doi link), and “Master’s and Structured Doctoral Programs in Public Health in Germany: A Qualitative Study Exploring Stakeholders’ Experiences in Program Development” (project link). These studies examined the perspectives and experiences of program directors and coordinators in creating and managing graduate programs in public health, identifying networks, governance models, best practices, and key challenges. Both projects were conducted within the broader PSI framework.

As a Visiting Professor, she was actively involved in the teaching and research activities of the Department of Public Health and Prevention, participated in faculty meetings, academic councils, thesis defenses, and supervised three master’s students in public health from TUM and LMU Munich. She also took part in numerous academic and professional events, including international conferences, training programs, and networking forums such as the Philipp Schwartz and Inspireurope Stakeholder Forum, workshops on gender equality in academia, webinars on health literacy, COIL webinars organized by The Hague University of Applied Sciences, and scientific seminars of the Munich Center for Health Economics and Policy (M-CHEP).

Prof. Saturska expresses sincere gratitude to Prof. Dr. Michael Laxy, Head of the Department of Public Health and Prevention at TUM, and to the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation for their support and assistance during the project implementation and internship.