CHS Engages Young Minds in Ministry of Health Reforms
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YEREVAN, Armenia — On September 2, the American University of Armenia (AUA) Turpanjian College of Health Sciences (CHS), in collaboration with the Republic of Armenia (RA) Ministry of Health (MOH), organized a discussion session with students and graduates from various universities and institutions including AUA. The topic revolved around how to involve young bright minds in different projects within the ministry. RA First Deputy Minister of Health and AUA alumna Dr. Lena Nanushyan (MPH ’05) presented the MOH reform priorities, the types of activities in which young professional volunteers could participate, and the areas of expertise currently sought by the ministry to fulfill its highly demanding agenda.
Dr. Nanushyan emphasized that the involvement of young people in the state system is an excellent opportunity for professional growth and experience. During the meeting, she presented the following priority directions for health reform: strengthening of primary healthcare; comprehensive health coverage; improvement in the quality of care; bolstering the nursing profession; sustained professional development training; as well as continuous monitoring, and evaluation.
The First Deputy Minister highlighted the importance of active involvement by young minds in state programs by creating new platforms for drawing on their knowledge and gaining valuable experience. The main criteria for participating in the programs is to be motivated, proactive, and possess sufficient knowledge in languages, medicine, public health, nursing, public administration, economics, or law. Service to the ministry would be voluntary for the first three months, after which select candidates may be offered long-term positions at the MOH.
CHS Dean Dr. Varduhi Petrosyan noted the importance of horizontal collaboration — bringing together professionals from different fields — to explore opportunities for realizing accelerated development and innovative solutions to complex challenges.
The AUA Turpanjian College of Health Sciences works actively to improve population health and health services in Armenia and the region through interdisciplinary education and development of health professionals to be leaders in public health, nursing, health services research, and evaluation of health care delivery and management.
