1017- Romania- Building the knowledge base for consolidating primary and community health & care workforce in rural areas of Cluj County, Romania

Cluj-Napoca is one of the largest cities in Romania and among the fastest growing. Home to state of the art universities (Babeș-Bolyai University, Medical University, Technical University etc.) and to an increasing number of IT and service companies, Cluj-Napoca is a thriving environment, attracting numerous young people from Romania and abroad.
The Department of Public Health is based in the Faculty of Political, Administrative and Communication Sciences, conducting research on a variety of public health topics, and teaching students in bachelor, master and doctoral programmes. The Department of Public Health is involved in public health implementation and intervention projects, having partners in the community with whom it constantly works. We would like to offer students the opportunity to apply knowledge and theory learned in the classroom to a professional work setting and to develop the skills needed for successful transition to the public health workforce, by shadowing and doing voluntary work as part of different social work environments: elders centers/ support centers/NGOs & community work centers.

The program is structured on eight weeks of office and field-work activities and feedback sessions with Dr. Ungureanu, the Department of Public Health coordinator. The program will be tailored to best-fit the interest of the participants and the needs of the social work environment.
Educational objectives. Upon completion of the program, students will be able to:

• Better understand vulnerable populations in a post-communist country
• Gain experience in working with vulnerable populations
• Perform community-based practice and volunteering
• Better understand the implications on cultural background in assessing needs and developing community-based programs
• Better understand the importance of resources in assessing needs and developing community-based programs

The program runs in Cluj-Napoca, Romania, a multicultural environment with a long-standing tradition as a leading academic center. Being located in the heart of Transylvania, the city of Cluj-Napoca has good travel connections with the rest of the country, but also internationally, being connected by direct low-cost flights with more than 20 European cities.
The Department of Public Health is a lively environment, with members having diverse professional and educational backgrounds – public health, medicine, political sciences, communication sciences, psychology. The department runs research in Romanian and Central and Eastern Europe, as well as Central Asia, in which it is partnering with academic and non-academic institutions in Europe, North America and Africa.

is interested in obtaining hands-on practice experience at the nexus between research and public health practice, supporting organizations that serve vulnerable and marginalized populations. The candidate should be mature, curious, flexible, culturally competent, and be able to work independently as well as in collaboration.

Candidates should have a background in health systems (course work is acceptable but field experience and/or experience living abroad in low-resource settings are preferred) and possess analytical and evaluative skills, interpersonal and communication skills, organizational skills, efficiency and flexibility, and computer skills, including familiarity with Microsoft products (MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint), email software, internet searching engines, and other programs.

Students will be paired with a UBB student who they will collaborate with and who will help to navigate any local language requirements.

Name: Ligia Paina, Department of International Health, lpaina@jhu.edu

I would describe my communication and mentorship styles as... 

I am a dedicated and engaged mentor, committed to students gaining the skills and experience they need to be competent public health professionals. I am passionate about providing students with the support that they need while acclimating to new cultures and working environments, but also expect students to be critical thinkers and to take initiative in problem-solving. I enjoy working with students who are sensitive to cultural differences and who are dedicated to making a difference in the organizations in which they work.

A complementary student would have a working style and mentorship expectations that are..

I appreciate students who are independent thinkers, have a growth mindset, and can adapt to new environments. I believe in creating constructive, transparent, and respectful work environments. I value open communication style and joint learning.

Housing at the University dorm, located near the Department of Public Health Office is included in the program fee.
Meals: for a regular diet, a meal at the students’ cafeteria would cost around 5 USD. In a restaurant, around 15-25 USD. Cooking at home is about $50 per week for groceries.
Local transportation: the easiest way to get around the city is by tram or bus; the price of a ticket is 0.75 USD per trip.
Estimated out of pocket cost of living is about $100/week or $400/month.

The selected student will receive a stipend to offset some of the living costs associated with this site.