75 doctoral students were admitted to the Doctoral School in the field of Health Sciences

The educational offer of the Doctoral School in the field of Health Sciences (DSHS) for this year was fully accepted. All 67 places financed from the state budget, as well as another eight with a fee, were filled by candidates willing to carry out higher doctoral studies (cycle III) in the academic year 2023-2024. The admission competition took place between October 2-20, 2023.

The DSHS director, university professor Lilian Saptefrati, emphasized that the scientific projects’ range offered to doctoral students is updated and varied, a fact that will contribute to the consolidation of fundamental and applied research in our country. "We aim to promote excellence in research, focus on solving the current problems of medicine and pharmacy, and the technological transfer of the results of doctoral scientific research. We will support PhD students in developing research skills, planning and effective time management in order to achieve the expected results. We count a lot on these young researchers, and I am convinced that many of them will join the scientific and didactic staff of our university - they are our future!", the DSHS director specified.

According to the rector of Nicolae Testemitanu University, Professor Emil Ceban, the continuous improvement and development of research and innovation activity is one of the strategic priorities in the development of Alma Mater. "The Strategy for Strengthening the field of Research and Innovation at Nicolae Testemitanu University in 2020-2030 represents a challenge for the entire academic community. This provides for the active participation of all researchers, including young ones, in the implementation of education through research concept. The results of research activity will constitute the basis for the analysis of achievements and the promotion of staff in contests", the rector mentioned.

In the processes of reforming and coordinating the research activity at our university, the National Institute for Health and Medical Research represents an important entity, with the mission to develop the capacities and abilities of researchers and the infrastructure, to initiate partnerships in order to train scientific staff in priority areas, organizing the exchange of specialists to achieve the transfer of knowledge and expertise, academic mobilities for young people, to increase the visibility of scientific results and innovations, etc.

In this context, through the World Bank project Higher Education Improvement Program, two research centers will be created: the Center for Molecular Medicine and the Center for Personalized Medicine, which will allow the interconnection of the most important research structures and their integration into the scientific-didactic process. It is still necessary to create research teams and platforms for the development of projects, but also to provide them with the necessary support for identifying foreign partners and developing transnational collaborations.

 "It is certain that research requires high professional skills, and the training of a scientific researcher takes place according to the principle of building a pyramid, which has its foundation in the process of university studies with the extension to the next evolutionary stages. An essential role in this process is played by the Consortium of the Doctoral School in the field of Health Sciences. The highly specialized team of scientific leaders has contributed to obvious achievements in the area. Between September 2022-October 2023, 34 theses were publicly defended at our university (28 Doctor's and 6 Habilitated Doctor of Medical Sciences dissertations), and by the end of the current year, another 33 Doctor's theses and 3 Habilitated Doctor in medical/pharmaceutical sciences dissertations will be completed", the rector stated.

On November 9, the doctoral student welcome meeting was held with the participation of academician Stanislav Groppa, vice-rector for research activity, university professor Lilian Saptefrati, DSHS director, doctoral supervisors, scientific-didactic staff, and students - doctoral students admitted in the first year.

Academician Stanislav Groppa expressed his belief that the new doctoral students will be the authors of great scientific achievements in the history of Nicolae Testemitanu University, for this purpose urging them to read as much as possible during this period, to gather documentary evidence, to be inspired by other doctoral theses and to publish, in turn, their works in the Journal of Health Sciences of Moldova and in international journals with an impact factor. "I encourage you to get involved in various mobilities and international research projects, in order to later achieve exceptional results", the academician emphasized.

For his part, Professor Lilian Saptefrati informed the young researchers and scientific leaders about the activity of the Doctoral School in the field of Health Sciences, the individual plan of doctoral studies, structured by years, the Advanced Training Program, and the terms for completing all stages of doctoral studies, expressing the openness of the academic and scientific community to support doctoral students in their research activity.

It should be mentioned that the Doctoral School in the field of Health Sciences is the entity responsible for organizing higher doctoral studies, created pursuant to Decision of the Government of the Republic of Moldova no. 816 of November 11, 2015, within the Consortium formed by Nicolae Testemitanu State University of Medicine and Pharmacy and the institutions organizing doctoral studies in the medical field: the National Center for Public Health, the Mother and Child Institute, the Institute of Neurology and Neurosurgery, the Institute of Cardiology, Chiril Draganiuc Institute of Pneumology, Oncological Institute, Timofei Mosneaga Republican Clinical Hospital, Institute of Physiology and Sanocreatology, Emergency Medicine Institute. Currently, DSHS brings together 271 doctoral supervisors and 472 doctoral students.