CHS Delegation Presents Eight Research Projects at Conference in Ireland

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DUBLIN, Ireland — A delegation of faculty and full-time researchers from the Turpanjian College of Health Sciences (CHS) and Center for Health Services Research and Development (CHSR) of the American University of Armenia (AUA) presented eight research projects at the 16th European Public Health (EPH) Conference held on November 8-11. The AUA team comprised Dr. Anya Agopian, Ph.D.; Lusine Aslanyan (MPH ’18); Astghik Atanyan (MPH ’18), M.D.; Lusine Musheghyan (MPH ’14), M.S.W.; and Zhanna Sargsyan (MPH ’18). 

With more than 2,400 delegates from 85 countries in attendance, the conference attracted public health professionals from around the world to exchange ideas and discuss the latest scientific insights on public health topics under the theme “Our Food, Our Health, Our Earth: A Sustainable Future for Humanity.”

The presentations emphasized the interconnection between food systems, health, and the earth, underscoring the need for immediate and sustainable action to protect our planet and all its inhabitants. The diverse global challenges examined in this context ranged from deforestation and greenhouse gas emissions to water pollution and biodiversity loss. The Earth’s health is affected by our choices in food production, distribution, and consumption, which equally impact human health and well-being, considering the rising rates of diet-related diseases and malnutrition threatening the lives of millions.

The AUA delegation co-chaired three separate conference sessions, delivered oral and pitch presentations, and showcased poster walks and displays on the following studies: Childhood vaccinations in conflict-affected settings: a case study from a frozen conflict zone (Agopian), Prenatal and postnatal care in a frozen conflict zone: results from a household survey (Musheghyan), Willingness to pay for universal health coverage among the general population in Armenia (Aslanyan), Determinants of infectious disease-related knowledge among adolescents in Armenia (Sargsyan), Parental oral health knowledge and plaque index of their children in rural communities of Armenia (Atanyan), Factors related to oral health behavior among primary schoolchildren in rural Armenia (Muradyan), The chronic diseases and health-related quality of life among nursing home residents in Armenia (Muradyan), and Internalized social stigma and its determinants among drug-sensitive tuberculosis patients in Armenia (Demirchyan). As a member of the Association of Schools of Public Health in the European Region (ASPHER), CHS delegates also attended ASPHER meetings held parallel to the conference covering a wide range of topics, from core curriculum development to digital health.  

All the abstracts were published in the European Journal of Public Health, Volume 33, Issue Supplement 2, October 2023.

The CHS team expresses gratitude for the partial scholarships received from the conference organizers, the Gulbenkian Foundation, and the AUA Professional Development Grant that made CHS’s participation in the conference possible. 

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, and health care delivery and management.