For Immediate Release

November 11, 2009

Global Health Research Center of Central Asia Welcomes Kazakhstan Medical Professionals for Training Program at Columbia University

New York, NY – The Global Health Research Center of Central Asia (GHRCCA) today welcomed 19 professionals from Astana Medical University in Kazakhstan. The fellows, who are supported by Kazakhstan National Medical Holding and the Kazakhstan Ministry of Health, will attend an 8-day training program at Columbia University.

The training includes lectures on hospital management and information about the U.S. healthcare system and health policy reform, health systems financial management, strengthening leadership in hospital administration, health economics, strategic planning for hospitals, marketing, human resources management, IT in healthcare, and operations management.  Lectures will be taught by faculty from CUSSW and from the Department of Health Policy and Management at Columbia’s Mailman School of Public Health.  Site visits have also been arranged to three hospitals.  

“For the past several years, Kazakhstan has been focusing on reforming its healthcare system, training the next generation of medical professionals, advancing the country’s medical curriculum, and increasing its scientific capacity.  GHRCCA’s training program is designed to provide an opportunity for the fellows to learn about healthcare management and healthcare policy from the faculty experts at Columbia University,” says Dr. Nabila El-Bassel, Director of GHRCCA.

The National Medical Holding was founded by the government of Kazakhstan with the goal of modernizing the Kazakhstan healthcare system and becoming a model for successful restructuring in the Central Asia region.  Dr. Almaz Sharman, MD, is Chief Executive Officer of National Medical Holding.
 
A special reception attended by Her Excellency Mrs. Byrganym Aitimova, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the Republic of Kazakhstan to the United Nations, will be held at the Columbia University Faculty House on November 11, 2009 at 6:00pm. 

For media inquiries, please contact Jeannie Hii via email or 212-851-2327.

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About CUSSW
For 110 years, the Columbia University School of Social Work has been a leader in the education of professionals for careers in practice, policy, and administration. Located in New York City, the School offers a master’s and a doctoral program which are nationally and internationally recognized for their excellence. With a signature curriculum that features multidisciplinary courses taught by leading scholars and practitioners and rich field education, CUSSW continues to be at the forefront of clinical and community practice, social policy, and social enterprise administration education, research and innovation in the 21st Century.

About GHRCCA
Established in 2007, the Global Health Research Center of Central Asia (GHRCCA) is a multi-disciplinary research Center that develops and scales up sustainable solutions to address emerging health and social challenges in Central Asia and Mongolia. The Center’s work is focused in four core activity areas: Research, Education, Training, and Policy Analysis & Dissemination. Through multi-disciplinary partnerships at Columbia University, in the US and the Central Asia region, GHRCCA is conducting research, advancing solutions and developing scientific capacity and infrastructure in the US and Central Asia to address the health and social issues in the region.