The VIIIth International Partnerships Forum “Developing competences and skills through internationalization" was held at the Medical University of Varna on 19 October 2023. Its main accent was laid upon the role of international partnerships for the development of competences and skills needed for 21st century. More than 70 were the participants in the event and among the international guests were representatives from Romania, Malta, Poland, Germany, Belgium, Portugal, etc.
Rector of MU – Varna Prof. Dr. Svetoslav Georgiev sent a greeting address to the participants and guests and wishing success to the Forum. Greetings were expressed personally by Prof. Dr. Liliana-Ana Tuță - Vice-Rector for International Relations “Ovidius" University of Constanta, Constanta (Romania), Prof. Sandra C Buttigieg - President of the European Health Management Association and Dr. Siyka Katsarova –President of Bulgarian Union of Balneology and SPA Tourism (BUBSPA), Vice President of European SPAs Association (ESPA). Among the official guests were Mrs Liliya Hristova – Director of Directorate “Education and Youth Activities" to the Municipality of Varna and Mrs Elena Koseva – Executive Director of St. St. Constantine and Helena.
By choosing the topic of the international forum the Department of International relations aimed at marking four anniversaries through the perspective of internationalization and some strategic partnerships of MU - Varna.
The section “Strategic partnerships and projects in the field of public health" was dedicated to the 60th Anniversary of the Department of Social Medicine and Healthcare Organization. Prof. Klara Dokova made an overview of the international collaborations since the establishment of the Department and Assoc. Prof. Nataliya Usheva familiarized the audience with the ongoing international projects.
In the part “Caring for our children in cooperation with our international partners" dedicated to the 60th Anniversary of the Department of Pediatrics Prof. Dr. Violeta Yotova shared her concern about the increasing rate of obesity among children and Prof. Dr. Ruzha Pancheva spoke about the partnerships with various international organisations in the field of children's health.
30 years of successful development of the specialty of healthcare management were marked by a retrospect on the international partnerships in the field of health management. It was presented by Prof. Todorka Kostadinova – one of the founders of the specialty and Vice Rector for International Relations, Accreditation and Quality since 2012..
The Partnerships between academia and business in the field of pharmacy were in the focus of attention in the section dedicated to the 15th Anniversary of the Faculty of Pharmacy. Vice Dean Assoc. Prof. Velichka Andonova examined the leading partnerships in the field of pharmacy and Prof. Katarzyna Komosinska – Vassev from the Medical University of Silesia (Katowice) spoke about the long-standing cooperation and the various activities with MU-Varna.
The VIIIth International Partnerships Forum of the Medical University of Varna demonstrated how the process of internationalization and the strategic partnerships can enhance the upskilling and re-skilling of the competences and skills preparing students and academics for the challenges of 21st century.
