Recent medical research, prospects for future cooperation with international partners and joint research projects involving young researchers will be discussed at the 1st International Conference on Translational and Clinical Medicine being held under the auspices of the International Advisory Board of Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University. Leading medical experts from Georgia, the United States and European countries are participating in the conference.   

TSU Chancellor Lasha Saghinadze, Head of the TSU Quality Assurance Service Irma Grdzelidze, Dean of the TSU Faculty of Medicine Dimitri Kordzaia and international members of the Advisory Board of the TSU Faculty of Medicine attended the opening ceremony of the international conference.  

Dimitri Kordzaia, Dean of the TSU Faculty of Medicine, noted that the conference will become traditional for the university and will be held biennially. He noted the involvement of international members of the Faculty’s Advisory Board in organizing the conference. The International Advisory Board established at the Faculty of Medicine in 2021 consists of 15 renowned scientists from more than 10 countries and its goal is to share the experience of the world’s leading countries with students and academic staff, as well as to create joint and exchange programs.

Irma Grdzelidze, Head of the Quality Assurance Service at TSU, noted that the Advisory Board of the Faculty of Medicine is a unique precedent in the Georgian educational space and represents the best opportunity for introducing high international standards of research and education in medical education, improving the quality of internationalization, organizing expert activities, field lectures and scientific forums, as well as implementing exchange programs and joint research projects. “The Board launched its meetings online a year ago, and this time, the first face-to-face meeting will be held to discuss the future development of the Faculty of Medicine, as well as to determine the sectoral involvement of the members of the Advisory Board. At today’s conference, students will have an opportunity to get acquainted with and listen to successful, world-renowned professionals,” Irma Grdzelidze said.

Representatives of foreign partner universities and medical institutions spoke about future cooperation, new initiatives and joint educational projects. Otto Rienhoff, Director of the Department of Medical Informatics at the University of Göttingen, said that the University of Göttingen seeks to deepen its cooperation with Tbilisi State University, expressing confidence that joint educational projects would be beneficial for future generations.

Ercan Ayyildiz, CEO of the American Hospital Tbilisi, a partner clinic of Tbilisi State University, spoke about the expansion and diversification of medical practices for the students of the Faculty of Medicine. He stressed that practice is important for a professional physician, adding that the collaboration between TSU and American Hospital would be the best example and experience of cooperation for other universities and clinics.

Zaal Kokaia, a professor at Tbilisi State University and Lund University (Sweden), stressed the importance of conducting basic, clinical research and modern medical research and expressed hope that Georgian researchers and clinicians will have an opportunity to continue their communication with foreign colleagues in the future.

“I am glad that such a representative conference is being held in Tbilisi. Even the names I came across in this program are very important, because there is a huge experience and professionalism behind all of them. They are working with us to improve our medicine, our scientific base that is highly appreciated,” Khatuna Jalabadze of Tbilisi Heart Clinic noted.

The International Conference on Translational and Clinical Medicine will last till May 7. Along with the reports, members of the International Advisory Board will deliver public lectures at the conference.