Fellow 7 (project 1.6)

Romania has one of the highest cancer mortality rates in the EU for preventable cancers, including colon, cervical, and breast cancer. Despite national efforts to expand population-based screening programs, participation rates remain low, particularly among vulnerable groups. The Romanian health system, primarily based on social insurance, faces financial constraints, with 11% of the population lacking health insurance coverage—a significant barrier to achieving universal health coverage. 
This PhD project will contribute to the development of an evidence-based framework for strengthening cancer screening programs and increasing population coverage. By identifying barriers to participation, evaluating existing screening information systems, and developing tailored recommendations, the research has the potential to improve screening programs and be adapted for other populations and vulnerable groups.  

The fellow will analyze how population-based cancer screening programs are organized across different countries and international organizations, with a specific focus on colon cancer screening. The research will assess Romania’s cancer screening information systems, identifying gaps compared to international standards and proposing strategies for improvement. 
A key aspect of this study is co-creation, ensuring that solutions are developed collaboratively with patients, healthcare providers, and policymakers. The fellow will work closely with COPAC (Coalition of Patients with Chronic Diseases’ Organizations) to investigate barriers to participation in colon cancer screening. This will involve direct engagement with patients and communities, gathering insights on trust in the system, accessibility challenges, and potential incentives for increasing participation. The findings will inform tailored interventions to improve screening uptake and strengthen patient-centered approaches in national cancer screening services. 
To broaden the study’s scope, a comparative case study will be conducted across Romania, Italy, and Slovenia, drawing on experiences from countries that have implemented strategies to increase screening participation and improve early detection, particularly in underserved areas. This comparative perspective will allow the fellow to identify transferable strategies and contextual differences, ensuring that recommendations are both locally relevant and internationally informed. 
Beyond colon cancer screening, the fellow will also conduct an exploratory analysis on the potential implementation of lung cancer screening in Romania. By examining international experiences and ongoing pilot programs, the research will assess feasibility, access considerations, and integration into existing healthcare structures. 
Based on the research findings, the fellow will develop recommendations for national cancer screening services, emphasizing access, quality, and service continuity. Additionally, the candidate will propose strategies to enhance public participation in screening programs and improvements for cancer screening information systems to support better decision-making and program efficiency. 
The project includes secondments and work visits for a substantial portion of the recruitment period to leading organizations in the Netherlands, France, Slovenia, and Italy, where the fellow will gain practical experience in screening program evaluation, health information systems, and health system performance assessment. 

The research will be conducted at the University of Medicine and Pharmacy Carol Davila, Faculty of Medicine, Chair of Public Health and Management. Our team consists of 15 full-time public health physicians, including 9 senior and 6 junior researchers, with two professors supervising approximately 20 doctoral students. The Chair is actively involved in national and international research projects in public health and health services research, with a particular focus on vulnerable populations. 
For more information, please visit: Chair of Public Health and Management ;  Doctoral Programs at UMFCD 
We collaborate closely with the National Institute of Public Health (INSP), the technical body supporting the Ministry of Health, which hosts Romania’s cancer screening information systems. INSP also plays a key role in assessing population health status and health inequalities. For more information, please visit: https://insp.gov.ro/  
Additionally, we partner with COPAC (Coalition of Patients with Chronic Diseases’ Organizations), an umbrella organization dedicated to protecting patient rights, improving access to treatment and medical services, and ensuring high-quality healthcare in Romania. For more information, please visit: https://www.copac.ro/  
This project will run in close collaboration with the University of Amsterdam – Amsterdam UMC, department of Public and Occupational Health (coordinator of HealthIntelAct). 

• Candidates should be a medical doctor or have a Master’s degree in global health, public health, health services research, health economics, applied statistics, social science, or a related field.  
• Experience with health policies, health information systems, and qualitative and quantitative research methods  
• Basic knowledge and experience with health economics, social determinants of health, universal health coverage 
• Strong skills in health services organization and financing, screening programs and vulnerable groups, drafting strategies, policies and recommendations for policies 
• An interest in designing health services field experiments and working with clinical and managerial stakeholders to sustain the impact of such experiments 
• Excellent higher education track record and strong scientific curiosity.  
• Fluent spoken and written English skill 

In addition, the following experience would be helpful, but not essential: 

• Experience in elaborating contextual analyses  
• Experience in performing health services research 
• Experience in conducting policy dialogues 
• Experience in studying European healthcare systems, particularly in the context of health system performance assessment 

We seek a highly motivated aspiring researcher with a strong interest in conducting research, who thrives in an interdisciplinary environment and project, and can work both independently and as part of a team. 

This 3-year PhD position is funded by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions of the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation program under grant agreement No 101168576.  You will be appointed as fulltime PhD for 3 years with UMFCD. The Marie Skłodowska-Curie (MSCA) programme offers an attractive salary and working conditions. The successful candidates will receive a salary in accordance with the MSCA regulations for early-stage researchers. Exact salary will be confirmed upon appointment [Living Allowance = €3.400 * (country specific correction factor for RO) 0.654 = €2.223,6 + Monthly mobility allowance = €600. An additional monthly allowance of €660 is applicable depending on family situation. In addition to their individual scientific projects, all fellows will benefit from further continuing education, which includes internships and secondments, a variety of training modules as well as transferable skills courses and active participation in workshops and conferences.  

Be aware the contracts include social security coverage providing at least sickness and parental benefits, invalidity and accidents at work and occupational diseases, covering the fellows in every place of implementation of HealthIntelAct activities. As these will be paid by the employer and depend on country-specific regulations, the final net salary that each fellow will receive may differ. 

See recruitment procedure. You can apply using the online application form. For more information about the position you can contact Prof. Dr. Florentina Ligia Furtunescu (florentina.furtunescu@umfcd.ro , ffurtunescu@gmail.com).   

Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy (UMFCD) is the largest and oldest medical university in Romania, offering programs in Medicine, Pharmacy, Dental Medicine, Midwifery, and Nursing. It provides a dynamic and innovative environment for education and research, continuously striving to expand the frontiers of scientific knowledge. 
UMFCD is internationally recognized, ranking 101-150 in Clinical Medicine and 151-200 in Public Health in the Shanghai Global Ranking of Academic Subjects (GRAS). The university comprises 25 departments and 18 research centers, with over 2,000 faculty members covering basic, preclinical, and clinical areas of Health Sciences, including public health. It serves more than 10,000 students, 5,000 residents, and 1,200 PhD students, with clinical training conducted in 20 top hospitals across Bucharest. 
Research plays a central role in UMFCD’s academic activities, with a strong focus on risk assessment, early diagnosis, and monitoring of communicable and noncommunicable diseases. The university is also actively involved in translational medicine, the development of personalized medicine, and advancing healthcare innovation. 
The doctoral degree for the fellow based at Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy will be awarded by the same institution.