Iasi and Houston are landmark medical centers in their countries. It came naturally that many activities within the program would target the medical institutions and collaborations between the two cities.
In the first year of the program, a mixed delegation from “Gr T Popa” University of Medicine and Pharmacy Iasi, public and private hospitals have had significant meetings with major representatives of Houston medical system. We mention here: Daniel Yoshor, M.D., Professor and Chair, Marc J. Shapiro Endowed Chair Neurosurgery Baylor College of Medicine, Chief, Neurosurgery Service CHI Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center, Ashok Balasubramanyam, M.D., Vice President for Academic Integration and Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, George Wilding, M.D., Vice President and Deputy Chief Academic Officer, Clinical and Interdisciplinary Research at MD Anderson, Dr. George Stancel, executive vice president for Academic and Research Affairs, Dr. Bruce Butler, Bruce D. Butler, Ph.D., Vice President, Research and Technology, Director, Office of Technology Management, University of Texas.
Medical professional collaboration substantialized in bilateral events held in Iasi and Houston. Regional Oncology Institute in Iasi organized, in collaboration with MD Anderson the conference Updates in Oncology, in Iasi, on 9-11 of May 2019. 8 preeminent specialists from America’s leading cancer center (covering a wide area of expertise: pathology, investigational cancer therapeutics, neuro-oncology, cardiovascular medicine, gastrointestinal medical oncology, dermatology) have shared their experience with the specialists from Iasi cancer center.
A delegation of Romanian neurosurgeons led by Dr. Bogdan Iliescu from “Gr T Popa University of Medicine and Pharmacy Iasi, attended the 66th meeting of Congress of Neurological Surgeons.
Besides exchanging medical updates with their American colleagues, a practical result saw the Neurosurgery Student Group he coordinates at the “Gr. T. Popa” University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Iasi, led by Dr Iliescu, became the Romanian partners of Brain Aneurysm Foundation and are about to debut their first common project: translating the foundation’s website in Romanian.
The success of the medical collaboration within the sister cities program was recognized and supported by the German Marshall Fund of the United States that awarded the grant “Improving public health services in Romania through a strategic alliance with Texas Medical Center institutions” to Mr. Cristian Adomnitei (former President of Iasi County, grantee), Dr. Bogdan Iliescu (Associate Professor of Neurosurgery) and Mr. Tony Hritac (owner of Iasi leading newspaper) from Iasi, and Benjamin Hernandez (Director of Performance Management for the Houston Health Department). Iasi delegation spent 4 days in Houston and covered both administrative issues of health system management as well as practical application during a visit to labs within MD Anderson campus.