MPH 2003

Lusine Abrahamyan (AUA MPH 2003), Visiting Assistant Professor, AUA School of Public Health; Assistant Professor, Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation at the University of Toronto and Clinical Epidemiologist, Toronto Health Economics and Technology Assessment (THETA) Collaborative, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada

Dr. Lusine Abrahamyan is an Assistant Professor in the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation at the University of Toronto; she also works as a Clinical Epidemiologist at THETA Collaborative, a multi-disciplinary research group supporting effective policy decision-making regarding new drugs and health technologies in Ontario, Canada.  Dr. Abrahamyan received her medical degree from Yerevan State Medical University and completed a three-year residency program in Anesthesiology and Intensive Care. Her research career started since her enrollment into the MPH program at AUA where she was hired by the Center for Health Services Research and Development (CHSR), first as a Project Assistant and then as a Technical Consultant. After graduation, she broadened her experience by working for the AUA CHSR/Nork Marash Medical Center Quality Assurance collaborative project for two years. In 2005 Dr. Abrahamyan came to Canada for PhD studies at the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, University of Toronto which she successfully completed in 2010.  Her thesis project focused on methodological aspects of designing randomized clinical trials in rare diseases. In 2012 Dr. Abrahamyan completed her post-doctoral fellowship at the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences, Ontario, Canada during which she completed a systematic review of all published cardiovascular quality indicators. With the team, she has modified and applied a new tool (AGREE II QI) that can be used to evaluate the methodology of quality indicator development initiatives. The project subsequently helped to create a framework for “Best practices to develop pan-Canadian cardiovascular quality indicators”, adopted by the Canadian Cardiovascular Society. Dr. Abrahamyan is an invited lecturer for the course of Community Dentistry at the Faculty of Dentistry, University of Toronto. She is a Visiting Assistant Professor at the AUA School of Public Health and is supervising MPH students since 2006. Her current research interests include health services outcomes research and evaluation, health care quality and quality indicators, cardiovascular health, applications of statistical methods in clinical epidemiology, as well as health technology assessment.

Naira Gharakhanyan (AUA MPH 2003), Director of Volunteer Health, Peace Corps Armenia

In March 2015, Dr. Naira Gharakhanyan joined Peace Corps Armenia as a Director of Volunteer Health. Naira Gharakhanyan is a graduate of Yerevan State Medical University after Mkhitar Heratsi in Armenia, qualifying in the field of neonatology.  She also holds a Master of Public Health degree from the American University of Armenia School of Public Health. Dr. Gharakhanyan has 20 years of professional work experience in clinical practice in at different clinics and Maternity Hospital at the Grigor Lusavorich Medical Center. Since 2000 Dr. Gharakhanyan’s work experience and professional activities have expanded in the area of public health. She held various positions in health and social programs in international and local NGOs. She has been leading health and social programs at Children of Armenia Fund since 2004. In 2010-2015, she was leading the World Vision Health Advocacy and Policy programs and Child Health Now Campaign, addressing maternal and child health issues, promoting innovative health financing mechanisms and strengthening health care system in Armenia. Dr. Gharakhanyan served as an expert in development of such policy documents as Armenia Health System Performance Assessment, National Child and Adolescent Health Care Strategy and Alternative to Government NGO Report to International Child Rights Commission; she authored publications on health, financing and social protection topics. She has served as a Guest Lecturer at the Yerevan State Medical University Public Health Department. Dr. Gharakhanyan has also been a participant and presenter in numerous international conferences, workshops and trainings related to public health, maternal and child health, youth development and child protection.

Varduhi Ghazaryan (AUA MPH 2003), Medical Officer, Division of Infectious Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Maryland, USA

Varduhi Ghazaryan, MD, MPH is a Medical Officer at the Division of Infectious Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, US National Institutes of Health (NIH), in Bethesda, MD, USA. She supports clinical trials on infectious diseases and antimicrobial resistance. Dr. Ghazaryan is working close with Antibacterial Resistance Leadership Group to prioritize, design and execute clinical research that can reduce the public health threat of antibacterial resistance. Before joining the NIH, she was providing technical advice to the University Research Co, Bethesda, MD, to tackle communicable (TB, HIV/AIDS, and Malaria) and non-communicable diseases (diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and maternal and child health) for a number of global health programs in Southern and Eastern Africa, South and Southeast Asia, and Eastern Europe. Dr. Ghazaryan is a professional with over 15 years of experience in clinical medicine and public health, providing technical advice and supporting countries to strengthen health care systems. Dr Ghazaryan is a graduate of Yerevan State Medical University; she completed residency in Ear, Nose, and Throat diseases in 2003. In the same year, she earned her MPH degree from the American University of Armenia. In 2008, she passed the United States Medical Licensure Examinations and got the ECFMG certificate. She did an observership at the University of Maryland, Baltimore, in 2010. In Armenia, Dr. Ghazaryan, worked at the International Committee of the Red Cross, then was a volunteer at the Armenian Medical Association, and in 2008 joined Nork Marash Medical Center as a Researcher and Database Manager. Between 2011 and 2012, she worked in the Ministry of Health, Global Fund Project Coordination Team (GF PCT) as a TB coordinator.

Hasmik Harutyunyan (AUA MPH 2003), Manager, Global Fund Program Coordination Team, Ministry of Health of Armenia

Since 2011, Hasmik Harutyunyan has been appointed as the Manager of the Global Fund Project Coordination Team (GF PCT) of the Ministry of Health implementing Tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS and Health System Strengthening Grant Programs of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB & Malaria in Armenia. She contributed to the transformation of the GF PCT into an efficient organizational structure creating synergies between the different GF grants including procurement, logistics, programmatic/finance management processes, as well as establishing successful cooperation with local and international stakeholders. Under her leadership the grant performance scored the excellent “A” level in all three program areas making Armenia a success story and favorable ground for continued investments of the Global Fund in the years to come. In 2004-2011, Hasmik Harutyunyan coordinated the Program of Modernization of Regional Hospitals as a permanent staff member the World Bank Health Project Implementation Unit of the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Armenia.  In consultation and cooperation with international experts she took a lead in development of infrastructure, management and human resource development plans of hospital mergers and medical centers in Yerevan and the regions of the country.  Medical Centers of Hrazdan, Ijevan, Armavir and Ararat were modernized under her pro-active daily coordination of the programmatic activities through continuous dialogue with hospital staffs and administration, regional and central governments.

Lusine Poghosyan (AUA MPH 2003), Professor, Columbia University School of Nursing, New York, USA

Dr. Lusine Poghosyan, PhD, MPH, RN, FAAN, is Stone Foundation and Elise D. Fish Professor of Nursing and Professor of Health Policy and Management at Columbia University School of Nursing. She completed her doctoral and post-doctoral training at the University of Pennsylvania, School of Nursing and her Master of Public Health (MPH) at American University of Armenia School of Public Health.  Dr. Lusine Poghosyan is a nationally and internationally recognized health services researcher with expertise in studying primary care organizations, workforce, teamwork, and quality of patient care, especially for chronic diseases. Dr. Poghosyan’s research produces evidence regarding how to optimally utilize nurse practitioners as primary care providers and build primary care teams to assure patients, particularly racial and ethnic minorities and those living in underserved areas have access to timely high quality safe primary care. Dr. Poghosyan is a Principal Investigator on multiple federal and foundation funded research projects including those funded by the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Dr. Poghosyan is the Chair of the Primary Care Expert Panel at American Academy of Nursing and the Past Chair of the AcademyHealth’s Interdisciplinary Research Group on Nursing Issues interest group’s Advisory Board. She is a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing and New York Academy of Medicine. Dr. Poghosyan is a recipient of multiple awards including Research Scholar Award from Sigma Theta Tau International, Gamma Epsilon Chapter; American Nurses Foundation Scholar award; New Investigator Award from the AcademyHealth Interdisciplinary Research Group on Nursing Issues, and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Nurse Faculty Scholar award.  https://www.nursing.columbia.edu/profile/lusine-poghosyan-phd

Viktorya Sargsyan (AUA MPH 2003), Leader of the Health Learning Hub, World Vision International Middle East, Eastern Europe Regional Office

Dr. Viktoria Sargsyan is the Health Learning Hub Leader for World Vision International Middle East, Eastern Europe Regional Office (WVI MEERO). Her area of expertise has mostly been around the maternal, newborn, child health (MNCH) programming, specifically in infant young child feeding mostly focused on the first 1000 days. She practiced medicine in the maternity hospitals for four years. Since 2003 Viktorya joined the NGO sector, as a health specialist for World Vision Armenia National Office (WVA NO) being responsible for MNCH, then also for the NO Health and HIV programming. After five years of experience with WVA NO, she moved to the WVI Middle East Eastern Europe Regional Office (MEERO) as MNCH and Nutrition Advisor with technical support, consultancy and capacity building efforts to 10 National Offices (Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan, BiH, Romania, Albania, Lebanon, Jerusalem/West Bank, Pakistan and Afghanistan). From 2012 till now Dr. Sargsyan leads the MEERO Health Learning Hub, focused in the accumulation of evidence-based also promising practices, validating for effectiveness and supporting their scale-up efforts across the region. Dr. Sargsyan received her MPH from the American University of Armenia School of Public Health. Her master thesis was focused on promotion of breastfeeding, understanding the enabling, predisposing and reinforcing factors and suggesting effective interventions to support the behavior change.  Currently, she is working on some learning concepts, jointly with World Vision National Offices of Armenia, Lebanon, Jerusalem/West Bank, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Pakistan and in partnership with the research universities such as American University of Armenia, John Hopkins University, Vanderbilt University, for validating promising models (e.g. stunting reduction among children <5, integrated early childhood development, Roma access to health services, timed targeted counseling for improved maternal, newborn, child health and nutrition, etc.) that may have better impact on child wellbeing outcomes (health, nutrition, education, protection) in MEER.

Nune Truzyan (AUA MPH 2003), Study Manager and Team Lead of the Clinical Operations Department, ClinChoice LLC

Nune Truzyan is a Study Manager conducting skincare clinical trials and a Team Lead of the Clinical Operations Department at the ClinChoice LLC. She completed her Master of Public Health degree at AUA in 2003. She was a Senior Researcher at the CHSR till 2020. During the last 12 years in AUA, Nune Truzyan has been intensively involved in tuberculosis-related research conducting and leading different projects, interventions, and assessments granted by international and local funds. Since 2005 she has been involved in CHSR projects utilizing qualitative and quantitative research methods, covering such important topics as public health and primary healthcare services, state obstetric and child health certificate programs, assessment of healthcare system of Kashatagh region of Artsakh and development of strategic plan for its improvement, Millennium Development Goals, healthy nutrition and lifestyle, food safety microbiological and environmental research. She has authored a number of peer-reviewed publications and has made numerous presentations of her work at international scientific meetings and conferences.