| Trieda SNP 1, 040 11 Košice | |
The mission of the Department of Social and Behavioural Medicine is to deliver cutting edge research, engagement and training that advances social and behavioural medicine, influences health policy and develops professional skills for the delivery of better health and social care in the community.
We are an interdisciplinary team of professionals (general medicine, veterinary medicine, behavioural medicine, psychology, public health, social work, management, economy) dedicated to understand how and why behaviours, psychological factors, and societal forces influence development and progression of chronic diseases. We conduct basic, translational, and clinical research contributing to biobehavioural and psychosocial innovations in chronic condition management. We promote development and implementation of patient-centered, integrated models of care.
In the field of education and training, the department offers a wide array of courses, e.g. Social medicine, Public health, Health policy, Health care management, Behavioural medicine, Social work, as well as Methodology of biomedical research, Statistics, and Science communication skills for bachelor, doctoral, and PhD students of the Faculty of Medicine in both Slovak and English languages. We also provide supervision and consultancy for graduation, specialisation and dissertation theses.
The department boasts a network of multi-disciplinary collaborators from UPJS, and across academic medical centres and institutions of higher learning throughout the Europe. This includes long-term collaboration with the University Medical Centre Groningen (since 1994), University of Southern Denmark, University of Manchester, University College London, as well as developing collaboration with Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, and University of Oxford.
We are also actively involved in knowledge translation. Our focus is on translating research into practice and policy in the field of integrated care and support of public health systems. At national level we provide consultancy for the Ministry of Health of the Slovak Republic and the WHO Country Office in Slovakia. Our main strategic partners at international level are the European Public Health Association – EUPHA and WHO Europe – Division of Noncommunicable Diseases and Life Course.
