Dr Kasia Czabanowska started this week in Mongolia, a landlocked country bordered by China and the Russian Federation. The average life expectancy of Mongolia's more than 3 million people is 69.57 years, with women living almost 10 years longer than men. Ischemic heart disease, cerebrovascular diseases, liver cancer and injuries are among the top causes of premature death in the country. Mongolia has great ambition to improve on this and thereby the health and wellbeing of their people as stated in the Mongolia Sustainable Development Vision 2030 (MSDV).
 To the report Mongolia WHO - Country Cooperation Strategy 2017–2021

Mongolian National University of Medical Science and its School of Public Health was hosting an Open Medical Institute Visiting Professorship which was supported by Austrian American Foundation and  Maastricht University Department of International Health, CAPHRI, Maastricht University on the development of Public Health (PH) workforce and public health leadership.  400 PH professionals participated in the lectures delivered by dr Czabanowska. Public Health Leadership, The Road Map to Public Health Workforce Professionalisation and WHO-ASPHER PH Workforce Competency Framework showed the way to address some of the problems with which PH professionals struggle in Mongolia. It shows that many countries face many of the same challenges and by sharing our experiences, data and expertise, we can learn and help each other. 

The Mongolian National University and the School of Public Health are open for the collaboration with Maastricht University in the field of research, PhD development and exchange. Also the Mongolian MOH is open for collaboration and can share interesting health data which can be a basis for developing some evidence based strategies to improve health of the Mongolian population. The Dean of the Mongolian School of Public Health prof. Delgerdalai Batmyagmar signed the MoU with Maastricht University and the President of the Mongolian University signed the MOU with the Association of the Schools of Public Health in the European Region (ASPHER). Dr Kasia Czabanowska received a Visiting Professorship for contribution to public health workforce development in Mongolia from the School of Public Health of Mongolian National University of Medical Sciences.

“It is a pleasure and honour to play our part in the development of Mongolian public health professionals as we do here at Maastricht University thus contributing to better health, wellbeing and keeping safe and well from threats,” says Kasia Czabanowska