HELLO, MY NAME IS
Advancing Medical studies
Gohar Tonakanyan is a fifth-year medical student at Yerevan State Medical University after Mkhitar Heratsi. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Management from the French University in Armenia, earned in 2020. Her interest in public health began in 2024 with the Summer School on Violence and Injury Prevention in Cluj-Napoca, organized by iCREATE. She was later accepted into the Experiential Learning Project, where she led a research study on seat belt use and influencing factors in Yerevan. She also collaborates with her university’s Public Health Department on ongoing projects. Gohar has a multidisciplinary background, with prior experience as a life sciences business analyst, health startup consultant, and international project manager. She is currently combining her medical studies with research work focused on road safety, global health, and preventive cardiology in partnership with a local research hospital. Gohar has been passionate about medicine since childhood and is committed to becoming a healthcare professional dedicated to improving health in Armenia and, with optimism, beyond.
The major focus of my Experiential Learning Project was Road Safety – with a focus on seat belt use as a key behavioral factor for improving traffic safety in Armenia.
This project was a wonderful opportunity for me to expand my research capabilities by gaining hands-on experience in public health and injury prevention. My team and I researched the important topic of seat belt use in Armenia and the cultural and socio-economic factors influencing it. I gained extensive experience managing a large-scale study, conducting fieldwork, and analyzing complex data.
Throughout the project, I continuously improved by communicating with mentors and incorporating their feedback into my work. I gained valuable insights into the importance of raising awareness about road safety among the population.
The results of our research represent a first step toward driving positive changes in public attitudes and mindsets regarding safety. The data can also be used by relevant stakeholders to develop evidence-based strategies for increasing seat belt use and promoting safer behaviors in Armenia.
As part of this research, we created an educational video (can be checked HERE) in Armenian encouraging seat belt use by providing evidence-based examples and international recommendations. The video is being disseminated through the official page of Yerevan State Medical University and is publicly available on YouTube.
We also plan to deliver a presentation at a special event organized by national representatives to share our findings with a local audience. Additionally, we aim to submit our work to relevant international conferences, as well as share it with local police departments, accompanied by our findings and data-proven recommendations for improvement.
Increasing Capacity for Injury Research in Eastern Europe
Dr. Diana Dulf
diana.dulf@ubbcluj.ro
Pandurilor 7 Street, 9th Floor, Room 910, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
