Elaine F. Marshall, North Carolina Secretary of State: "We are your good friends, we will remain your good partners and friends!"

"The development of the bilateral partnership during these 25 years is of particular importance for our university and the entire medical community in the country. Throughout this period, a series of cooperation projects were implemented in the fields of: dentistry, pharmacy, health sciences libraries and nursing, activities which mainly focused on the organization of academic mobility for teachers, students, librarians and online educational courses, etc.," said the rector of Nicolae Testemitanu State University of Medicine and Pharmacy, professor Emil Ceban, during the event dedicated to the 25th anniversary of the bilateral partnership between the Republic of Moldova and the state of North Carolina. The ceremony took place on March 21, 2024, at the University Sociocultural Complex.

According to the rector, the University successfully carries out cooperation projects with medical education, research and healthcare institutions in North Carolina, in particular with: the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the UNC Adams School of Dentistry, East Carolina University, the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, the UNC School of Nursing in the city of Greensboro, with 12 medical libraries in North Carolina and other organizations, such as the World Children's Fund, the International Center for Cooperation and Development Phoenix and others. Moreover, our institution benefited from technical assistance from North Carolina universities and various organizations.

The Ambassador of the United States of America to the Republic of Moldova, Mr. Kent D. Logsdon, noted that Nicolae Testemitanu University had a pivotal role in maintaining the well-being and health of the people of the Republic of Moldova and emphasized that the US Government appreciated the achievements of the Open World Program in our country. Recently, a collaboration project was signed with our university for a period of 3 years, worth 250 thousand dollars, through which American experts, especially from North Carolina, will provide expertise in the fields of medicine, pharmacy, and nursing.

The ambassador noted that currently the US Departments of State and Defense are largely investing in the healthcare system of the Republic of Moldova, providing technical assistance (medical equipment, ambulances to ensure and support rural medicine), anti-COVID vaccines, medical assistance for refugees from Ukraine. More than 500 thousand dollars were invested in the procurement of anesthesia and intensive therapy equipment, in rehabilitation, equipment for the operating rooms, post-operative rooms, in Balti and Soroca hospitals, over 1200 hospital beds were purchased. "All these things were possible thanks to the outstanding partners from the Republic of Moldova. We are honored and happy to have Elaine Marshall on a visit, such an active and involved person working on these projects and thanks to whom we were able to achieve so many things together", the US ambassador pointed out.

"Today we celebrate 25 years of academic exchanges in the field of health, agriculture, economy, culture, and one of the moments we have to be proud of is that this partnership is a model for similar collaborations to follow. That seed we planted together with so much optimism, hope and care when we signed the first memorandum of understanding in 1999 has now grown into a fruitful tree with many branches. We see many of these branches here today, but also the solid foundation rooted at Nicolae Testemitanu University, which continues to grow. It would be a disregard not to emphasize the contribution of Mr. Ion Ababii, who had a clear vision of what this partnership could be, he was the one who helped us plant this seed, right from the beginning. He has a special place in the hearts of the people of North Carolina, and Rector Ceban continues that legacy. Thank you both," North Carolina Secretary of State Elaine F. Marshall said.

Elaine Marshall mentioned that the Bilateral Cooperation Partnership between the Republic of Moldova and the state of North Carolina is functioning thanks to the hard work and dedication of many people from Nicolae Testemitanu University. Over one third of the experience exchanges carried out within this partnership are related to the health field.

"It's wonderful to return to my Alma Mater, which is in my heart and in my soul. 13 years ago, I was honored to receive the Doctor Honoris Causa title. I want you to know that in North Carolina and the USA I am proud to have earned this title. Thank you for organizing this ceremony, which brings back memories of the past and will remain in my memory for a long time to come. Whenever I'm in the US, I take the opportunity to talk about Moldova and the connection I have with this wonderful place. This is what I will continue to do, hoping that in this way I will contribute to strengthening the partnership between Nicolae Testemitanu University and higher education institutions in North Carolina", Elaine Marshall specified. 

According to the Secretary of State, since the last signing of the Memorandum, many things have changed. We were subjected to a global pandemic, which changed the way of working and living, the Russian attack on the Ukrainian people, which generated the refugee crisis in the Republic of Moldova. One thing, however, remained unchanged - the friendship between the people of North Carolina and the people of Moldova. "We are your good friends; we will remain your good partners and friends. We stand for progress, peace, and prosperity, just like you, for Moldovans, North Carolina citizens, and the whole world. Let's dedicate ourselves to this cause!” Secretary of State Elaine Marshall concluded. 

Starting from 2006, public medical and sanitary institutions of the country, including university clinics, received a large amount of medical instruments and consumables.

Under the Cooperation Project between the Health Sciences Library of our university and 12 medical libraries from North Carolina, initiated in 2006, Nicolae Testemitanu University benefited from batches of medical literature, including: textbooks, monographs, medical journals (over 30 thousand of copies of publications, which were generously donated to the university library, free access to medical and pharmaceutical databases, and resources focused on evidence-based medicine. At the same time, American partners organized training courses for librarians, teachers and students, regarding the use of medical and pharmaceutical electronic information resources. 

The memorandum of cooperation between the Republic of Moldova and the state of North Carolina laid the foundations for collaboration with the Dentists from All Over the World international organization and the Faculty of Stomatology of Nicolae Testemitanu University. The areas of cooperation over the years have focused on providing support in the field of medical training and scientific research; raising the level of cultural awareness and understanding of shared values ​​through art, humanities, and education; mutual promotion of national culture through the academic mobility of university professors and students.

Due to the efforts and dedication of Professor Stephen Mackler, this fruitful collaboration continues under the partnership between our university and the University of North Carolina, Adams School of Dentistry, Chapel Hill, USA. Under the project, video conferences, courses and public lectures of teachers and students from the USA were delivered on topical issues regarding: the organization of the educational process, dental trauma in children, dental treatment with the use of general anesthesia, courses in periodontology, orthodontics, oral medicine etc.

 Over 100 students, resident doctors, teaching staff and librarians from Nicolae Testemitanu University participated in the academic mobility process. At the same time, more than 50 students from the Faculty of Dentistry in the USA benefited from the exchange of experience and about 30 professors held theoretical courses at our university.

Among the objectives of this project is the provision of free dental care to orphaned children from various foster centers and orphanages by mixed Moldovan-American teams of students, supervised by teachers from Moldova and the USA. Thus, during the 25 years, about 5000 children were treated free of charge, the dental supplies and materials being provided by the American partners.

Since April 2014, the cooperation agreement between the Faculty of Pharmacy of Nicolae Testemitanu University and the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, USA, has been successfully implemented. As part of this partnership, several meetings of department heads and Faculty of Pharmacy staff with American partners were held, round tables, teleconferences, and workshops were organized. In August 2015, the incoming academic mobility process for students and teachers started.

In April 2018, a group of teaching staff (6 people) from the Faculty of Pharmacy of our university paid a working visit to UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of Chapel Hill. In November 2018, eight university librarians from our country participated in an exchange of experience with North Carolina libraries. The visits were sponsored by the US Government's Open World Program - a revolutionary program with remarkable results in various fields.

In 2017, with the direct support of Professor Mackler, as well as Mrs. Nancy Hoffard, Deborah Lekan, and Inez Tuck, we initiated the training of nurses with higher education.

The last mobility under this program, in which Rector Ceban also participated, took place in January 2023. This visit created premises for new projects in the field of Nursing and Nutrition.

A recent achievement is the academic mobility of Assistant Professor Radu Rusu for training in Nutrition, for one year, thanks to the joint efforts of the University of Greensboro, the office of the Secretary of State Marshall and the Rotary Club grant. 

During the discussion panel, the coordinators and beneficiaries of bilateral cooperation programs - Diana Uncuta, Stomatology program, Livia Uncu, Pharmacy program, Virginia Salaru, Nursing program, Silvia Ciubrei, interlibrary cooperation program between medical libraries, expressed gratitude to American officials and partners for the development and sustainability of the given projects. Afterwards, students and teachers conveyed messages of gratitude and put questions to the US Ambassador and the Secretary of State of North Carolina.

On the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the Partnership between the Republic of Moldova and North Carolina, as a sign of high appreciation and gratitude, the rector conferred a Diploma of Excellence on the US Ambassador to Moldova, Mr. Kent D. Logsdon, for his support, commitment and fostering this successful cooperation, and on Mrs. Elaine Marshall, North Carolina Secretary of State, for her strategic vision, leadership, commitment, dedication and friendship in this enduring and successful cooperation.

The partners from North Carolina, the representatives of the US Embassy in Moldova, the World Children's Fund, the International Center for Cooperation and Development Phoenix and Nicolae Testemitanu University were awarded diplomas of honor and certificates of appreciation.

In conclusion, Rector Ceban emphasized the openness of the university community for the continuation of collaboration with the USA partners in the name of the progress of mankind, peace, and prosperity, and requested political support for the initiatives to create the University Hospital, to develop the Simulation Center and the master's program for nurses etc.

During the event celebrating the 25 years of bilateral partnership, an exhibition of publications donated to the Health Sciences Library by the state of North Carolina and a photo gallery were opened and People to People documentary film (4 episodes) was shown, highlighting the history of the University's cooperation programs in the field of dentistry, pharmacy, nursing and interlibrary partnership, and the most important events that took place during a quarter of a century, under the partnership between Nicolae Testemitanu University and institutions from North Carolina.

Photo album