The vision of the Institute builds upon the history of the CII to design and conduct innovative and societally impactful research in the field of public and environmental health. The vision of the research unit will be centered on the major societal challenges of public health in Cyprus, especially those emerging from the COVID-19 pandemic crisis and it will address relevant emerging health disparities for the Republic of Cyprus and the broader Eastern Mediterranean region. The pandemic revealed numerous vulnerabilities in our public health system, including gaps in disease preparedness and prevention, shortages in health professionals workforce, and health risk communication failures. These public health-related gaps, shortages, disparities and vulnerabilities are going to be the central focus of the strategic vision of the CII.
The research unit will embrace the idea of excellence, ethics and integrity in research among faculty members and its young researchers by focusing on classical and emerging public health challenges in the post COVID-19 era for Cyprus and the Eastern Mediterranean region keeping excellent ties with key public health institutes From Greece, Italy, Israel and Lebanon, etc. The CII will attract state, EU, and other international funding for research in the field of public and environmental health. It will establish strong collaboration with key research, policy and clinical centres both within the CUT, such as the Cancer Research Centre, as well as outside the CUT, including the government, academia, NGOs, and the private sector. The research Unit will strive to sustain a positive and unbiased societal image for itself by independently interacting with various stakeholders of the local society to tackle key environmental and public health issues with no conflict of interest. It will also facilitate and help local and state level societal challenges of public health to be properly tackled offering unbiased expertise, as needed. The research unit will further disseminate and communicate effectively all research findings, in a timely and appropriate fashion, to funders, stakeholders, and the public. It will also help translate and provide viable linkages of research findings with innovation and entrepreneurship initiatives. The research Unit aims to become the driving force that will bridge the health policies with the everyday practice for healthcare professionals under the new general health system for Cyprus. This will be achieved through a targeted public health strategy to meet needs in public health, introducing a unified approach towards the holistic addressing of timely and societally pressing public health issues.
The mission and objectives of the Cyprus International Institute for Environmental and Public Health are summarized as follows:
- the education of the new generation of scientists in Cyprus and the wider region of the Eastern Mediterranean on issues of environmental and public health,
- the creation of new knowledge on environmental and public health challenges, with emphasis on health risk factors relating to non-communicable chronic diseases, environmental reports and health effects, and
- the dissemination of knowledge and best practices to the public and to decision-makers in the context of improving public health and implementing relevant health policies.
The Institute seeks to broaden its influence in the Eastern Mediterranean by increasing the attractiveness of students from the region, as well as collaborating at research level with other institutions in the region. The production of new knowledge from the Institute through transnational research on environmental and public health issues will improve the profile and impact of its educational programs in the wider Mediterranean and Middle East region. Current discussions with the prospect of collaboration with the acclaimed Emory University will enhance the visibility of the Institute in the environmental and public health scientific era, by focusing on the risk factors associated with non-communicable chronic diseases and diffusion of this knowledge into relevant stakeholders.
Vision and Mission
The vision of the Institute builds upon the history of the CII to design and conduct innovative and societally impactful research in the field of public and environmental health. The vision of the research unit will be centered on the major societal challenges of public health in Cyprus, especially those emerging from the COVID-19 pandemic crisis and it will address relevant emerging health disparities for the Republic of Cyprus and the broader Eastern Mediterranean region. The pandemic revealed numerous vulnerabilities in our public health system, including gaps in disease preparedness and prevention, shortages in health professionals workforce, and health risk communication failures. These public health-related gaps, shortages, disparities and vulnerabilities are going to be the central focus of the strategic vision of the CII.
The research unit will embrace the idea of excellence, ethics and integrity in research among faculty members and its young researchers by focusing on classical and emerging public health challenges in the post COVID-19 era for Cyprus and the Eastern Mediterranean region keeping excellent ties with key public health institutes From Greece, Italy, Israel and Lebanon, etc. The CII will attract state, EU, and other international funding for research in the field of public and environmental health. It will establish strong collaboration with key research, policy and clinical centres both within the CUT, such as the Cancer Research Centre, as well as outside the CUT, including the government, academia, NGOs, and the private sector. The research Unit will strive to sustain a positive and unbiased societal image for itself by independently interacting with various stakeholders of the local society to tackle key environmental and public health issues with no conflict of interest. It will also facilitate and help local and state level societal challenges of public health to be properly tackled offering unbiased expertise, as needed. The research unit will further disseminate and communicate effectively all research findings, in a timely and appropriate fashion, to funders, stakeholders, and the public. It will also help translate and provide viable linkages of research findings with innovation and entrepreneurship initiatives. The research Unit aims to become the driving force that will bridge the health policies with the everyday practice for healthcare professionals under the new general health system for Cyprus. This will be achieved through a targeted public health strategy to meet needs in public health, introducing a unified approach towards the holistic addressing of timely and societally pressing public health issues.
The mission and objectives of the Cyprus International Institute for Environmental and Public Health are summarized as follows:
- the education of the new generation of scientists in Cyprus and the wider region of the Eastern Mediterranean on issues of environmental and public health,
- the creation of new knowledge on environmental and public health challenges, with emphasis on health risk factors relating to non-communicable chronic diseases, environmental reports and health effects, and
- the dissemination of knowledge and best practices to the public and to decision-makers in the context of improving public health and implementing relevant health policies.
The Institute seeks to broaden its influence in the Eastern Mediterranean by increasing the attractiveness of students from the region, as well as collaborating at research level with other institutions in the region. The production of new knowledge from the Institute through transnational research on environmental and public health issues will improve the profile and impact of its educational programs in the wider Mediterranean and Middle East region. Current discussions with the prospect of collaboration with the acclaimed Emory University will enhance the visibility of the Institute in the environmental and public health scientific era, by focusing on the risk factors associated with non-communicable chronic diseases and diffusion of this knowledge into relevant stakeholders.
