Tornike Batavani, a PhD student at the Faculty of Medicine, is one of those people who successfully completed the English-language Master’s Program in Public Health. As part of the same program, he successfully studied in Norway and now continues his studies and activities at TSU as a doctoral student. An interesting young scientist talks about his experiences as a student and employee at TSU and shares his impressions with us.

Tornike Batavani is currently a PhD student in the Public Health and Epidemiology Program of the Faculty of Medicine at Tbilisi State University. In 2020, prior to entering the PhD program, he graduated from TSU’s English-language Master’s Program in Public Health.

He works as a health data analyst in a clinical laboratory, and simultaneously is an invited lecturer at Tbilisi State University. In particular, he has been teaching global health and health economics to TSU students for several years.

“I decided to continue my studies at Tbilisi State University while entering the master’s program. TSU turned 100 years old that year. I learned from a friend that there was a Georgian-Norwegian English-language MA Program in Public Health at TSU, and I decided to choose this program.

The English-language MA Program in Public Health is the best option for those who want to work in the field of health...

I think having an English language program is perhaps more important for public health than for other professions. In our field, much of the scientific research and literature is published in English. Therefore, reading in English is necessary for a public health professional to stay abreast of innovations in the field and to successfully collaborate with foreign colleagues.

When making a choice, the university was also of great importance. In my opinion, Tbilisi State University is the most outstanding university in Georgia. It is an educational institution with a rich history and high quality of teaching, which has educated many generations of specialists in various fields in our country. TSU is known not only in Georgia, but also abroad.

It was also important that TSU’s English-language MA Program in Public Health was created through Georgian-Norwegian cooperation, which further increased the quality and importance of this program. In my opinion, the English-language MA Program in Public Health is the best option for those who want to work in the field of health.

The lecturers who taught us in this program are involved in important public health activities. For example, some work at the National Center for Disease Control (NCDC). As a result, they are able to impart not only theoretical knowledge to students, but also practical experience.

During our studies, we had access to high-quality, modern books and scientific materials. We also have students from other countries studying with us, which is very important for making international connections and learning about the experiences of their countries of origin.

In addition, as part of our MA program and in general, TSU regularly organizes international events of interest to students and researchers - conferences, seminars, trainings, symposia, etc. The head of our MA program, Professor Nino Chikhladze, constantly informed us when similar events were held at the university, which further contributed to the growth of experience and knowledge.

With the help of the knowledge acquired at TSU, still within the framework of the MA program, I conducted research on the characteristics of early detection of cancer in Georgia. An article about this research (Early and late detection of cancer in Georgia: Evidence from a population-based cancer registry, 2018–2019; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.canep.2022.102216) was published in Cancer Epidemiology, which is an international peer-reviewed scientific journal with a high impact factor and has been assigned a Q2 category by Scimago Lab.

Reading medical literature instead of fairy tales

I was born into a family of doctors, and when I was four years old, we moved temporarily to Iran. Of course, my parents took some fairy tales with them. After reading these books, I reread each of them several times, and then I turned to non-fiction books, because I did not have more books in Georgian. In the end, all I had left at home were my parents’ medical books, which I had not yet read. So, I slowly started reading them, and that was the first time I learned about medicine.

When I decided to enter the Faculty of Medicine, after graduating from school, I could not imagine myself in any other profession at that moment. It was a field that interested me and that I knew best at the time.

However, later, when I started my MA program, I became interested in public health issues and continued my studies in that direction.

Choosing a specialty or a profession is less likely to be a one-time decision that we make only during the enrollment period...

If you do not know someone personally, it is difficult to recommend a profession. Moreover, it is sometimes difficult to choose our own profession, probably because sometimes we do not know ourselves well enough.

Medicine requires a lot of time and effort, and it will not be an acceptable choice for everyone. It should also be said here that there is no objectively best profession. For each of us, there is simply an activity in which a particular person is best suited. Of course, this depends on the time and environment in which a person lives and works. For example, today there are many talented IT specialists who are the best at their job and cannot imagine being without a computer. But what activities would the same people have chosen if they had been born one or two centuries earlier?

We may not have fully understood all this at the age of 17-18, but with time, I think, we will gradually get to know our abilities, interests, and the peculiarities of this or that profession. Therefore, choosing a specialty or a profession is less likely to be a one-time decision that we make only during the enrollment period. It is a continuous process, it is as if we do not begin a journey to go in a chosen direction, but rather to discover the direction we want to go.

I am glad that Tbilisi State University has given me the opportunity to teach students. I would like to tell the young generation who are thinking about enrolling in the university the same thing I tell my students - to read a lot. But just reading without critical thinking is not enough. To quote the Chinese philosopher Confucius, “Learning without thinking is useless, thinking without learning is dangerous.” I agree with this phrase and believe that reading should be accompanied by critical analysis of what is read. When my students tell me that the course of lectures has helped them to see issues from different perspectives and to learn to think critically, this is a very important evaluation for me.

Tbilisi State University and University of Tromsø

The MA program of Tbilisi State University gave me the opportunity to study in Norway. I studied at the University of Tromsø (UiT – The Arctic University of Norway) as part of the exchange program.

I was pleased to discover that the MA students in Norway used the same textbooks and study materials as our English-language MA program.

Thus, TSU not only gave me the opportunity to study abroad, but also equipped me with the necessary knowledge and training.

In fact, I have successfully completed very interesting and important courses at the University of Tromsø. It should be noted that I studied the epidemiology course together with Norwegian PhD students.

In general, the standard of teaching in Norway is very high. Studying there is not easy even for local students, and as I heard, no one expected high results from the students who came from Georgia. In the Global Health course that year, only one student received the highest grade (A), and that one student was me - an MA student who came to Norway from Georgia.

Thousands of Norwegian and international students study at the University of Tromsø. It can be said that every continent except Antarctica is represented at the University.

There I met students from different parts of the world, with whom I am still friends. During my studies in Norway, it was a great pleasure to discuss and debate various health issues with these educated and talented people.

University professors also come from different countries. For example, I was taught by famous English and American professors as well as Norwegian lecturers. One of the peculiarities of studying in Norway is the independence of a student.

In Georgia, the lecturer often decides what materials a student should study or what book a student should read. This is not the case in Norway. A book or a scholarly article may be recommended to a student, but the student is free to choose what to read and when. Moreover, this is exactly what is expected of MA students in Tromsø. A student who studies there should be used to a proper distribution of time and to working independently.

On the other hand, students have all the conditions for studying - a library full of the best books, software, and access to international scientific journals. In addition, the university has its own fully equipped sports halls, canteens, and cafes with healthy food, and even its own bar, where entertainment events and concerts are held. It is worth noting that a lot of attention is paid to the mental health of students - a psychological counseling center has been created specifically for students.

As I mentioned above, I am currently a PhD student at Tbilisi State University. Along with that, I also teach at TSU as an invited lecturer. Accordingly, my current plans are closely connected with Tbilisi State University. This university has made a great contribution to my scientific and academic development. I hope this will continue in the future.