Ovidiu Popa-Velea is Professor in Medical Psychology, at the “Carol Davila” University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Bucharest. He is a graduate of the Faculty of Medicine and of the Faculty of Psychology in Bucharest and earned an MA degree at the New School University in New York (2003), as a Fulbright Alumnus. His academic formation includes the licensure in Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy (2010) and the Ph.D. in Medicine (2008). He has been an expert or member of the research team in four other research projects and has been the director of the recently finished Erasmus+ project BENDiT-EU dedicated to academic burnout. He has published research papers on topics such as burnout, academic stress, coping, and adherence, and was the editor of the Behavioral Sciences in Medicine textbook, published in English (2013). Since 2003, he has been a member of the committee of selection at the Fulbright Commission Romania. Since 2011, he has been the Head of the Department of Medical Psychology at the Faculty of Medicine, “Carol Davila” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Bucharest.
Iuliana-Raluca Gheorghe is Associate Professor in Health Care Marketing and Medical Technology at the Faculty of Medicine, “Carol Davila” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Bucharest, Romania and an Erasmus+ Ambassador for Romania. She was a project manager in a POSDRU project (2009-2012) and she was responsible with the implementation of the Erasmus+ BENDiT-EU project (2020-2023). She holds a BA degree in Cybernetics, MA in Marketing and Business Communications, a second MA in Organizational Psychology and the Management of Human Resources and a Ph.D. in Marketing. Her research interests include Health Care Consumer Behavior, Organizational Culture, Sustainability, Organizational Psychology, Social Marketing, and is reflected in more than 15 scientific articles and book chapters.
Liliana Veronica Diaconescu is Associate Professor in Medical Psychology, at “Carol Davila” University of Medicine and Pharmacy (CDUMP) in Bucharest. She holds a B.A. in Medicine and Psychology, an M.A. in Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy and a Ph.D. in Medicine. She has been a member in national research projects (“Detection and monitoring of somatic and psycho-Behavioral deficiencies in children and adolescents”, “Techniques of comparative evaluation of the university qualification in Romania”) and in international research projects (“HORIZON 2020 vCare”, “Burnout Education, Normatives and Digital Tools for European Universities”) and has also coordinated several health programs (AIDS 2007- 2008 and TB 2013-2017) at the Public Health Authority Bucharest. Her research interests include Health Psychology, Behavioral Sciences, Medical Communication, empathy and burnout syndrome in healthcare and in medical academia.
Alexandra Ioana Mihăilescu is Lecturer in Medical Psychology at the “Carol Davila” University of Medicine and Pharmacy (CDUMP) in Bucharest. She is also Senior Psychiatrist at the Clinical Hospital of Psychiatry “Prof. dr. Alexandru Obregia” in Bucharest and holds a Ph.D. in Medicine. Dr. Mihăilescu was involved in the treatment of psychiatric patients with a variety of psychiatric disorders, which requires empathetic communication in a variety of challenging clinical settings. Dr. Mihăilescu undergoes annual trainings in clinical interviewing of patients with schizophrenia, major depression, and significant neurocognitive disorders. This participation in clinical studies entails the active recruitment and interviewing of patients. Dr. Mihăilescu has obtained numerous certifications in the application of clinical psychiatric scales that implies the use of communication skills in a variety of settings.
Her research interests include Medical Communication in both clinical contexts and mental health promotion and prevention of mental health problems in young adults. Dr. Mihăilescu has applied these interests in workshops with students, within Erasmus European project “Burnout Education, Normatives and Digital Tools for European Universities”, where Dr Mihăilescu was responsible for providing knowledge in relation with communication in stressful situations.
Andrei-Gabriel Zanfir is Senior Resident Psychiatrist, working primarily in acute inpatient settings, where he provides assessment and management of severe psychiatric presentations.
He holds Bachelor’s degrees in Medicine and in Psychology and a Master’s degree in Health Psychology. While completing his medical residency, he practices as a Clinical Psychologist and Cognitive-Behavioural Psychotherapist, focusing on specific anxiety disorders, depressive disorders, and the evidence-based assessment and treatment of adult ADHD.
He is currently a PhD candidate at “Carol Davila” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, where his research focuses on the hypothesis of systemic inflammation in psychotic disorders, with an emphasis on inflammatory biomarkers, clinical phenotyping and translational implications for early detection and prognosis.
Ioana-Ruxandra Stoian-Bălășoiu is a resident psychiatrist at “Prof. Dr. Al. Obregia” Hospital, a CBT psychotherapist in training and has worked as Teaching Assistant at “Carol Davila” University of Medicine and Pharmacy. She believes in training her students that the therapeutic relationship is one of the most valuable clinical tools doctors have and that empathy can both positively impact the doctor and the patient.