Biography

Zviad Kirtava, MD, PhD, Assoc. Professor of Internal Medicine at Tbilisi State Medical University (TSMU), Professor of Caucasus School of Medicine and Healthcare, Caucasus University Board, Chairman of the Partners for Health NGO, and a Director of Healthcare Studies at Geocase think tank.  

Formerly Zviad has worked as a Director of National Information Learning Centre, Head of e-Health Dept at Chapidze Heart Center, Assistant to the Chairman of the Parliament of Georgia, and Medical Projects Manager at Clinics Development Company. He also served as Representative of Georgia at the European Health Committee (CDSP) of the Council of Europe, Chairman and Board member of the CDSP; Expert-evaluator for European Commission Research Projects Calls – FP4, FP6, FP7, and Horizon2020, in fields of Research Networks, Telemedicine, m-Health, e-Health networks. Participant of several EU-COST Actions:  Econ@Tel – Economics of Telematics, ADAPT – Migrants’ Health in Europe, InterFaSol – Intergenerational Family Solidarity, and currently PUI – European Network of Problematic Usage of the Internet.

Zviad graduated from Tbilisi State Medical University (TSMU) with Diploma Cum Laude. Has passed Postgraduate Research Fellowship in rheumatology (Moscow Institute of Rheumatology, defended Ph.D.) and multiple research trainings at Malmö University Hospital (Malmö, Sweden). Later has passed several short-term trainings in Medical Informatics, IT, Telemedicine/e-Health in USA (Emory University, National Library of Medicine, University of Maryland) and Norway (Tromsø University) and Healthcare Management certificate training courses carried out by Georgia State University (Atlanta, GA, USA) and Scranton University (Scranton, PA, USA).

Dr Kirtava has around 100 published papers and over 50 presentations at international conferences/workshops on different topics of medicine, public health, e-Health/m-Health, migrants health, Problematic Usage of the Internet and wireless/mobile communication.

Zviad Kirtava has leaded research and development projects in fields of public health, healthcare management, medical & nursing education, medical informatics, hospital information systems, telemedicine, distance learning, web-based health portals and other e-Health applications, some of which have been awarded grants/subgrants of US AID, AIHA, CRDF-Global, DoD/ONRG, Open Society Foundation (all - USA), Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA, Sweden), International Relations & Security Network (ISN, Switzerland), World Bank Georgia Health PCU, EU TEMPUS, Global Fund against AIDS, TB and Malaria, Council of Europe, Georgia Shota Rustaveli NSF.