Health Policy and Practice: Bridging Evidence and Decision-Making

Health Policy and Practice: Bridging Evidence and Decision-Making is a short, intensive training course offered by Ilia State University’s School of Natural Sciences and Medicine.

The course is built around a structured Policy Spine — a practical, step-by-step framework that takes participants from problem definition, through stakeholder analysis, evidence appraisal, and policy-option comparison, to a defensible policy recommendation. Throughout the two and a half days, small groups work on a single real-world regional policy problem, applying each stage of the framework and defending their final recommendation before a simulated Ministry panel.

The course brings together senior Georgian faculty — including former ministers and long-standing advisors to WHO, the World Bank, USAID, and the Global Fund — with invited international guest lecturers, offering participants a rare combination of frontline policy experience and international comparative perspective. It serves as both a platform for learning and a space for collaboration between early-career researchers, practitioners, and policy professionals.

Health Policy and Practice Short Course 2026

Dates: 18 – 20 July 2026 (two and a half days)
Venue: Ilia State University, Tbilisi, Georgia
Working Language: English (no translation provided)
Contact hours: 16 hours of structured instruction and applied group work

Who Should Apply?
This intensive training is designed for:

Master’s and PhD students in public health, medicine, economics, and related fields
Public-health professionals working with ministries, agencies, NGOs, or international organizations
University educators, lecturers, and researchers interested in public health and health policy

Why Attend?

A joint certificate of completion from Ilia State University / CAREC Health Program
A practical, transferable framework — the Policy Spine — you can apply to any real-world health-policy problem
Hands-on training in stakeholder mapping, policy-option generation, evidence appraisal, and feasibility analysis
Direct exposure to senior Georgian policy makers and international guest lecturers
A simulated Mock Ministry Panel with structured, rubric-based feedback on a policy brief you produce during the course

Participant Limit

A total of 25 participants will be accepted and divided into small working groups:

2–3 working groups of up to 8 participants each
Each group works on a single real-world regional health-policy case across all days of the course

How to Apply
How to Apply

Complete the application form and submit it by email to nino.mirzikashvili@iliauni.edu.ge with the subject line: “Application: Health Policy and Practice — Ilia State University Summer Institute 2026.”

Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis. As places are limited, early submission is strongly encouraged.

Application deadline: 2 July 2026
Application form:

Fees & Payment

Course fee: 900 USD
Payment schedule: Payment must be transferred within 3 working days of application approval, and no later than 7 July 2026.
Payment instructions: Payment should be transferred to the designated bank account. Full bank details and transfer instructions (including required payment reference) are provided here:https://iliauni.edu.ge/uploads/other/91/91744.pdf

Bonus Opportunity — GIFT Summer Bootcamp

Admitted students are invited to attend the Georgian Implementation Science Fogarty Training (GIFT) Program Summer Bootcamp.

Dates: 21–24 July 2026
Cost: Free of charge
Certificate: A separate GIFT certificate will be provided to participants who opt in on the application form.
More information: http://gift.iliauni.edu.ge/

Course Materials

Course Leadership
Course founder: George Gotsadze, MD, PhD — Associate Professor, School of Natural Sciences and Medicine, Ilia State University

Course co-leads:

Veriko Mirtskhulava, MD, MPH, PhD — Associate Professor, School of Natural Sciences and Medicine, Ilia State University
Nino Mirzikashvili, MD, MSc, PhD — Associate Professor, School of Natural Sciences and Medicine, Ilia State University

2026