Armenian healthcare summit spotlights Boston University-HENAR programs

2026-02-26 - 20:54

YEREVAN — The WHO and HENAR Foundation convened a Healthcare Policy Summit on Jan. 27, inviting all major Armenian healthcare institutions to coordinate programs in postgraduate medical education. Representatives from key institutions attended, including the Ministry of Health (MoH), Ministry of Education (MoE), Yerevan State Medical University (YSMU), National Institute of Health (ANIH), Boston University – Armenia Medical Partnership (BU-AMP), the Asian Development Bank and several Yerevan hospitals. The summit, titled “Health and Education Reforms: A Policy Dialogue on Postgraduate Medical Education,” aimed to facilitate a high-level, cross-sectoral policy dialogue linking Armenia’s universal healthcare and primary healthcare reform agendas with health workforce development, with a specific focus on postgraduate medical education. It brought together policymakers and development agencies to address challenges in Armenia’s healthcare system and to coordinate priority-setting and decision-making processes. HENAR co-founder Arman Voskerchyan opened the summit, welcoming participants and emphasizing the importance of identifying gaps and bottlenecks in healthcare standards, training environments, licensing, accreditation, faculty capacity and workforce distribution. Lena Nanushyan, First Deputy Minister of Health, presented the MoH’s plan for the development of universal healthcare in Armenia, which started a phased rollout on Jan. 1. The government now provides many healthcare services free of charge for people with disabilities, children under 18, low-income populations and, as of Jan. 1, adults over 65. However, it does not yet cover key services such as most lab draws, X-rays, advanced imaging or all but the most basic medications. Over the coming years, the government aims to expand services for these groups and gradually extend coverage to all Armenians. “The Armenian government has been continuously working to address gaps in healthcare, and we have learned that you cannot tackle large problems in isolation — activities are interconnected, requiring a systems change,” said Nanushyan. “A competency-based residency program has been identified as a key priority, as it is central to enabling doctors to better serve their patients. We want to ensure physicians graduate with strong, practical skills, so they can effectively address patients’ needs and deliver high-quality care.” Sargis Hayotsyan, Deputy Minister of Education (MoE) and chairman of its Higher Education and Science Committee, introduced the ministry’s main priorities for 2026. “Our purpose in participating in this event is to better understand how residency education is perceived within the policymakers’ community and among our international partners, and to present the regulatory provisions outlined in the Law on Higher Education and Science,” said Hayotsyan. Jeff Markuns, representing Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine’s Global Health Collaborative, shared insights from his two decades of international healthcare systems development. He outlined a phased strategy for capacity building: developing a core group of educational “champions,” equipping departmental leaders to design and oversee competency-based curricula and strengthening faculty through targeted development programs. He also stressed the importance of clear planning, including measurable goals, accreditation systems and mechanisms to sustain skills over time. Lena Nanushyan and Sargis Hayotsyan The second half of the summit highlighted Armenia’s experience in implementing competency-based medical education (CBME). WHO technical officer Sulakshana Nandi introduced findings from a healthcare labor market analysis and workforce planning initiative. Lorky Libaridian, program director of the Pediatric Residency Program, launched in 2023 by HENAR Foundation in partnership with Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, presented early lessons from implementing a competency-based residency model. She was followed by Henry Louis, program director of the master’s program in Health Professions Education, developed in 2025 by HENAR in conjunction with Boston University – Armenia Medical Partnership and with the support of the Armenian-American Medical Association of Greater Boston. He noted the program’s success in training faculty to apply competency-based approaches across disciplines, including pediatric infectious diseases, family medicine and orthopedic surgery. Two students in the program — Hrachuhi Ghazaryan of ANIH and Hripsime Apresyan of YSMU — shared reflections on its impact on residency education in Armenia. The summit concluded with a roundtable discussion, during which participants exchanged perspectives on opportunities, challenges and next steps in advancing medical residency reform in alignment with Armenia’s broader healthcare system transformation. The Boston University-Armenia Medical Partnership (BU-AMP) is a multi-disciplinary program to coordinate collaboration Boston University’s Aram V. Chobanian & Edward Avedisian School of Medicine and Armenian health policy and healthcare institutions to improve healthcare in Armenia. For more information, contact Aram Kaligian, director of the BU-AMP. Founded in 2021 by Noubar and Anna Afeyan, Ruben Vardanyan and Arman Voskerchyan, the HENAR Foundation aims to support the transformation of Armenia’s healthcare ecosystem. By building and empowering a network of partners, HENAR works to deliver better value, better care and, ultimately, better health for current and future generations of Armenians. With support from AIFA (Afeyan Initiatives for Armenia), HENAR is leading efforts to strengthen Armenia’s primary care system, with a strong focus on talent development and digital innovation. For more information, visit https://henar.am.