Jana Chihai
“There was a time when mental health was seen as a stigma, a taboo, a prohibition, a taboo, then it became a fashion trend and today it is a necessity,” Chihai emphasized at the Researcher Forum.
She noted that the goal of mental health researchers is to achieve a high level of scientific expertise and to ensure that research evidence is actually applied in practice. At the same time, she is optimistic about young mental health researchers.
According to Dr. Chihai, today’s healthcare system faces serious challenges ranging from cardiovascular disease and oncology to mental health, environmental protection and addiction issues. At the same time, international and regional cooperation projects increase the visibility of Moldovan researchers in the world arena and open new opportunities for teachers, especially young professionals.
Thus, within the framework of the Researchers’ Forum on August 23, 2025, the Chair of Mental Health, Medical Psychology and Psychotherapy “Acad. Alexandru Nacu”, led by Gianna Chihai, won two bilateral projects with Romania, aimed at developing research in the field of mental health in Moldova. A total of 100 joint research projects in different fields were launched.
In July, the National Agency for Research and Development approved budget allocations for scientific research projects for 2025-2026, totaling more than 51 million lei. Also approved were allocations for the “Young Researchers 2025-2026” competition worth 34 million lei.
As Mihai Tirşu, Doctor of Technical Sciences, associate professor and director of the Energy Institute of the Technical University of Moldova, noted, the financing scheme for researchers has changed: now it is not based on fixed norms, but on the number of hours actually worked. “The scientific community has welcomed this mechanism,” Tirşu said, adding that the “skepticism of researchers due to low salaries” has disappeared.
