Prof. Dr. Simin Aysel Florescu,
Manager of the “Dr. Victor Babeș”
Clinical Hospital for Infectious and Tropical Diseases,
Bucharest
I am a physician and Professor of Infectious Diseases at the Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy. I have worked for more than 30 years in this continually surprising specialty—infectious diseases—which represents a complex pathology that is far from disappearing; on the contrary, it is constantly evolving. It is a field that has fascinated me since medical school, an extremely relevant specialty when we consider antimicrobial resistance, emerging diseases in the context of global warming and human migration, and re-emerging diseases resulting from declining vaccination coverage. All of these factors make infectious diseases an exceptionally interesting specialty, one in which maintaining an up-to- date level of knowledge regarding the latest local, national, and international developments is essential.
Both my professional role as a Senior Consultant in Infectious Diseases and my academic position as a university professor bring me, alongside an exceptionally complex and demanding activity, a great deal of professional satisfaction. Supervising resident physicians in infectious diseases, in addition to mentoring sixth-year medical students at the Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy, represents an important part of my work. Through the training of residents, we lay the foundation for future infectious disease specialists who will eventually take over the responsibility of advancing our specialty. My level of involvement in this activity is very important to me, and I am delighted to see how our young residents respond with interest and responsibility to the way I engage them in everyday clinical practice, scientific research, and the organization of national and international scientific events.
A major focus of my professional activity lies in the field of emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases, as well as travel medicine, an area in which I have published papers in international scientific journals. In this regard, my membership in GeoSentinel, an international network of experts specializing in infectious diseases encountered particularly among travelers, represents an important activity that keeps me constantly focused on the evolution of infectious diseases associated with international travel in its many forms—tourists, refugees, and migrants alike. Together with colleagues from various countries, we can rapidly observe, in real time, the appearance of unusual cases or even disease outbreaks, enabling us to remain highly vigilant regarding travelers’ health. Furthermore, publishing such data together with members of the network in specialized journals is both a natural outcome of this collaboration and an extremely valuable contribution to the field.
Another significant area of my work is administrative, namely my role as Manager of the “Dr. Victor Babeș” Clinical Hospital for Infectious and Tropical Diseases in Bucharest. The dual responsibility of heading the Infectious Diseases Department while also managing the hospital is a complex one, but it allows me to view everyday challenges both through the lens of a physician and professor and through that of a hospital manager. These two perspectives are highly valuable in addressing and resolving the many challenges encountered on a daily basis. After many years of administrative work, first as Medical Director and later as Hospital Manager, I can confidently say that being a physician is essential for leading a hospital. There are many situations in which decisions must be made by a doctor, with input from an economist or legal advisor—both of whom are extremely important—but far less often the other way around. Understanding the human and medical dimensions of healthcare is fundamental to managing a hospital, which is an institution unlike any other.
Last but certainly not least, the people I work with are of utmost importance. Medical staff, auxiliary personnel, and administrative employees form the foundation of a hospital. A healthcare institution may have a physical building, but it is ultimately made up of people. As a hospital manager, I pursue important and ongoing objectives aimed at improving hospital conditions, upgrading laboratory facilities, and enhancing patient safety. Although it is becoming increasingly challenging, securing the financial resources necessary for the hospital’s operation remains a constant aspect of managerial activity.
I believe in perseverance. I believe in setting goals. I believe in teamwork.
