Vladimir Sergeevich Gordeev ’98
Memphis, TN & Killen, AL/Russia
Education:
-Kirov State Medical Academy (Kirov, the Russian Federation); Medical Doctor; Internal Medicine
-Maastricht University (Maastricht, the Netherlands); MSc Public Health; Health Policy, Economics and Management
-Vyatka State University (Kirov, the Russian Federation); MA Economics and Management; Financial Management
Current Job: Research Fellow, European Centre on Health of Societies in Transition, London School of Hygiene and Topical Medicine, London, the UK.
FLEX Lessons: The (FSA) FLEX program did not stop after just one year. Directly and indirectly, it led me to where I am at the present moment, and even helped to find a couple of very close friends along the way.
FLEX Values: The most important skill I gained from my US experience is an ability to voice and defend my own point of view without a fear of being criticized or laughed at. Another one is the true understanding of a concept of a positive (limited) healthy egoism and individualism described by the principle “You have got to love yourself before anyone else can,” and related rights for a personal space and personal time.
Current Job: My current job is a logical continuation of the work I had been doing for my PhD degree in Health Economics at Maastricht University, the Netherlands. The public defense of my PhD titled “Financial Reforms and Out-of-Pocket Payments in the Russian Health Care Sector” is planned for the first quarter of 2014.
My core research activities are related to the Economic and Social Research Council-funded project “Economic Shocks and Health Resilience. Lessons from the Russian Federation.” The project takes place in the context of the current economic crisis in Europe. It seeks to understand how some people are better able than others to survive and maintain good health despite experiencing similar levels of economic shock at the individual and household level. The objectives are to identify the factors that promote or diminish resilience to economic shocks; and to evaluate resilience factors at individual, household, community, and population levels using multi-level models.
Current Highlights: The most interesting aspect of my job is the challenging multidisciplinary work in a team of leading public health experts. But I am personally most proud of the upcoming defense of my PhD thesis in health economics.
Current Concerns: Impoverishing health care payments and forgoing utilization of health care, especially due to the lack of financial means, due to its big societal impact and high relevance. Like Vasnetsov’s painting “Knight at the Crossroads,” many health care users face a tough daily choice regarding health care services utilization: if you can afford – then go (and get the care needed), cannot – forgo or go below [the poverty line after borrowing necessary funds via loans and similar].
Currently Reading: “Everything Ravaged Everything Burned” (by Wells Tower) and “The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared” (by Jonas Jonasson).
Message to FLEX Alumni: Never give up on your dreams. And while conquering yet another challenging peak in your life, remember – multitasking is great, but a Dutch approach of “Doing one thing at a time” could be equally essential for both private and professional lives.
written by Tatyana Movshevich ’04
