The OMI is thrilled to welcome Dr. Anna Junga as our newest local coordinator for Latvia! After many years of serving the OMI program as local coordinator and recruiting hundreds of fellows, Dr. Peteris Tomins will step down and hand over the staff to his eager colleague.
Dr. Junga is a Latvian anesthesiologist-reanimatologist and Senior Specialist in Anesthesiology at Rīga East University Hospital “Gaiļezers,” where she also serves as Chief of Education in the anesthesiology clinic. She is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Morphology at Rīga Stradiņš University (RSU) and Head of the Morphology Laboratory at the Institute of Anatomy and Anthropology. Her research focuses on tissue morphology, histological and morphopathological processes, including intra-abdominal adhesions in infants, molecular mechanisms of tissue remodeling, and the developmental biology of human embryonic and fetal tissues. Dr. Junga is actively engaged in medical education and scientific supervision, guiding students and laboratory research projects, and she serves on the RSU Research Ethics Committee. She has authored multiple publications in international peer-reviewed journals and contributes to scientific collaboration in medical and health sciences both in Latvia and abroad.
Dr. Junga delved into the world of the OMI during two Anesthesiology and Intensive Care courses in Salzburg. The physician is one of 540 Latvian doctors who have participated in the OMI’s programs since 1993, leading to the improvement of local healthcare. As local coordinator, Dr. Junga is set on continuously increasing the number of Latvian attendees over the years to come, supporting OMI applicants and fellows alike, as well as promoting the OMI’s activities throughout her home country.
She explained why she chose to become a local coordinator in a heartfelt statement: “I am honored to become a local coordinator for the OMI after attending two of its seminars, because I see many opportunities there: Gaining an international perspective on the challenges within my specialty, discussing the best solutions, as well as building new contacts and friendships among colleagues from abroad. I believe that the educational opportunities offered by the OMI can become an important step in the professional growth of every doctor.”
We look forward to working with Dr. Junga and cannot wait to see the impact that she will make as part of the OMI’s global network!