Tbilisi State Medical University, in partnership with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the Georgian Association of Family Doctors and with support from the Republic of Korea, has launched a new course on interpersonal communication.

The course has already been integrated into the undergraduate medical and nursing programs, training over 2,000 healthcare professionals in child-centered communication. The primary objective of this initiative is to enhance the communication skills of primary healthcare personnel in their interactions with children, parents, the community and colleagues.

The initiative has contributed to:

• Improved immunization coverage.

• Increased trust and quality of service between healthcare personnel and families.

• Enhanced communication competencies among medical staff.

The conference was opened by Professor Irakli Natroshvili, Rector of TSMU.

Jesper Møller, UNICEF representative in Georgia, emphasized:

"Communication is not merely a skill—it is the foundation of empathetic, high-quality medical care. By integrating interpersonal communication into medical education, we ensure that future generations of physicians are equipped not only with clinical knowledge but also with essential patient interaction skills, including attentive listening, empathy, respectful responses and constructive feedback. We believe that institutionalizing communication training is a cornerstone for improving the medical system."

Professor Givi Javashvili, Head of the Department of Family Medicine at TSMU, presented the new interpersonal communication course. The event provided a platform for both national and international experts to share best practices and discuss the future of communication training in medical education.