Róza Ádány

Róza Ádány (born 11 December 1952, Berettyóújfalu) is a Hungarian physician, specialist in clinical laboratory diagnostics and in preventive medicine and public health, a university professor. She is the founding dean of the Faculty of Public Health at the University of Debrecen and an internationally recognized expert in public health education and research.

Career She completed her secondary education at the Reformed College of Debrecen, graduating in 1971. She earned her medical degree summa cum laude from the University of Debrecen Medical School in 1977.

Her public health research focuses on the determinants of premature mortality in Hungary and of cancer and cardiovascular diseases. Her current work investigates the impact of genetic and environmental risk factors and social inequalities on population health.

• Member of the Governing Council of the European Public Health Association (EUPHA); co‑chair and later chair of the Public Health Genomics Section (2015–2021); co‑chair of the Healthy Ageing Section (2023–present)

• Co‑chair of the WHO European Advisory Committee on Health Research (2012–2021)

• Member of the EU Horizon 2020 Advisory Board (2014–2018)

• Member of the Advisory Board of the WHO “Ageing is Living 2026–2030” flagship project (2025–present)

Public policy activities • Coordination of the development of the health plans of Debrecen (2002, 2008) and Budapest (2012–2014)

• Coordination of the strategic planning of the National Public Health Programme (2018–2030; 2023–2033)

• Organisation and operation of the General Practitioners’ Morbidity Data Collection Programme (1998–2017)

• Coordination of the establishment of the North‑East Hungarian Health Observatory (2005)

• Coordination of the primary care development model programme based on general practitioners’ clusters, supported by the Hungarian Government and the Swiss Contribution (2012–2016) , integrating primary care and public health services.

She has led more than forty national research and educational development projects, including the major project “Improving the competitiveness of the Hungarian economy through identifying target groups and content of public health interventions to improve population health” (2016–2021), which resulted in 123 international publications and 32 completed PhD degrees. Her research groups have participated in more than twenty international projects, often under her leadership.

Bibliometrics (as of 20 May 2026)

Total publications: 518 Publications in international journals: 315 Cumulative impact factor: 902 Citations (Google Scholar): over 12,600 Independent citations (MTMT): 6,864 H.R. Leavell Award, World Federation of Public Health Associations (2020) Ádám Szendei Award (2020) Officer’s Cross of the Order of Merit of Hungary (2022)