Fall 2025 Co-Sponsored Fellow | Patricia Marga
Patricia Marga is a PhD student in public administration and a research assistant at the Department of Public Health at Babeș‑Bolyai University. Her work combines interdisciplinary research along with participatory approaches, having a strong focus on applied public health. Since 2022, she has been part of the iCreate project (Increasing Capacity for Injury Research in Eastern Europe), where she works with registries from Armenia, Georgia, and Republic of Moldova, analyzing different topics such as, unintentional injuries, traumatic brain injury, road traffic accidents and workplace violence. Starting September 2024, she is part of Create.Act.Enjoy, an NGO that produces and coordinates cultural, educational and art therapy projects, hand in hand with the community. The socio-cultural projects provide people in hospitals, nursing homes and children in orphanages with recreational activities performed by professionals from different domains, who are part of a one-year learning program, professional artists and volunteers.
Patricia is currently leading a citizen science project in Cluj-Napoca (supported by a Citizen Science Fellowship) in which citizens can contribute to mapping road safety risks using an interactive map on PARTIMAP, and cyclists can participate in recording street data for its assessment with the CycleRAP tool. This initiative bridges community engagement with injury prevention, advancing participatory research models in urban planning.
During her Obermann International Fellowship, Patricia will explore how academic institutions can support community-based public health research. She is particularly interested in the University of Iowa’s Bicycling & Pedestrian Simulator Research and its potential to inform safer and more inclusive urban policies in Romania. Her goal is to identify transdisciplinary models that translate community knowledge into evidence-based interventions for public safety and sustainable mobility.
Fellowship Collaborator
During Marga's fellowship, she will be collaborating with Cara Hamann, associate professor in the Department of Epidemiology.
From Iowa's Hank Lab to Romania's Streets: a conversation with Patricia Marga
Eligibility for Co-Sponsored Fellowship
To be eligible for a CSSI co-sponsorship, prospective fellows must apply to the Obermann International Fellows program and must be working on a social science research project during their fellowship. Prospective fellows in the social sciences will have the option to indicate that they would like to be considered for co-sponsorship by CSSI in their application.
Priority will go to international fellows planning to collaborate with a CSSI researcher affiliate.
Benefits of Co-Sponsored Fellowship
In addition to the benefits provided by the Obermann Center for Advanced Studies, fellows co-sponsored by CSSI also receive:
A second office, in addition to a space in OCAS, at the Center for Social Science Innovation, including full access to the center’s meeting rooms, office staff support, printing stations, and break areas.
Opportunities to collaborate directly with social science researchers and to receive assistance from specialized research support staff at CSSI.
Invitations to participate in CSSI networking events, workshops, and other opportunities for development.
CSSI encourages co-sponsored international fellows to collaborate with CSSI researcher affiliates. In support of this goal, co-sponsored international fellows are invited to request an additional office space for a CSSI researcher affiliate collaborating with the fellow.
Expectations of Co-Sponsored Fellowship
Co-sponsored international fellows are expected to acknowledge support from both OCAS and CSSI in publications or other outcomes resulting from their fellowship. Additionally, co-sponsored international fellows are expected to engage with both OCAS and CSSI during the length of their fellowship.