Dr. Natalia Popescu

Dr. Natalia Popescu is a consultant pulmonologist at IMSP Institutul de Pneumoftiziologie in Chisinau — Moldova's National Institute of Pneumology and Phthisiology, the country's primary specialist centre for respiratory and tuberculosis disease. With 12 years of clinical experience, she is one of Moldova's specialist pulmonologists managing the country's significant respiratory disease burden.

Moldova is a small Eastern European country with one of the region's highest tuberculosis incidence rates, a significant burden of COPD related to high smoking rates, and growing rates of asthma and sleep-disordered breathing. The National Pneumology Institute is the key institution for managing these conditions, combining clinical care with research and training.

Dr. Popescu's clinical practice covers the full spectrum of respiratory medicine, with particular expertise in TB management (including drug-resistant TB), COPD management, and bronchoscopy. She has trained under Romanian and international pulmonology mentors, reflecting Moldova's cultural and medical connections to Romania.

She consults in Romanian (the official language of Moldova), Russian (still widely spoken), and English.

Dr. Popescu completed her MD at the State University of Medicine and Pharmacy 'Nicolae Testemiţanu' (USMF) in Chisinau — Moldova's leading medical school. She completed her pulmonology specialty residency at the IMSP Institutul de Pneumoftiziologie, gaining comprehensive training in TB management, COPD, asthma, bronchoscopy, and respiratory function testing. She has participated in continuing medical education through the Romanian Society of Pulmonology and the European Respiratory Society (ERS) educational programme. She holds specialist certification from the Society of Pulmonologists of Moldova.

Dr. Popescu's pulmonology practice covers the full range of respiratory disease. For tuberculosis — Moldova's most critical respiratory disease challenge — she diagnoses TB using sputum smear, GeneXpert MTB/RIF, and culture, and manages first-line and second-line (drug-resistant) TB treatment including MDR-TB with newer agents (bedaquiline, delamanid). She coordinates directly observed therapy (DOTS) for TB patients.

For obstructive airway disease, she performs spirometry for diagnosis and management of COPD and asthma, prescribes and monitors inhaled therapy, and manages acute exacerbations. She performs diagnostic and therapeutic bronchoscopy including bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) for infection diagnosis and transbronchial biopsy.

For sleep medicine, she interprets polysomnography results and manages CPAP/BiPAP therapy for obstructive sleep apnoea. She evaluates interstitial lung disease, sarcoidosis, and lung cancer (in collaboration with oncology and thoracic surgery).

Moldova is accessible by road and air from Romania, Ukraine, and other Eastern European countries. International patients — particularly Moldovan diaspora in Romania, Italy, and across the EU — occasionally seek specialist respiratory consultations in Chisinau. Dr. Popescu offers consultations in Romanian, Russian, and English. Moldova's healthcare costs are among the lowest in Europe, making it an accessible destination for certain specialist consultations.

Dr. Popescu has been recognised by the Society of Pulmonologists of Moldova for her outstanding contributions to respiratory medicine and tuberculosis management in Moldova. She participates in European Respiratory Society (ERS) educational congresses and the Romanian Society of Pulmonology annual scientific meeting, maintaining alignment with contemporary European respiratory medicine standards. She has contributed meaningfully to Moldova's national tuberculosis control programme, including work on MDR-TB management protocols and DOTS implementation guidelines. She is a member of both the Society of Pulmonologists of Moldova and the Romanian Society of Pulmonology, and contributes to continuing medical education for respiratory physicians across Moldova.