This Department, started five years ago, covers interdisciplinary field of Environmental and Social Medicine related to health services and social welfare problems in developing countries.
　　Interdisciplinary approach includes studies in Social Sciences and Humanities. Further, methods and actual means of international cooperation toward developing countries has been sought to utilize in order to promote inter‐departmental linkage for information accumulated with specific analysis and professional response to the public particularly in the field infectious diseases control.
　　Under this context, basic and applied research have been carried out on the following prospective themes from the view point of environmental and social aspects for the purpose of promoting assistance to minimize health problems in tropical areas:

１．Study and analysis on social (incl. life style, political and economical) background which regulates frequency / areas / combination of diseases of the 　　presence of epidemics.
２．Study on the effect of individual and social environment toward endemic and epidemics.
３．Standardization of human security measures in the field of health services from the view points of nutrition and　３Es ie.economy, environment & 　　　　　education.
４．Study on control of communicable diseases among the regional and international health care programs.
５．Study on quantitative and qualitative values of medical and health services under the ODA ie. Official Development Assistance programs by Japanese 　　　government.
６．Feasibility study on comprehensive information filing and network system for the sake of promoting health and social welfare services in developing 　　　　countries, by epidemics, by regions, by administrative measures.
７．Reformation and coordination of health manpower traning program / system to meet the need of tropical area.
８．Comparative studies on the control of imfectious diseases in tropical Asia.

　　Specific themes of joint cooperative research and research seminar designated to the Department in FY２０００　under the scheme of Research Institute for Nationally Joint‐Use are listed below. The Technical and Management Committee recommended that interdisciplinary research collaboration should be realized from the viewpoint of middle and long‐term range and managed not only by single department but by the whole Institute as one of the important mandates.

Joint Research projects's themes:
a ）Linkage and balance between mass‐poverty / environment / culture, and control measures for tropical medicine.
b ）Historical study on tropical medicine.
c ）Study on HIV / AIDS epidemic in Eastern Africa.

Research Seminar topic:
　　Study on comparative element and balance between development / environment / culture for control and prevention of tropical diseases.