From 11th to 18th of February 2023, Dr Masako Ito, Trustee (Student Affairs and International Affairs), a board member of Nagasaki University visited Kenya. The purpose of this visit is to attend the KASH (KEMRI ANNUAL SCIENTIFIC AND HEALTH CONFERENCE: Annual Academic Conference by KEMRI) and the courtesy call visit to the academic institution with which Nagasaki University has a cooperative agreement. On the 13th of February, Dr Masako had a courtesy call visit to the Ag Director of General, Dr. Evans Amukoye, and discussed about the future collaboration between KEMRI and Nagasaki University to encourage the development of the academic corporation. Then, the team visited the office for JICA TCP (Technical Corporation Project) with KEMRI, Dr. Muuo’s laboratory, and the project site of a new laboratory donated by JICA as part of the grant aid. After a visit to KEMRI, Dr Masako visited JICA Kenya Office and had a courtesy call to Mr Hajime Iwama, Chief Representative of JICA Kenya. From JICA, Mr Iwama made a remark for the corporation towards the various projects such as the JICA-SATREPS Project led by Prof Shinjiro Hamano, Deputy Director of the Institute of Tropical Medicine, Nagasaki University, and also discussed the future collaboration between JICA and Nagasaki University. On that day, Dr Masako had a courtesy call visit to Mr. Ken Okaniwa, Ambassador of Japan in Kenya. Dr. Masako expressed gratitude for the support of the Embassy of Japan in Kenya cooperating to share information regarding the insecurity in Kenya. Mr. Ken Okaniwa honored the long-term relationship and cooperation with Kenya for Nagasaki University. On the 14th of February, the team visited the Kenyatta National Hospital where the 6th-year Medical Students of Nagasaki University have elective clinical training for two months every year. Dr. Masako expressed gratitude for the support by KNH to the Medical students regarding the clinical training in which the students can have experience in the field of infectious diseases such as HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis etc and reproductive health. After that, the team was introduced to the hospital tour in various departments including the emergency unit, the pediatric, the obstetric, and gynecology where the Medical students have clinical training. In the afternoon, KEMRI and Nagasaki University held a joint collaborative symposium titled Towards the Digitalization of Health System for Mother and Child Health in Kenya Actual Situations and Challenges. More than 50 researchers from Kenya and Japan participated in this symposium. The objective of this symposium is the digitalization of the health system in the field of reproductive health. From the Japanese side, Dr Naoyuki Kawahara, the Director of NGO, Rocinantes, and Dr Yoshinori Koda, the principal researcher in NEC participated in this event and made a presentation regarding the situation in Zambia, Sudan, and Kenya regarding the reproductive health and the challenges for the digitalization. On the 15th, Dr Masako participated in the KASH annual conference at Safari Park Hotel. In the symposium, each researcher presented the collaborative research in Kenya and discussed further collaboration. At the beginning of the symposium, Dr. Masako made an opening remarks and described the ambition for the development of the research activity in the future.
