International Health Development and Policy
An experienced nurse managing a rural health center in Brundi Training for Community Health Workers in Honduras
Department of International Health Development and Policy (former Department of Social Environment) was re-established in 2018 by inviting three concurrent professors from the School of Tropical Medicine and Global Health (TMGH). There are now two professors that have expertise of health system strengthening (H. Aiga), child health and emergency assistance (Y. Kamiya). The department promotes policy researches in various global health fields for making critical evaluation and constructive proposal for health policy.
Members
- Professor
- Yasuhiko Kamiya
- Professor
- Hirotsugu Aiga
･Implementation Science in Health and Disability
Activities
My support and study is focused on redressing health disparity in low-and middle-income countries. Notwithstanding global evidence-based aid and national policy, health disparity has been widening with know-do gap and mismatch (coexistence of excess and deficiency) in health service delivery due to organizational path dependency, lack of coordination, vertical silo of programs and aid fragmentation. Just attributing health disparity to lack of access to, and low supply of health care can mislead and delay its fundamental problems. Through Implementation Science applying to international cooperation for maternal and child health, support for disabled children and non-communicable diseases, and emergency humanitarian assistance, my assistance and research facilitate local staff and people identify bottlenecks and barrier to strengthen health systems and governance based on bottom-up problem-solving.
Recent main research achievement
- Tin Zar et al. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023; 20(19): 6660.
- Ogino et al. Southeast Asian J. Trop. Med. Public Health 2023; 54(3): 146-166.
- Suzuki et al. Methods and Protocols 2023; 6(1): 12.
- Yoshino et al. BMC Public Health 2022; 22(1): 1732.
- Dizon et al. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2022; 16(1): e0009948.
Achievement list
･Health System Strengthening
Activities
In the absence of appropriately functioning systems for health service delivery, new medical technologies and drugs that are clinically effective would end up not reaching the populations in need. Key elements of health systems (e.g.health workforce, health information and health financing) particularly in the context of LMICs are one of my research topics. Needless to say, while recognizing the importance of optimization and adaptation of global standards for health systems to local settings, their critical verification and examination in view of field realities are equally important.
Recent main research achievement
- Adjei-Gyamfi et al. J Health Popul Nutr 2023; 42 (1): 87.
- Aiga et al. Bulletin World Health Organ 2024; 102 (3): 151-151A.
- Balogun et al. Pubic Health 2023; 223: 94-101.
- Aoki et al. J Glob Health 2023; 13: 04073.
- Elsheikh et al. J Glob Health 2023; 13: 03040.