Six Universities Network / International Education & Research System, Japan (SUN/SixERS) Participates in a Health Promotion Workshop in Bangkok, Thailand
The AUN Policy-Action Workshop on Health Promotion in Japan and ASEAN was held at Mahidol University in Bangkok on March 27 and 28, 2014 under the auspices of the ASEAN University Network (AUN), Mahidol University (Thailand) and the Japan Foundation. On behalf of Kumamoto University, Associate Professor Changnian Wei of the Department of Preventive and Environmental Medicine, Faculty of Life Sciences attended the workshop. The event was held under a partnership agreement in the field of life sciences signed by all SUN/SixERS, including our university and AUN, in April 2013, for the purpose of enhancing cross-border collaborations and the health promotion roles of universities in Southeast Asia.
This workshop was attended by five Life Science professors from the SUN/SixERS, and by professors from Mahidol University and other AUN member universities (in Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore, the Philippines, Malaysia and Vietnam). They exchanged opinions about education, community activities/services and policy making with regard to promoting health. Professor Wei introduced the activities of Kumamoto University under the title of “A Network for Cultural Exchange in East Asia: Health as Key Word.” Participants from other universities expressed a strong interest in our unique community activities.
A draft recommendation statement was compiled regarding the role of the higher education (universities) in health promotion based on the presentations and discussions that took place during the two-day workshop. In addition, the AUN Secretariat proposed the establishment of a website to promote the exchange of students from SUN/SixERS and AUN. Active exchanges of researchers and students from these organizations are anticipated in the future.
