The lab and members

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Maho Haseda

Research: Health Inequalities, Intersectoral Collaboration, Gerontology, Primary Care

Dr.Haseda is a Japan Primary Care Association (JPCA)/ Japanese Association for Home Care Medicine (JAHCM) certified primary care physician. Her main research interest is health inequalities among older people. She works to contribute to a society where people in any situation can live their lives even in their later lives.

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Yukiko Honda

Research: Social Epidemiology and Socio-epidemiology, Maternal and Child Health, Mental Health, Global Health

Dr. Honda is intrigued by the question of what can serve as a lasting support throughout our journey in life. The answer to this question may not be singular. Using epidemiological research methods, she is dedicated to exploring these diverse answers both quantitatively and qualitatively. Her ultimate objective is to contribute to the prevention of undesired isolation among children and parents. Additionally, she aims to contribute to the establishment of support systems that consider the entire life course.

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Nana Ishimura

Research: Social Epidemiology, Social Determinants of Health in Renal Disease, Health Disparities, Creating a Society in Which Everyone Can Be Naturally Healthy

I am a physician in nephrology, dialysis therapy, and occupational health. My research interests include clarifying health disparities in kidney disease and the underlying mechanisms, as well as creating a society in which fewer people suffer from dialysis. I will also work on promoting community development activities under the collaboration of industry, government, and academic sectors towards the symbiotic society and social impact assessment and evaluation of these activities from fiscal year 2025.

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Haruna Kawachi

Research: Public Assistance, Child Poverty, Life Course Epidemiology

She explores the relationship between poverty and health, aiming to help build a society where everyone can live well and with peace of mind.

Haruyo Mitani

Research: ACEs (Adverse Childhood Experiences), Social Isolation, Social Support, Family Sociology, Welfare Sociology, Social Surveys, and Quantitative Analysis
Affiliation: Associate Professor, Graduate School of Human Sciences, Osaka University

Yuri Ito

Research：Health Statistics and Epidemiology, Cancer Registries and Cancer Screening, Health Inequalities, Database Studies
Affiliation: Associate Professor, Department of Medical Statistics, Research & Development Center Osaka Medical and Pharmaceutical University

Kaori Honjo

Research：Epidemiology, Social Epidemiology, Health Inequalities, Gender
Affiliation: Professor, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Osaka Medical and Pharmaceutical University

Yoshihisa Fujino

Research: Epidemiology, Public Health, Occupational Health, Presenteeism, Compatibility Support, Health Disparities, Health Impact Assessment (HIA)
Affiliation: Professor, Institute of Industrial Ecological Sciences, University of Occupational and Environmental Health

Masamitsu Kamada

Research: Physical Activity
Affiliation: Lecturer, Department of Health Education and Health Sociology, School of Public Health, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo

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Koryu Sato

Research: Health Economics, Social Security, Educational Inequalities, Health and Productivity Management, Gerontology

After working for 12 years at the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare (MHLW), where he was involved in planning medical and long-term care insurance policies, Dr. Sato jumped into the world of research. He is interested in various fields including health, education, economics, and policy.

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Hiroshi Habu

Research: Cultural Prescription, Community, Art, Well-being, Dialogue, Physical Culture

He is conducting research on how to create a enriched community and live a fulfilling life, and implementing various art projects. He’d like to integrate the inherent non-exchangeability of art, which has the power to transform what is perceived as negative into a positive, with the evidence-based and quantitative nature of epidemiology. This integration aims to contribute to the creation of communities  that foster individual well-being. Furthermore, he’d like to deepen his understanding of facilitation techniques that can effectively bridge these two aspects within the community.

Du Zhen

Research: Aging in Place, Social & Behavioral Determinants of Health, Neighborhood Environment, Precision Public Health

I am interested in elucidating how neighborhood environments and lifestyle behaviors influence health, focusing on behavioral pathways and the heterogeneity of these effects across individual characteristics and social contexts. My research seeks to generate empirical evidence that advances precision public health and promotes health equity.

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Keiko Ueno

Research: Cooperation in the community, welfare system, emergency medical care system

After completing a surgical residency and working as an emergency physician, Dr.Ueno entered a graduate school and started her career as a researcher. Her goal is to contribute to the creation of a community where various people and organizations can work together to connect support.

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Andrew Stickley

Research: Mental Health, Public Health, Environmental Epidemiology

Dr. Stickley’s main research interests include loneliness, suicidal behavior, neurodevelopmental disorders (ADHD, ASD), common mental disorders, psychotic experiences, disability, alcohol epidemiology, health risk behaviors, health inequalities, violence.

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Mariko Kanamori

Research: Rural, Agriculture, Suicide, Gender relations, Social Determinants of Health, Social Epidemiology

Her research focuses on mental health issues in rural areas. Before entering graduate school, she worked as a clinical veterinarian for cattle in Hokkaido. She is majoring in social epidemiology because she believes that both cattle and people share a common way of living that depends on the state of society. She would like to contribute to a society where both people and animals can live healthy and happy lives.

Hiroko Sakurai

Research Interests: Health Inequality, Chronic Disease, Regional Medical Care, Primary Health Care, Social Capital

She is a family physician. She is  studying in this lab while engaging in primary care at Iwate Prefecture. She would like to explore what residents and primary care providers can do in an aging and decreasing population region.

Yoshikazu Komura

Research Interests: Social Determinants of Mental Disorder, Causal Inference, Child Psychiatry

He aims to build evidence to realize a world where all people can lead healthy lives.

Paul Pereyra

Research Interests: Social Epidemiology, Social Determinants of Health, Health Inequality, Causal Inference

He is a Physician and Physical Therapist (PT), focusing on understanding social determinants of health and reducing health disparities. His research interest is causal inference, reverse causation, and social capital. His purpose is to achieve health equality in society through research on social epidemiology.

Mieko Ohsuga

Research Interests: Effective Use of ICT to Improve Well-Being for Various People

Her specialty is ergonomics and psycho-physiological engineering, and she is doing research on ICT (Information and Communication Technology) in her current position (Faculty of Robotics and Design, Osaka Institute of Technology). I would like to contribute to creating a society where people (even if they are not healthy or elderly) can live a happy life.

Anna Kosaka

Research Interests: Social Epidemiology, Social Determinants of Health, Maternal and Shild Health, Life Course, Social Implementation

While working as a doctor, she learned that there are lives that cannot be saved solely through clinical practice. Her objective is to create a social environment in which all people can live a natural and affluent life.

Hanae Nagata

Research Interests: Health Promotion, Health and Productivity Management, Social Determinants of Health

She is an occupational physician and occupational health consultant. She is interested in health and productivity management through health promotion programs.

Hiroshi Hirota

Research Interests: Health Disparities, Social Epidemiology, Remote Medicine, Diabetes and Metabolism.

He will work towards improving the health disparities he experienced in his remote medical practice, both as a diabetologist and from a social epidemiology perspective.

Ryohei Oda

Research Interests: Health Disparities, Community Health and Wellness, Social Prescribing, Primary Care

He is a general practitioner. He hopes to assess and eliminate the various health disparities he has experienced through his medical work in urban, rural, and remote islands, and to contribute to building evidence to enable people to live their lives in society as they wish to be.

Rom Lunar

Research Interests: Physical activity and sedentary behavior, healthy aging, social determinants of health

He is interested in identifying social inequalities in physical activity and sedentary behavior among older adults and will study the differences that exist between cohorts of different socioeconomic statuses in various settings. He is also interested in clarifying the factors that lead to the success or failure of interventions aimed at improving physical activity and sedentary behavior in older adults and the impact on health inequalities.

Aayaka Sato

Research Interests: Social Determinants, Psychiatric Disorders, Perinatal Mental Health

Based on my experience as a public health nurse, I am mainly interested in psychiatric disorders and perinatal mental health. Through my research, I aim to contribute to the creation of communities where all people can live in good health.

Liu Qiuyi

Research Interests: Social Determinants of Health, Social Isolation, Health Inequality

She is interested in the impact of the social environment on health, especially health problems caused by loneliness and isolation.

Tayzar Tun

Research: Health Inequities, Social Determinants of Health, Subjective Well-Being

He is a medical doctor who is passionate about fairness and ensuring everyone gets the help they need for their well-being. His work involves understanding why some people are healthier than others and addressing the inequalities that leave some behind. He wants to make things better for everyone so that everyone has an equal opportunity to experience well-being.

Katsuki Osaki

Research Interests: Social Determinants of Mental Illness and Dementia, Maintaining Cognitive Function, Improving Well-being of Older Adults

I am a Designated Mental Health Physician, and I’d like to contribute to the creation of a society that respects diverse backgrounds and allows everyone to be themselves naturally and in good health.

Koichi Hata

Research Interests: Social Determinants of Health, Health Disparities, Social Prescribing, Chronic Kidney Disease, and Dialysis 

I am a physician specializing in general internal medicine, nephrology, and dialysis care. I am also involved in disaster medicine as a member of the Disaster Medical Assistance Team (DMAT). I sincerely hope for a society where elderly people, who have lived through life with resilience, and children, who will shape our future, can live safely, freely, and in good health. To help make that vision a reality, I am committed to research and practice in community building, urban planning, and the development of social systems, aiming to contribute, even in small ways, to creating a better society for all.

Yuichi Murayama

Research Interests: Social Epidemiology, Social Determinants of Health, Health Disparity, Minority Health, Migrant Health

As a physician, I am interested in the health of foreign-born individuals in Japan. Through social epidemiology, I aim to help visualize and address health issues faced by those with different languages and cultural backgrounds.

Yuina Saiga

Research Interests: Social Prescribing, Cultural Prescribing, Well-Being, Community Building

I’m interested in the impact of local community and art/cultural activities on health. I would like to contribute to the creation of a society in which everyone can live a fulfilling life.

Mizuki Tawa

Research Interests: Health Disparities , Well-Being, Social Implementation

My background is in dentistry. I am interested in the relationship between psychosocial well-being and health. My goal is to create a sustainable society where everyone can achieve good health.

Yuka Nishioka

Research Interests: Social Prescribing, Social Determinants of Health, Health Disparities

While working as a nurse in emergency medical care, I became interested in how social determinants of health affect patient’s diagnosis. My goal is contribute to create social system where everyone can live a healthy and peaceful life.

Nana Sakamoto

Research Interests: Social Epidemiology, Health Inequality, Health Indifference Group, Nudge

Have you ever found yourself saying, “I know it’s better for my health to do this, but I just can’t do it”? I have. My goal is to develop an approach that allows people to engage in healthy behavior without even trying to become healthy.

Akari Kitade

Reserach Interests: Women’s health, Work-life Balance, Maternal and Child Health, Work Environment, Health Disparities, Social Capital

I am focusing on the social determinants of work-life balance and health issues among women of the reproductive age.
I will continue pursuing the society that can empower more women.

Keiko Tsuji

Research Interests: Creating a Society Where Everyone Can Be Healthy Naturally, Life Course Approach, Maternal and Child Health, Mental Health, Disaster Crisis Management

As a public health physician, I aim to create a society where everyone can be healthy naturally. I am particularly interested in such fields as approaches to the health-insensitive population, community bonding, perinatal and child-rearing mental health, support for developmental disabilities, and health crisis management. I hope to contribute to society through these activities.

Kee Yamaguchi

Research Interests: Influence of Pandemic on Health Behaviour 

Having completed my undergraduate studies during the COVID-19 pandemic, I developed a strong interest in how such global crises shape individual health behaviors, particularly changes in eating habits and weight management. I hope to contribute valuable insights that can inform more effective responses and preventive strategies in future pandemics.

Go Ueno

Research Interests: Social Determinants of Health, Social Prescribing, Advance Care Planning (ACP), Well-Being, Sustainability of Medical Care

While utilizing my experience in the field as a cardiovascular surgeon, I will flexibly switch between micro-, meso-, and macroscopic viewpoints and perspectives, and aim to create evidence that can serve as a foundation for Evidence-Based Policy-Making (EBPM) toward the realization of a society that supports the diverse well-being of each and every individual.

Yoshiyasu Hirabayashi

Research Interests: Social Determinants of Health, Social Isolation, Social Capital

I am interested in health risks arising from social factors, especially social isolation among workers. I would like to contribute to the realization of a society where each person can achieve the health which they desire by leveraging social capital and community.

Mikuni Yamae

Research Interests: Global/Planetary Health, Social Determinants of Health, Nudge

Thorough my work experience in Africa, I am interested in the barriers to health behaviour change and how we can create systems and environments that remove these barriers, based on my experience working in Africa.

Yilun Jiang

Research Interests: Social Prescribing, Social Determinants of Health, Older Adults, Health Disparities

I’m interested in social prescribing. I believe it is an innovative intervention that addresses mental disorders from a new perspective beyond medication and physical therapy. Through research in social epidemiology, I hope to enable everyone to live healthily and happily within their communities.

Toshiaki Komura

Harvard University, PhD Candidate

Naoki Eguchi

Kyoto University, Medical School 3rd year

Koharu Matsuda

Kyoto University, Medical School 5th year

Yuki Arakawa

Research: Social Relationships and Mental Health, Online Medical Consultation, EBPM

He has been working as a doctor in a hospital since 2011, with a wide range of experience in medicine and surgery, specialising in patient care in the emergency department and intensive care unit. There he was confronted with social issues in the context of patients that could not be changed by medical treatment and went to graduate school to find solutions. He is interested in the study of human connections, especially those related to loneliness. He is now working with local authorities to develop evidence for policies that lead to better health for people.

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Minami Sugimoto

Research: Nutritional Epidemiology, Dietary Assessment Methods, Diet-Related Environmental Impact, Sustainable Healthy Diets

Dr. Sugimoto is developing methodologies and analyzing data with the aim of identifying and encouraging dietary and eating behavior patterns that promote people’s health and do not impact the global environment.

Hisataka Anezaki

Research: Health Economics, Valuing Health Services, Health Check-Ups and Health Behaviour

Dr. Anezaki focuses on the valuing of medical services from the perspective of patients and users of medical services.

Yoko Matsuoka

Research: Post-Disaster Relocation, Changes in the Socio-Physical Environment, Mental Health, Social Participation

She is researching associations between changes in the socio-physical environment due to post-disaster relocation and the mental health of older adults living in areas affected by earthquakes.

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Marisa Nishio

Research: Social Determinants of Health, Health Policy, Intrinsic Capacity, Global Health

Her research focuses on the development of new measures for older people’s health and of social environments that support individuals’ health.

Tomoki Nakaya

Yugo Shobugawa

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Yoshiki Ishikawa

Yusuke Sasahara

Rikuya Hosokawa

Ibuki Ozawa

Takashi Miyashita

Research: Social Marketing

Itsuki Osawa

Aya Chiba

Kumi Sugimoto

Takuya Yamada

Sho Takeda

Research: Ikigai, Inequality Within a Community, Social Prescribing

Ayako Fujiwara

Yuuta Takemura