FK UIN Online News - Azkiya Alika Putri Ahmudi, a student at the Faculty of Medicine (FK) of UIN Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta, took part in the Student Mobility Exchange program at Tohoku University, Japan, from Monday to Friday (September 7-18, 2026). The program gave Azkiya the opportunity to study public health management in disaster situations (Disaster Public Health) through lectures, seminars, discussions, field visits, and the preparation of a literature review.

Throughout the program, Azkiya was supervised by Associate Professor Masatsugu Orui, M.D., Ph.D., a researcher at the Disaster Public Health Lab, International Research Institute of Disaster Science (IRIDeS), Tohoku University. He accompanied Azkiya in various academic activities, including the preparation of her report and final presentation.

Azkiya also had the opportunity to meet Professor Shinichi Kuriyama, M.D., Ph.D., of the Disaster Public Health Lab, IRIDeS. She also interacted with professors, researchers, students, and staff of Tohoku University to broaden her insight into research and health management in disaster situations.

During the program, Azkiya explored various aspects of disaster-related health management in Japan. The topics covered included health system preparedness, capacity building for medical personnel, disaster-related mortality, long-term health monitoring, and the impact of disasters on mental health and child development.

From these activities, Azkiya came to understand that disaster-related health management must be sustained, not limited to the emergency response phase. The health impacts of disasters can persist for a long time and may even emerge after conditions have returned to normal. Therefore, long-term health monitoring, particularly of mental health and child development, is an important aspect of post-disaster management.

This understanding was further reinforced through visits to several sites. At the International Research Institute of Disaster Science (IRIDeS), Azkiya learned about multidisciplinary approaches to disaster research and disaster risk reduction efforts. She then visited the Tohoku Medical Megabank to observe large-scale cohort and genomic research.

Azkiya also visited Arahama, a coastal area affected by the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami. There, she saw the remains of a school building that had been used as an evacuation shelter during the disaster. The visit gave her a picture of the disaster’s impact, as well as the importance of preparedness and evacuation management for communities.

As a follow-up to the program, Azkiya is now developing an academic manuscript that examines the similarities and differences in disaster health management between Japan and Indonesia.

(Azkiya/MA/NIS)