Formation for Island Health education and research center in the Asia-Pacific Island region

Graduate School of Health Sciences has been actively involved in contributing to the realization of the SDGs through glocal human resource development and research. By creating a center of excellence in island health education and research in the Asia-Pacific region, we will not only contribute to SDG Goal 3: Health and well-being for all, but also to Goal 1 (Poverty), Goal 2 (Hunger), Goal 3 (Education), Goal 5 (Gender), Goal 6 (Water and Sanitation), Goal 10 (Inequality), Goal 13 (Peace and Equity), Goal 14 (Global Warming), Goal 15 (Peace and Justice), and Goal 16 (Peace and Security). Goal 13 (Global Warming) Goal 16 (Peace and Justice), and to realize interdisciplinary education and research in multidisciplinary collaboration.

1) Creating safe and healthy schools to realize the SDGs

Longevity in Asia-Pacific Island regions is thought to be affected by the fragility of their unique cultures, such as their dietary habits. In addition, the gap between the rich and the poor has been widened due to development using military and abundant tourism resources, resulting in serious poverty among mothers and children. Furthermore, due to the fragility of the health system, the country faces the difficulty of balancing measures against infectious diseases with the promotion of tourism and other industries. To address these common health issues, the Graduate School of Health Sciences has established the Okinawa Global Health Sciences Course in English, a training course for oncology nurses, and a training course for school nurse teachers to address the aging population in Okinawa, and has been training local specialists. 　The effectiveness of school-based health education as revealed in the “Post-Corona: Research on Creating Healthy and Safe Societies and Schools in the Pacific Islands,” which was adopted by the Research Project for the Realization of a Post-Corona Society that started at the University of the Ryukyus in 2020, will be further developed on an ongoing basis to ensure the formation of an island health research center. The project will ensure the achievement of this goal

(2) Enhancement of island health and medical research and development of advanced medical personnel in Okinawa Prefecture

　Okinawa Prefecture has easy access to China, Taiwan, and Southeast Asia, and has experienced infectious diseases and other diseases that occur frequently overseas. Being an island prefecture far from the mainland, it is also clear that the genomic diversity of the Okinawan population has different characteristics from those of the mainland. We will conduct research on the treatment, testing, and prevention of diseases unique to Okinawa, such as infectious diseases, through molecular biological approaches such as whole genome analysis of bacterial and viral strains using next-generation sequencers, search for single gene polymorphisms (SNPs) related to constitution by deep sequencing, and analysis of big data using bioinformatics. We will also develop research on the treatment, testing, and prevention of diseases unique to Okinawa, such as infectious diseases. In addition, by conducting these studies in collaboration with the Graduate School of Medicine and other research institutions in Japan and abroad, or by further strengthening industry-government-academia collaboration and regional cooperation, we will not only lead to further globalization and glocalization of our university and health department, but also to policy recommendations for health care, which is essential to contribute to the health and longevity of the Okinawan people. This will not only lead to further globalization and glocalization of the University and the Graduate School of Health Sciences, but will also lead to policy recommendations for healthcare, which is essential for contributing to the health and longevity of Okinawans