The Graduate School of Public Health Career Path Week was held as a hybrid (face-to-face + online streaming) four-week career seminar, inviting speakers who are active at the forefront of the public health field, in order to let students know that the knowledge and skills acquired through study at the Graduate School of Public Health have the potential to open up a variety of careers.

Week 1 (Friday, June 23): United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Tokyo Office　
Week 2 (Friday, June 30): NPO ASHA
Week 3 (Friday, July 7): Clinical Research Consultant
Week 4 (Friday, July 14): World Bank and European Bank for Reconstruction and Development

Week 1 United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) Tokyo Office (Mr. BENES Roberto, Director)

UNICEF is a United Nations agency operating in more than 190 countries and regions to protect the lives, health, and rights of the world's children. In this lecture, Mr. Roberto Benes talked about the current environment surrounding children in the world, especially the impact of COVID-19 on children. and UNICEF's activities such as necessary humanitarian assistance, as well as the skills and career path required to work for UN agencies such as UNICEF. The students who participated in the seminar were impressed by UNICEF's activities. The participating students asked many questions about UNICEF's activities and career development, and Mr. Benes answered them one by one even after the seminar was over.

   　　　　

• Comments from participating students

  "It was a very meaningful time for me to learn about issues around the world. I would definitely like to participate in next year's seminar and the one after that."
  
  "I was able to learn about UNICEF's activities and the current state of the world. I also learned about the urgent issues for children and the younger generation and how to deal with them, which I would like to link to my own learning and activities in the future. Thank you very much for this valuable opportunity."
  
  "I could learn the role of UNICEF and its actual work by taking enough time for explanation and Q＆A."
  
  “It is always great to learn and re-learn about things that we think we know much about. In this case, the seminar taught many important aspects of career development (possible). However, it also sends out a message that there are many pathways to take as a public health professional in international development and such opportunities should be taken for granted.”
  
  “Thanks for such a great presentation. It made me realize that I have to make some time to think and plan about my future career path. Especially during the last part, I found that I have to strengthen some skills and my abilities.”

Week 2 NPO ASHA (Mr. NIN Yoshifumi, Head/Board)

ASHA is a non-profit organization that provides medical assistance in Nepal using technology and the power of the community. Nepal, especially in mountainous areas, has many problems such as lifestyle-related diseases, infectious diseases, and high infant mortality rate due to lack of medical resources and low health literacy among the population. ASHA supports the creation of local self-driven healthcare delivery models by providing medical interview applications and medical information management software, as well as support for their implementation, free of charge. In recognition of these activities, in 2021 ASHA received the grand prize in the "Vision Hacker Award 2021 for SDG3," an award to discover and foster the next generation of leaders in the field of international and global health. In addition to being the president of ASHA, Mr. Nin is also a business consultant for a foreign consulting firm. In this lecture, in addition to the current activities of ASHA, Mr. Nin spoke enthusiastically about his own encounter with MPH, his contribution to global health by utilizing his knowledge and experience as a business consultant who is a professional problem solver, and his future prospects.

      

• Comments from Participating Students

  "The lecture made me think about how we can deliver necessary medical supplies to those who really need them, as the medical environment and living conditions in Nepal are very different from those in Japan. I learned a lot from the lecture, as I was able to understand what is happening on the ground. Thank you very much."
  
  "I had never known anything other than pharmaceutical companies before, so I was able to learn a lot by seeing what kind of careers I could have during and after my MPH and how I could use what I learned at school. Thank you for giving me this valuable opportunity."
  
  "I am really interested in ASHA's activities. I would like to be involved in such activities in the future."
  
  "Very informative and our questions were addressed nicely"
  

Week 3 Clinical Research Consultant (Dr. HIRANO Keita, Assistant Professor, Kyoto University)

Dr. Hirano has been engaged in clinical practice as a nephrologist as well as a clinical research consultant to guide clinical research conducted in hospitals. He enthusiastically provides support to people working in the medical field, regardless of their area of expertise or occupation, so that they can carry out clinical research using appropriate methodologies based on the hints they discover in their work. In addition to his medical practice at the hospital, he is also active in educational activities at the university and as a clinical research consultant at the Otowakai Academic Support Center, where he supports research in all phases of clinical research, including conception, research design planning, statistical analysis, and guidance in writing papers. In this lecture entitled Career in Clinical Research Field, he talked about his career path as a physician, educator, and researcher (consultant), including his own experiences and plans for the future.

  　　　

• Comments from students who attended

  "The lecture was very informative, giving me advice on the path I want to take and answering my questions. Thank you very much for your lecture."
  
  "I was having trouble finding a research theme on my own, but now I know what I can do and what I should do."
  
  "I am glad that I now know what I can do and what I should do. The career you have built up while pursuing your intellectual curiosity seems like a very attractive role model."
  
  "The presentation was very interesting and informative to me. As I am also interested in conducting clinical research for my academic career, Dr. Hirano's advice on finding areas of strengths was very useful. Thank you very much."
  

Week 4 The World Bank and European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) (Mr. Omori Koichi, Senior External Affairs Officer, Ms. NAKAYAMA Risa, Health Specialist, World Bank Tokyo Office, Ms. MORISHIMA Yoko, Head of Government Relations, EBRD Tokyo Office, Ms. ICHIKAWA Nobuko, AMR Policy Advisor, EBRD London Headquarters)

The World Bank and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development are Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs) that provide loans, technical assistance, and policy advice to developing country governments to reduce poverty and achieve sustainable economic and social growth.
The World Bank began its activities in 1946 for the purpose of reconstruction of developed countries and development of developing countries after World War II, and has been providing a wide range of assistance to developing countries at different stages of development and in response to various financial needs.
Since its establishment in 1991, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has been supporting the transition to market economies in the former Soviet Union's Central and Eastern European countries, Central Asia, and North Africa, as well as investing in and financing private sector projects. Recently, the bank has been playing an active role in providing assistance to Ukraine and supporting disaster reconstruction following the earthquake in Turkey. In this seminar, in addition to introducing the activities of the two banks, the speakers also explained the role of health specialists at the World Bank and the Bank's efforts to tackle drug resistance (AMR). The participating students asked many enthusiastic questions about career development in international organizations.

  　　　

• Comments from participating students

  "It was a very valuable opportunity for me to listen to two seminars of a large organization at the same time. I was able to get a concrete picture of the roles of the UN and the Bank, as well as careers in the health sector."
  
  "It was good to know how we can contribute to the international health sector from a banking perspective."
  
  "I felt certain that I had English, expertise, experience in developing countries, presentation skills, and even leadership skills, but I was a little surprised to hear that I had energy and stamina. I felt again that no matter how specialized you are, if you don't have the energy and physical strength, you won't be able to make the most of it, and that all jobs are the same."