Planning and Promotion of the Research in Public Health and Social Medicine

Public Health and Social Medicine Discipline in Department of Life Sciences covers multiple and diverse health issues, including four fields in Public Health and Environmental Medicine, Psychiatric Medicine, Family Medicine, and Geriatrics, Nursing, and Food Safety. Studies using quantitative and qualitative methods have been executed to focus on not only disease prevention but health promotion. Through translation of empirical evidences into the implementation and planning of health policy, it is hoped that health issues in these four fields can be better addressed with our nation’s health improved. For review of research projects application, due to high heterogeneity of the disciplines, this project will recruit scholars from four fields in an advisory board to reach a consensus and establish review criteria for research projects. The review criteria will be announced to avoid unfair scoring and repetitive reviews. In addition, the coordinator, together with the co-coordinator, will comply to the regulation of Ministry of Technology and Science and is responsible for the following affairs: 1) assists in promoting and reviewing application documents of research projects, 2) reviews application documents for attending international conferences, inviting oversea scholars for lectures and short-term instructions, and recruiting research personnel, and etc., 3) reviews application documents of international cooperation/bilateral science and technology cooperation (such as planning of cooperation area, suggesting the priority of projects, researchers exchange and visit, and etc.), grants for international symposiums, grants for the participation of international academic organization conferences, and grants for international academic-industry cooperation and professional training, 4) attends meetings for discipline coordinators and supports business promoting campaign of the Ministry of Science and Technology, 5) assists in collecting research results, composing annual research reports, and providing academic data related to the discipline, 6) hosts meetings, conferences, seminars, announcement campaigns, and etc., 7) explores prospective study or promote international academic exchanges, and 8) provides other related disciplines with assistance in planning, organizing and executing events or performances. The 71st World Health Assembly finalized the organization’s 13th General Programme of Work (GPW 13) to serve as the following five-year strategic guide (2019-2023) for planning, monitoring, and evaluation of WHO’s work. Among the three missions proposed, “promote health” has been prioritize to emphasize on not only medical care/disease free but health promotion. The critical role of public health and social medicine has thus been highlighted. As a result, arising attention has been paid on significant and contemporary public health topics. The implementation of the research may include exposure assessment and health hazards evaluation of air pollution, impacts of genetic and environmental factors of chronic diseases together with its prevention and management, causes and distribution of emerging infection, long-term care in aging populations, women and child health under the lower birth rate, information technology (IT)-oriented services for health promotion and management, and risk communication and food inspection on food safety. Meanwhile, more and more intensive cooperation and interaction with Southern Asian counties have provided new opportunities. These are all challenging research topics for different disciplines to explore and collaborate in the future.