Community partnerships shape health outcomes long before a patient walks into a clinic. Researchers from Japan will visit the University of Iowa (UI) and, alongside U.S. based health care professionals, will share how their work is improving health and well-being through community-based approaches, from suicide prevention in schools to addiction treatment in primary care and brain health for older adults.
Creating Communities that Care and Promote Health: Learning from Japan and the U.S.
Date: Thursday, March 26, 2026
Time: 3 to 4:30 p.m. (CDT)
Location: College of Public Health, Room N110 (virtual option also available; see below)
The event is free and open to the public.
Zoom link to access the event Register for event reminders
The event features three Japan-based researchers alongside Dr. Andrea Weber, clinical associate professor of psychiatry and clinical associate professor of internal medicine in the UI Carver College of Medicine. Presentations will be followed by a Q&A and informal exchange of ideas.
“We are excited to host this event and give the UI community the opportunity to learn how researchers are using scientific knowledge and evidence to improve health and well-being of our population in community settings across Japan and the U.S.,” shared Sato Ashida, professor in the Department of Community and Behavioral Health in the UI College of Public Health. “Through presentations and conversation, this session will explore challenges and opportunities associated with health promotion and disease prevention efforts through community partnerships and discuss innovative ways to continue and expand efforts to improve population health.”
Dr. Kenji Kawano, a professor in the College of Comprehensive Psychology at Ritsumeikan University in Kyoto, Japan, studies suicide prevention, suicide survivor support, and stigma reduction. Their presentation will examine efforts to implement suicide prevention interventions in Japanese schools and the challenges that accompany them.
Dr. Ethan Sahker (PhD counseling psychology ‘19), a UI alumnus and currently a junior associate professor in the Graduate School of Medicine at Kyoto University in Kyoto, Japan, will speak to improving addiction treatment access and reducing the treatment gap through primary care screening and brief intervention focused on community-based motivational factors. His research focuses on addiction treatment clinical epidemiology, and primary care intervention development to improve treatment access for the underprivileged and underserved.
Joining virtually, Ai Iizuka, a geriatrician researcher at the Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Geriatrics and Gerontology in Itabashi, Japan, will discuss using the Japanese board game “Go” to promote brain health among older adults in the U.S. Iizuka previously conducted dementia risk reduction research in Iowa City as a visiting scholar in the UI Department of Community and Behavioral Health. Her research focuses on leisure activity and cognitive functioning of older adults, and she has been conducting clinical trials to test interventions to improve cognitive functioning among older adults.
Dr. Andrea Weber, clinical associate professor of psychiatry and clinical associate professor of psychiatry and internal medicine in the UI Carver College of Medicine, will present, Revive Care Iowa: Treating Substance Use Disorders in Advanced Liver and Cardiac Disease. Dr. Weber is board certified in internal medicine, psychiatry, and addiction medicine and specializes in providing medical and psychiatric health care to people who use drugs. She is also the assistant director of the UI Addiction and Recovery Collaborative (UI ARC) within the Department of Psychiatry and currently represents psychiatry on the Iowa Medical Cannabis Board. Dr. Weber has been the principal investigator on four federal grants focused on novel training and healthcare delivery systems for people with substance use disorders.
The event is co-sponsored by International Programs and the UI College of Public Health.
Individuals with disabilities are encouraged to attend all University of Iowa–sponsored events. If you are a person with a disability who requires a reasonable accommodation in order to participate in this program, please contact Sato Ashida in advance at 319-384-1477 or sato-ashida@uiowa.edu.
International Programs (IP) at the University of Iowa (UI) is committed to enriching the global experience of UI students, faculty, staff, and the general public by leading efforts to promote internationally oriented teaching, research, creative work, and community engagement. IP provides support for international students and scholars, administers scholarships and assistance for students who study, intern, or do research abroad, and provides funding opportunities and grant-writing assistance for faculty engaged in international research. IP shares their stories through various media, and by hosting multiple public engagement activities each year.