The teaching staff of the Faculty of Public Health (FPH) at the Universitas Indonesia (UI) has once again received international recognition for their contributions to the field of public health education. Dr. Agustin Kusumayati, M.Sc., Ph.D., received the Medal of Merit at the APACPH conference held at the BEXCO Convention Center in Busan, South Korea. The 55th APACPH (Asia-Pacific Academic Consortium for Public Health) conference, which took place from October 23 to 25, 2024, carried the theme “Public Health: Shifting Paradigm for Future Society and Community.”
The APACPH Medal of Merit is an award given to individuals who have provided outstanding services that are consistent with the mission of the Asia-Pacific Academic Consortium for Public Health (APACPH). APACPH’s mission is to enhance professional education in public health.
Since its inception in 1992, the Medal of Merit has been awarded to 24 distinguished educators from various higher education institutions in APACPH member countries who have consistently made significant contributions to the advancement of professional public health education. Dr. Agustin from the University of Indonesia received this award along with other notable figures, including Prof. Dr. Betty Ya-Wen Chiu, Executive Director of the Health Policy Center, Institute of Population Health Sciences, National Health Research Institutes, Taiwan, and Prof. Dr. Elahe Nezami from Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, USA.
The announcement of the Medal of Merit award was made at the opening of the conference by the President of APACPH, Prof. Dr. So Yoon Kim (Yonsei University College of Medicine, Republic of Korea), while the medal was presented by the Secretary-General, Prof. Dr. Indika Mahesh Karunathilake (University of Colombo, Sri Lanka).
Dr. Agustin Kusumayati has made significant contributions to the APACPH organization. Since 2015, Dr. Agustin has served as the Regional Director for Indonesia. She held the position of President from 2019 to 2021, and again from 2021 to 2023, and is currently serving as the Immediate Past President for the 2023-2025 term.
In response to the award, Dr. Agustin Kusumayati, who is currently the Secretary of the University of Indonesia, expressed her gratitude. “I am truly grateful for the APACPH Medal of Merit. This award, given to those who have made meaningful contributions to the development of public health education, is a result of support from many parties. First, of course, the support from the Faculty of Public Health at the University of Indonesia, which has always been a pioneer in the development of public health education in Indonesia. Secondly, the support from two organizations that play key roles in professional development in the field of public health: the Indonesian Public Health Association and the Association of Higher Education Institutions in Public Health in Indonesia. I would like to thank all parties for their support, and I hope that in the future, we can continue to work together to promote the advancement of public health education, so that the public health experts we produce can give their best to the people, the nation, and the country of Indonesia,” Dr. Agustin said.
APACPH is a nonprofit international organization registered in Honolulu, United States, consisting of the largest and most influential schools of public health in the Asia-Pacific region, dedicated to enhancing professional public health education.
Launched in 1984 with only five members, APACPH now has more than 81 institutional members in 23 countries across the Asia-Pacific region, with regional offices in Bangkok, Beijing, Brisbane, Colombo, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, Los Angeles, Taipei, and Tokyo. Through its activities, members aim to address unique public health challenges in the Asia-Pacific region, such as worker health issues specific to the emerging economies in the region.
The vision of the Consortium is to achieve the highest possible level of health for all communities in the Asia-Pacific region. APACPH aims to strengthen regional capacity to improve quality of life and address major public health challenges through the delivery of education, research, and population health services by its member institutions. (sf)