FK-KMK UGM. The Faculty of Medicine at Gadjah Mada University (UGM) welcomed a delegation from Nottingham University at the Tahir Foundation Graduate Building on June 7, 2024. The visit aimed to strengthen research and educational collaboration between the two institutions. In her opening remarks, Professor Jane Norman, Provost and Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Nottingham University, expressed her gratitude for the warm welcome. “It is a great honor to be here. We are very interested in Indonesia, which is undergoing rapid transition. We want to collaborate with many partners worldwide, especially Indonesia, to enhance students’ academic capabilities, particularly in the context of research,” she said.
Prof. Dr. Yodi Mahendradhata, M.Sc., Ph.D., FRSPH, Dean of FK-KMK UGM, provided a brief overview of the faculty, which is now 78 years old. “We were established right after independence and are the first and oldest medical faculty in Indonesia. Currently, we have over 40 study programs and about 32 departments covering medicine, public health, nursing, and health nutrition,” he explained.
Prof. Dr. Gunadi, Ph.D., Sp.BA., Subsp.D.A(K), Head of the Genetics/Internationalization Working Group at FK-KMK UGM, added that there have already been several scientific collaborations between UGM and Nottingham University. “We have co-published scientific papers on cancer and have working groups covering nutrition, precision medicine, stem cells, genetics, genomics, metabolism, public health, and health policy,” he said.
dr. Susanna Hilda Hutajulu, Sp.PD-KHOM, head of the Integrated Cancer Unit at Universitas Dr. Sardjito, further explained their collaboration. “Our molecular pathology research group at FK-KMK UGM has collaborated with Professor Muhammad Ilyas from Nottingham University from 2019 to 2022. Our research focused on studying the survival of colorectal cancer patients and analyzing various tumors and social determinants in colorectal cancer patients. We also developed a screening tool to analyze Lynch patterns, which has been promoted by the Ministry of Health. This could be a potential collaboration point,” she revealed.
Professor Jane Norman welcomed this collaboration. “We are currently also working with various types of cancer such as breast cancer, lung cancer, and neuro-cancers. We have a lot of experience in clinical trials and are ready to share knowledge on clinical trial governance, data collection, and research ethics,” she said.
Prof. Dr. Ahmad Hamim Sadewa, Ph.D., Vice Dean for Academic and Student Affairs, added that their faculty offers various undergraduate and postgraduate programs. “We have double degree programs for master’s and doctoral levels, as well as collaborations with international universities. We also conduct clinical and public health programs for international students. Here, they can not only engage in clinical learning activities at hospitals but also participate in various community empowerment activities and health services at primary health facilities in various regions. We hope this collaboration can enhance the capacity and capabilities of our students and international students through the transfer of knowledge, insights, skills, and even work culture,” he explained.
Prof. Hamim also highlighted the joint degree program for master’s education in midwifery. “This program aims to create skilled and professional clinicians and academics in midwifery. The program will allow students to study for one year at UGM and one year at Nottingham University. We are committed to increasing the number of master’s degree holders in midwifery so they can teach and provide better health services to the community. We hope this collaboration can produce professionals capable of addressing various challenges in midwifery,” he added.
This activity aligns with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), specifically point 3 on good health and well-being and point 4 on quality education for sustainable development. Collaboration between these two institutions is also in line with the objectives of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in point 17 of partnerships to achieve goals.
This collaboration is expected to improve the quality of public health and provide inclusive and quality education for all. The meeting concluded with hopes that the collaboration between the Faculty of Medicine at UGM and Nottingham University will continue and develop, especially in cancer research and the projection of a joint degree for the master’s program in midwifery. Both parties agreed to continue exploring other cooperation opportunities for the advancement of science and global health. (Assyifa/Reporter).
