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Public Health and Health Policy Lab
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A public health lab that uses data to verify health care and health policy.
AboutAbout the lab
Taking social medicine to the next stage
The Public Health and Health Policy Lab focuses on empirical analysis related to health care policy, health policy, and health management.
In addition to disease prevention and early detection, the lab covers what is known as health services research, including access to care, systems for delivering care, and quality of care.
The lab always keeps its contribution to society in mind, and places importance on focusing on what is actually happening in Japan's society, health care, and policy settings.
The lab was established in 1947 as the first department of public health in Japan.
Key terms
- Health services research
- A field of research that examines how health care is delivered, including access to care, systems for delivering care, and quality of care
- Hospital-based cancer registry
- A system in which hospitals record and collect information on the diagnosis and treatment of cancer patients in a standardized format
- Designated cancer care hospital
- A hospital designated by the national government that provides specialized cancer care in its region and serves as a hub for collaboration among hospitals
NewsLab news
Paper by Professor Higashi and colleagues published in PLOS One
Paper by Professor Higashi and colleagues published in Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multina…
Paper by Associate Professor Inada and colleagues published in the Journal of the Japanese Association for Acute Medicine
Paper by Associate Professor Inada and colleagues published in Accident Analysis & Prevention
Paper by Professor Higashi and colleagues published in Pathology international
ResearchResearch themes
The lab mainly conducts empirical analysis related to health care policy, health policy, and health management. Working with institutions such as the National Cancer Center Japan and the National Cerebral and Cardiovascular Center, it addresses a wide range of topics, including cancer and cardiovascular disease control and traffic safety.
*Illustrative imageUnderstanding the reality of cancer care
Working with the National Cancer Center Japan, the lab uses hospital-based cancer registry and DPC data to examine how much standard treatment is actually delivered. It also surveys cancer patients nationwide to clarify their experiences of care, and applies the findings to cancer control.
*Illustrative imageBuilding a care delivery system for rare cancers
Rare cancers have few patients, which tends to put patients at a disadvantage in receiving treatment. The lab develops definitions of rare cancers that match the latest diagnostic and classification codes, and studies the best system for delivering care.
*Illustrative imageData to support regional cancer control
Working with the councils of Tokyo and Okinawa, the lab provides objective data to support the activities of prefectural cancer care collaboration councils. It is also developing data, in partnership with cancer specialty societies, that help improve the quality of care.
*Illustrative imageEvaluating the designated cancer care hospital system
Through surveys of health care professionals at designated cancer care hospitals, the lab conducts research toward building a framework for evaluating the designated hospital system.
MembersFaculty
The members of the Public Health and Health Policy Lab are faculty, professors emeritus, students in the doctoral and professional master's (MPH) programs, and administrative assistants.As of 2026
- ProfessorTakahiro HigashiPublications ↗
- Associate ProfessorHaruhiko InadaPublications ↗
- LecturerMisa Takegami
- Assistant ProfessorRyoko Rikitake
- Project Assistant ProfessorTomone Watanabe
VoicesStudent voices
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Report an errorAbout the images
The top and research theme images are illustrative and were not taken at the lab. They are cropped from Wikimedia Commons images. Cropped CC BY-SA images are provided under the same CC BY-SA license as the original (version shown on each line).
- Top image: “Shibuya Crossing ( )” Dick Thomas Johnson from Tokyo, Japan / CC BY 2.0 (cropped)
- Understanding the reality of cancer care: “National Cancer Centre Hospital East” Dɐ / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
- Building a care delivery system for rare cancers: “Histopathology of osteosarcoma, high mag” Mikael Häggström, M.D. Author info - Reusing images- Conflicts of interest: None Mikael Häggström, M.D.Consent note: Consent from the patient or patient's relatives is regarded as redundant, because of absence of identifiable features (List of HIPAA identifiers) in the media and case information (See also HIPAA case reports guidance). / CC0 (cropped)
- Data to support regional cancer control: “Okinawa Prefectural Chubu Hospital” Abasaa / Public domain (cropped)
- Evaluating the designated cancer care hospital system: “Aichi Cancer Center Hospital” Asasa198 / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Medical Information Systems Lab): “EHR & EMR Software Development” Lunasora05 / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Mizushima Lab): “Multicolor fluorescence image of living HeLa cells” 8x57is / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Yamada Lab): “Иммуноцитохимическое окрашивание культуры клеток человека” Daria Goliusova / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Ishikawa Lab): “Gastric adenocarcinoma” Nephron / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
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