Associate Professor, Department of Nursing Faculty of Medical Technology Teikyo University Yuko Miki

Graduated from St. Luke's College of Nursing, School of Nursing, in 1991 Department of Nursing. After working as a hospital nurse, she completed the master's program at the University of Tokyo's Graduate School Graduate School of Medicine in 1995 and the doctoral program at the same graduate school in 1998. After serving as the Chief of the Nurse Section of the Nursing Division of the Health Policy Bureau of the Ministry of Health and Welfare for two years from the same year, she worked part-time Senior Assistant Professor at St. Mary's University, a Project Researcher at the Center for International Cooperation in Medical Education at the University of Tokyo, and Tokyo Ariake University of Health Sciences Senior Assistant Professor, Part-time at the Department of Community Health Nursing, Graduate School of Graduate School Health Sciences, Tokyo Medical and Dental University Active in various fields such as Senior Assistant Professor. Transferred to Teikyo University in 2018.

I was assigned to pediatric Surgery as a new nurse. After three years, I was transferred to Surgery because my seniors advised me that if I wanted to specialize in Pediatrics in the future, I would be able to deepen my nursing skills by gaining experience in an adult ward. After that, I thought that I would like to be involved in pediatrics in the future. I entered a Graduate School school with a department of maternal and child health (currently, developmental medicine), thinking that I could provide effective support by gaining a multifaceted understanding. In Graduate School, I researched social "health" that can be seen by analyzing the living environment of children. A healthy environment for children is often a healthy environment for parents and other stakeholders. Since then, my research theme has been the analysis and proposal of social health centered on children, and action planning.

I am currently researching three themes. 1. High-rise condominiums and parent-child health, 2. Development of tailor-made cancer education materials for cancer education in elementary schools, and 3. Integrated support for children with developmental disabilities and their parents. Children's health is the common denominator.

More than 20 years have passed since then, and the environment surrounding children has changed significantly, such as the increase in skyscraper housing. However, past research results have already been proposed through papers, academic conferences, mass media, etc. In recent years, the number of working women has increased, and children are spending more time in nursery schools and kindergartens, and the living environment in high-rise households has changed, there are fewer problems in the past. On the other hand, however, new issues have surfaced, such as how to deal with disasters in super high-rise housing of 20 stories or more and how to ensure safety when returning home. For example, in the event of a disaster at night, whether mothers and children can evacuate from high-rise buildings using narrow evacuation ladders on balconies, or how elderly people will be evacuated, are unknown. Anxiety of consumers influences good or bad health. Therefore, we are working on the construction of a disaster response handbook for super high-rise housing. Such urban life and maternal and child health are common issues throughout the world where urbanization is progressing. In this changing era, I feel the need for constant research on the living environment of children.

The second theme is improving cancer education in elementary schools. Although I have worked with children with cancer, I have rarely worked with children of cancer parents and their families. When I was assigned to Teikyo University, I learned about the "Koala Café" and had the opportunity to interact with children and For parents and guardians had been informed of their parent's cancer. The Koala Café aims to provide a safe and comfortable place for children with cancer-affected parents and loved ones, and provide them with time to be free and independent from their daily lives. This is the vision of Teikyo University. Since 2019, we have been working on the development of tailor-made cancer education materials. Most of the current cancer education is of the type that teaches that smoking and alcohol are the cause. It is true that there are many cancer patients who have no relationship with tobacco or alcohol. However, it is often seen as a lump in society, and there are many people who feel uncomfortable. In particular, children whose parents have cancer have a hard time being looked at as if they were that kind of parent. It is important to promote correct cancer education in elementary and junior high school education, eliminate prejudice against cancer, and improve the social environment.

However, although cancer education is specified in the curriculum guidelines for junior high and high schools, it is not included in elementary schools. As exemplified by Toshima Ward in Tokyo, there are some municipalities that are focusing on cancer education, but the current implementation of cancer education seems to vary from elementary school to elementary school. Another issue is that it is difficult to arrange external Senior Assistant Professor such as doctors, nurses, and specialists as cancer educators. Therefore, we created educational materials and made them available on the Koala Cafe website for free. In accordance with the environment, "elementary school students whose parents are undergoing or have completed cancer treatment," "elementary school students who have lost a parent with cancer," and "elementary school students whose parents have never undergone cancer treatment." We are creating 3 types of videos. Although it is still in the process of being developed and there are many issues to be addressed, we expect that the psychological burden on cancer patients and their families will be greatly reduced by spreading correct awareness of cancer throughout society.

The third is research on the environment surrounding children with developmental disabilities. The timing at which developmental disorders can be detected varies. Disabilities can be seen in childhood, adolescence, or refusal to go to school, and there are many cases in which a person becomes aware of their disability after becoming an adult, such as a university student. When interacting with people with developmental disabilities, which is not obvious at first glance, the response changes greatly depending on whether or not there is knowledge. In fact, I have heard that there have been cases at our university that have struggled to deal with students who are thought to have developmental problems. Therefore, last year, we held a seminar for faculty and staff at the university to share correct knowledge and support for people with developmental disabilities. .

We believe that similar efforts are necessary in various regions. In the case of the community, it is important to understand and respect the specialties and backgrounds of each other's professions with people in various positions such as doctors and public health nurses and other professionals in medical care, childcare, education, welfare, psychology, etc. It is to realize integrated collaborative support so that information can be shared and roles can be fulfilled. This will not only give children with developmental disabilities and their parents a sense of security, but it will also contribute greatly to raising the awareness of society as a whole. Therefore, we are exploring the construction of a multi-professional joint regional support network that makes use of ICT and can be accessed from home. Realizing a safe daily life for children with developmental disabilities also improves the safety and security of the entire community.

"Health" is at the root of the three studies I have talked about so far. Even in the SDGs, items for building a "healthy society" extend to the base of society. Health is not just the absence of disease, it is made up of many complex factors. A stable living environment is essential to keep your family healthy. Safety, income, educational environment, convenience, social stability, and individual work must be fulfilled. The surrounding living environment, social awareness, and local support systems are also important. For example, I'm sure you all research whether there are medical institutions near your condominium. It may be an afterthought. In conflict zones, where risks have been increasing in recent years, it is difficult to even maintain safety in the first place. It is extremely important to be able to live safely and securely. Our research is, so to speak, about caring for health in society. We believe that developing the necessary environment for this can be a common theme for the world to achieve the goals set out in the SDGs.