The Joint Symposium on Global Health, held on June 18~20, 2024, at the University of Vienna, is a collaborative initiative between the University of Vienna and Kyoto University as part of their Strategic Partnership. Established in 2019, this partnership reflects a commitment to strengthening the connection between the two institutions, expanding their inter-institutional collaborations, and promoting academic and cultural exchange. This three-day Symposium on Global Health serves as evidence of the University of Vienna and Kyoto University’s shared dedication to addressing some of the most urgent challenges of our time. The theme of Global Health has been chosen not only for its relevance but also for its crucial significance in the modern world. By bringing together leading scholars and researchers from both universities, the symposium aims to create a platform for knowledge exchange and meaningful dialogue.

On the first day, all 25 representants of Kyoto University, including 4 people from IFOHS, and the University of Vienna gathered in the Small Ceremonial Hall at the University of Vienna. Sebastian Schietze (Rector, University of Vienna), Nagahiro Minato (President, Kyoto university), his excellency Ryuta Mizuuchi (ambassador of Japan to Austria), and Wolfgang Mazal(Scientific advisor, University of Vienna) delivered opening remarks to the symposium.

Professor Yukiko Uchida (Director, IFOHS) gave a keynote speech titled “Culture and Well-being: How Interdependent Lifestyle Promote Health and Well-being” on the first day of the symposium. She spoke about recent developments in social and cultural psychology regarding happiness studies. Current research from Professor Uchida’s group, encompassing topics such as interdependent happiness and how the context is important for understanding emotions were presented. In her talk, the importance of international collaboration and of including diverse perspectives in research was highlighted.

In the afternoon of the first day, the four representatives of IFOHS – professor Yukiko Uchida (Director), Masataka Nakayama (Senior Lecturer), Igor de Almeida (Senior Lecturer), and Mariko Kanamori (JSPS Research fellow, currently visitor at Stockholm University) – presented their research and had discussions with t Professor Helmut Leder and Professor Claus Lamm from University of Vienna, department of Psychology.

In the morning of the second day, the same representatives from IFOHS took part in an interdisciplinary discussion about health, psychology and medical anthropology with Professor Janina Kehr and her group. Mariko Kanamori presented her research on health in Japan, members of Prof. Kehr’s group presented their research on medical anthropology, and there was a discussion on the similarities between the research projects, as well as the possibility of future collaboration. On the same day, the representatives visited Professor Wolfram Manzenreiter’s group for an interdisciplinary discussion.Masataka Nakayama, Igor de Almeida, and Mariko Kanamori presented their current research projects on well-being and culture, and members of Professor Manzenreiter’s group presented their research on current issues in Japanese society. Later on that day, the group from IFOHS joined some of the other representatives from Kyoto University and had a meeting with a select group of professors and administration staff from the University of Vienna to discuss fellowships, grants, scholarships, funding agencies and other means of strengthening collaboration between the two universities.

On the third day, Masataka Nakayama(Senior Lecturer), Igor de Almeida(Senior Lecturer), and Mariko Kanamori (JSPS Research Fellow) visited Robert Böhm’s (Professor, University of Vienna; former visitor at IFOHS) laboratory. They attended a meeting in which each visitor and each member of Professor Böhm’s group presented their current research and discussed possibilities of collaboration.

Professor Uchida’s keynote speech

Mariko Kanamori (JSPS Research Fellow), Masataka Nakayama (Senior Lecturer), Yukiko
Uchida (IFOHS’ Director/Professor), and Igor de Almeida (Senior Lecturer).