On July 30-31, 2025, the Faculty of Public Health hosted the 6th International Conference on Public Health for Tropical and Coastal Regions (ICOPH-TCD) titled “Public Health Resilience in Tropical and Coastal Areas.” This event featured five speakers from various countries, including Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Australia, and the United States. The event began with a welcoming speech by the Dean of the Faculty of Public Health at Universitas Diponegoro, Dr. Budiyono SKM, M.Kes. In his speech, the Dean noted that we are facing an urgent need to strengthen health systems in response to the complex interactions between climate change, natural disasters, vector-borne diseases, and socio-economic vulnerabilities. The Dean added in his speech that “tropical and coastal regions are rich in biodiversity and cultural heritage, requiring innovative, sustainable, and culturally aligned solutions to ensure equitable health outcomes.”
At the opening ceremony, the Minister of Health of the Republic of Indonesia, represented by the Head of the Health Development Policy Agency (BKPK), Professor Asnawi Abdullah, BSc.PH, MHSM, MSc.HPPF, DLSHTM, P.hD, delivered the keynote speech. In his speech, Professor Asnawi stated that the Indonesian government, through the Ministry of Health, has initiated six pillars of transformation in the health system as a strategic effort to strengthen the health system in Indonesia, in line with the President’s Vision and the National Medium-Term Development Plan (RPJMN), with the aim of improving the overall and sustainable health status of the Indonesian people. The six pillars of health system transformation include focusing on primary care transformation, referral care transformation—particularly hospitals—health resilience system transformation, health financing transformation, health human resources transformation, and health technology transformation with a focus on biotechnology. The presentation on the first day was delivered by Ts. Dr. Ismaniza Ismail (Mara University of Technology, Malaysia) and Assist. Prof. Issara Siramaneerat, Ph.D (Rajamangala University of Technology Thanyaburi, Thailand), moderated by Professor Hanifah Maher Denny, BSPH., MPH, Ph.D. Dr. Ismaniza Ismail presented material on “Adapting Occupational Hygiene Practices to Enhance Resilience in Coastal Regions.” Meanwhile, Assistant Professor Issara Siramaneerat, Ph.D., presented on “Reproductive Health in the Elderly Population,” followed by a discussion and question-and-answer session with the participants.
On the second day, the material was presented by Professor Elena N. Naumova, Ph.D (Tufts University, USA), Tsheten, BSc, MPH, Ph.D (National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health Australian National University, Australia) and moderated by Professor Martha Irene Kartasurya, MSc, Ph.D. Dr. Martha Irene Kartasurya, MSc, Ph.D. The material presented by Professor Elena N. Naumova, Ph.D, was on Artificial Intelligence for Nutrition and Food Security in Tropical and Coastal Areas. Next, Tsheten, BSc, MPH, Ph.D presented on the Real-World Application of the Dengue Early Warning System for Disease Surveillance and Control, followed by a question-and-answer session and discussion with participants who joined online. On the second day, Professor Zahroh Shaluhiyah, MPH, Ph.D (Faculty of Public Health, Diponegoro University, Indonesia) also presented material, moderated by Muh, Fauzi, SKM, Ph.D. The material presented by Professor Dr. Zahroh Shaluhiyah, MPH, Ph.D., was titled “Health Promotion Strategies for Building Health Resilience in Vulnerable Coastal Communities of Indonesia,” followed by a question-and-answer session and discussion with participants via online platforms.
The event was attended by 403 participants from Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Rwanda, Australia, Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Ghana, Nigeria, Islamabad, Poland and Gambia. A total of 234 participants also disseminated their research results and ideas related to public health in oral presentations in parallel sessions. Yudhy Dharmawan SKM, M.Kes, MSc, Ph.D as the chief organizer of the 6th ICOPH TCD 2025 said that “after this event, let this be a call for action. This is a moment of solidarity and a shared purpose in our mission to protect health, promote equity and build resilience in the face of climate change.”