Dr. Betty Izumi Launches First PHE 410/510 Community Nutrition in Tokyo Summer Course

Dr. Betty Izumi launches her first PHE 410/510 Community Nutrition in Tokyo summer course. Seven MPH students, 2 undergraduate students, and one community member will spend two weeks learning about Japan’s philosophy of shokuiku, loosely translated as food education.

Shokuiku informs community nutrition policies and programs, meal preparation and execution, as well as a holistic approach to farming, business, food preparation, and food service. While the SPH students are in Japan, they will engage in cultural education and hands-on activities alongside Japan’s dietitians, teachers, farmers, and food companies.

In preparation for their 2-week trip to Japan, Dr. Izumi meets with the cohort once a month to build community through icebreaker activities, community health, and Japanese cultural education. In this past Saturday’s class, the students picked a community health topic to practice critical analysis based on the social-ecological model, followed up with a group discussion around shokuiku, and a hands-on activity to make onigiri. Check out the Instagram video to see the Onigiri making.

For further updates on the trip, check back on our website at the beginning of the Fall term.