Stretching along Japan’s Pacific coast and wrapped around Suruga Bay, Shizuoka Prefecture, is home to the famed volcano, Mount Fuji. This mountainous region is also home to Shizuoka University of Art and Culture, where students from the UGA College of Public Health make their way each year to study with local students, faculty and local health care leaders. Students, most of them studying health promotion, have been participating in the College’s study abroad program since 2017 when professor Jessica Muilenburg and Japanese colleague Yoko Kawamura-Onuma decided to expand their working relationship to a learning opportunity. “I think it is important to have both an educational experience and a cultural experience. It is important to see how different countries operate and make decisions for their citizens,” said Muilenburg.
18
COLLEGE OF PUBLIC HEALTH 2023 MAGAZINE