Greetings from the Executive Director

The Research Institute of Nursing Care for People and Community (RINCPC) at the University of Hyogo was designated as a WHO Collaboration Centre in 2007. Since then, we have committed ourselves to various activities as the “WHO Collaboration Center for Nursing in Disasters and Health Emergency Management,” a promoting base for research on nursing and health relating to disasters. At the time of domestic and overseas disasters, we collect and distribute information from the nursing point of view, while simultaneously engaging in support activities in the affected areas in collaboration with the faculty members and students of the University of Hyogo College and the Graduate School of Nursing Art and Science, as well as affiliated academic societies and organizations.

Furthermore, we are working on verifying skills and abilities required for disaster nursing, fostering of human resources in the area of disaster nursing, development and implementation of education and training programs for ordinary citizens and experts, and establishment of a network of nurses and other experts inside and outside the country.

Every year, disasters claim numerous lives and destroy people’s livelihoods across the globe. Collaborations and affiliations that transcend differences in terms of status or profession are vital for the reduction of disaster risks. At the 3rd World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction held in Sendai in March 2015, a framework aiming for the reduction of disaster risks, the “Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030” was adopted. The framework is characterized by its emphasis on the impact of disasters on the health and livelihoods of the affected people.

The protection of people’s health and livelihoods forms the very foundation of nursing science. Our center aspires to work in close collaboration with different organizations and professionals inside and outside Japan as well as local communities so as to promote studies on disasters from the viewpoint and expertise of nursing professionals, and to make practical contributions toward the reduction of disaster risks. In this regard, we ask for and appreciate your continued support and cooperation.