2025.07.11
seminar
We’ve just wrapped up the Hokkaido University–University of Melbourne Joint Workshop:
“Challenges & Opportunities of Climate Change Impact on Migrant Health in Australia and Japan”
🗓️ July 9–11, 2025 | 📍 Hokkaido University | Hybrid Format
This 2.5-day event brought together a diverse community of researchers, educators, and practitioners across public health, education, and social policy to discuss one of today’s most urgent challenges: the intersection of climate change, migration, and health.
🔍 Key Highlights:
Powerful testimonies on why people migrate: economic opportunity, education, climate disasters, war, and aging workforces.
Focus Group simulations explored health risks faced by migrants, such as respiratory illness, malnutrition, and challenges with treatment access across borders.
Deep dive into women’s reproductive health, revealing how language barriers, institutional policies, and systemic bias can impact care.
Urgent concerns around mental health and eco-anxiety, especially in island communities and among children.
Barriers to healthcare access: from affordability and insurance limitations to overstretched night clinics and limited pediatric care.
Creative ideas for inclusive, climate-responsive health policy, including migrant representation in decision-making, permanent residency options, and education around Planetary Health.
Recognition that remittance-driven economies are highly vulnerable in a changing climate, prompting a call for equitable, sustainable migration pathways.
🙌 A big thank you to our insightful speakers and moderators:
🎤 Prof. Kathryn Bowen
🎤 Prof. Kayo Ueda
🎤 Asst. Prof. Kazutaka Yoshida
🎤 Prof. Chi Hyunjoo Naomi
🎤 Assoc. Prof. Yasufumi Moritani
🎤 Assoc. Prof. Xerxes Seposo
🎤 Assoc. Prof. Karen Block
🎤 Ms. Gemma Tarpey-Brown
🎤 Dr. Eliza CrosbieÂ
Together, we’ve planted the seeds for deeper collaboration and action to support migrant communities navigating both climate and health challenges.
📸 Stay tuned for photos and our summary brief.
#ClimateChange #MigrationHealth #GlobalHealth #PlanetaryHealth #ClimateJustice #HealthEquity #MigrantRights #PublicHealth #HokkaidoUniversity #UniversityOfMelbourne #CrossCulturalCare #EcoAnxiety #PolicyForPeople