The Takemi Program in International Health has named its 1997-98 Takemi Fellows, who will spend the academic year in residence at the School of Public Health. The Takemi Program offers midcareer fellowships for highly trained individuals from diverse disciplines to carry out research on critical issues in international health.

The Takemi Program is named for Taro Takemi, the distinguished physician-scientist who served for more than 25 years as president of the Japan Medical Association.

Core funding is provided by the Japan Committee for the Takemi Program, and financial support for individual fellowships is provided by external agencies. Some of the 1997-98 Takemi Fellows are supported by grants to the Takemi Program from the Carnegie Corp. of New York and from the Merck Company Foundation. The Program is directed by Michael R. Reich, Taro Takemi Professor of International Health Policy at the School of Public Health.

The 11 fellows come from nine different countries, and represent the fourteenth group of fellows since the Program's inception in 1984. The Takemi Fellows network now includes a total of 112 Fellows from 39 countries.

Brief descriptions of the Takemi Fellows and their research projects follow:

Albert Kanlisi Awedoba, MA, PhD, research fellow, Institute of African Studies, University of Ghana: "Local People's Health-Seeking Behaviors, Coping Strategies in Relation to ARIs, Diarrhea and Onchocercal Skin Diseases, and the Role of Social Networks in Health-Seeking and Modes of Coping with Morbidity."

Juraci César, MSc, MD, assistant professor, Fundaçao Universidade do Rio Grande, Brazil: "Interventions in Maternal-Child Health in a Small Community: The Brazilian Experience."

Chang-Chuan James Chan, MA, PhD, professor, acting director, College of Public Health, National Taiwan University: "Comparative Health Risk Assessments of Air Pollution."

Diane A. Coggan, MD, MPH, former chief epidemiologist, Israel Defense Forces: "Foreign Worker Health Care Issues: International Experience with Application to Israel."

Maha El-Adawy, MBBCh, DSc, MPH, "Comparative Study of the Determinants of Health Services Utilization Patterns Among Egyptian and Jordanian Women."

Charu C. Garg, MA, PhD, associate professor, National Institute of Public Finance and Policy, India, senior lecturer, Shri Ram College of Commerce, Delhi University, India: "Health Insurance Systems in India."

Dairiku Hozumi, MPH, MD, public health expert, Maternal and Child Health Project, Japan International Cooperation Agency: "Exploration of the Use of Geographical Information Systems in Public Health Planning and Management."

Joseph Ntangsi, MS, PhD, resident economist, World Bank: "The Sustainability of Health Reforms in Cameroon: Issues of Financing Efficiency, Equity, and Political Commitment."

Katsumi Numasawa, BA, manager, Information and Planning Division, Japan Medical Association: "The Process of Formulating Health Policies in the Research Institute of the Japan Medical Association."

Aniceto Orbeta, PhD, research fellow, Philippine Institute for Development Studies: "The Impact of Macroeconomics Policy Change on Sectoral and Household Health Outcomes."

Charu Prakash, MPH, DNB, MD, deputy director, National Institute of Communicable Diseases, Government of India: "Policy Options for Controlling Hepatitis B in India."