The author receiving the award from Dr. Kiyoshi Kurokawa, founder of Japan’s Health and Global Policy Institute
By guest contributor Renzo R. Guinto
On February 1, 2025, in Tokyo, I had the privilege of attending Japan’s annual Health Policy Summit which was organized by the Health and Global Policy Institute (HGPI), the country’s leading health policy think tank. The day-long conference covered a wide array of issues, ranging from health worker shortage and population aging to “evidence-based, citizen-centered policymaking.”
The conference also commemorated HGPI’s 20th anniversary. Since 2005, HGPI has been Japan’s most influential convening platform for facilitating “healthy debate” (borrowing their slogan) among Japanese health stakeholders on pressing domestic and global health issues. The University of Pennsylvania’s 2020 Global Go To Think Tank Index Report ranked HGPI third among the world’s global health policy think tanks.
HGPI invited me to the conference to receive the inaugural Dr. Kiyoshi Kurokawa Award. Named after HGPI’s founder and honorary chairman “for life,” the award recognizes emerging leaders for their contribution to global health policy discourse and action in the Asia-Pacific region.
Most accolades in the global health field are given to senior leaders for their lifetime body of work and contribution. In fact, because of this trip to Tokyo, I had to cut short my participation in the annual Prince Mahidol Award Conference in Bangkok. The Prince Mahidol Award is often described as the Nobel Prize of Global Health – notable past laureates include Dr. Anthony Fauci, Sir Michael Marmot, and former WHO Director-General Dr. Margaret Chan.
The author delivering his acceptance speech at the Japan’s Health Policy Summit in Tokyo
In contrast, HGPI, through the Kurokawa Award, decided to recognize next generation health leaders in the Asia-Pacific region. In his remarks, Ryoji Noritake, HGPI’s chair, highlighted three criteria that they considered for the award: innovation, impact, and future vision. The last trait is oftentimes less acknowledged, so HGPI is certainly filling a vacuum by putting a spotlight on those who have the potential to effect positive changes on a much larger and more lasting scale.
The Kurokawa Award will surely further add visibility to the causes that I advocate for – for instance, climate change and planetary health, and the movement towards “decolonizing global health.” It will also help amplify my impact across the Asia-Pacific region and worldwide. With changing policies in the United States, the continuous rise of China, ongoing armed conflicts, among others, today’s geopolitical and global health landscape are increasingly becoming more complex. However, these developments also open a window of opportunity for the Asia-Pacific region to step up, come together, and shape the future of health.
The award also honors one of Japan’s great health leaders, HGPI founder Dr. Kiyoshi Kurokawa, who I had the privilege of meeting in Tokyo. At 88, he is still very sharp, dynamic, and passionate. I learned that he started his leadership journey as a young medical doctor – indeed, this new award dedicated to young leaders pays tribute to his early beginnings, offering much-needed inspiration to the next generation.
Throughout his wonderful career, Dr. Kurokawa made lasting positive impacts in clinical medicine, medical education, health policy, and many other areas, not only domestically in Japan but also regionally in Asia and at the global stage. Some of the many important hats he wore included: Dean and Professor of Medicine of Tokai University School of Medicine; Special Advisor to the Japanese Government; President of the Science Council of Japan; member of the WHO Commission on Social Determinants of Health, among others. In fact, he told me about medical schools and hospitals that he helped build in the Philippines over the years.
Indeed, Dr. Kurokawa embodies one portmanteau that has become popular nowadays – glo-cal – global and local at the same time. In my planetary health vocation, being glo-cal is what I always strive to become. Hence, I continue to do my best to contribute to health efforts at all levels – from my local hometown in the Philippines all the way to the highest tables of global discussions.
The author with Japan’s health policy leaders at the Planetary Health Dialogue organized by HGPI
And glo-cal is also the best word to describe HGPI. Within 20 years, HGPI has evolved into a vital platform for domestic health policy discourse in Japan, an important vehicle for Japan’s health diplomacy with other nations, and a model institution that other countries can emulate and adopt. I told HGPI’s leaders that I wanted to establish an institution like HGPI in the Philippines soon. I can learn many lessons from HGPI’s journey on how to create a glo-cal health organization.
I may be the first laureate of the Dr. Kiyoshi Kurokawa Award, but we will make sure I am not the last. I am committed to working closely with HGPI in finding the emerging glo-cal voices, movers and shakers of the Asia-Pacific region that will heal our society and transform the world.
Arigato gozaimashta, Kurokawa-sensei and HGPI!
The author taking a “groufie” during his public lecture at the University of Tokyo
About the author:
A glo-cal Filipino physician, Renzo R. Guinto, MD DrPH is an Associate Professor and Lead of the Planetary Health Initiative at the SingHealth Duke-NUS Global Health Institute. He is also a Section Editor for Planetary and Environmental Health of PLOS Global Public Health. This commentary is based on his acceptance speech for the Dr. Kiyoshi Kurokawa Award, delivered on February 1, 2025 in Tokyo, Japan.
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