Hiroyasu ISO, MD, Ph.D, MPH

AREAS OF EXPERTISE

Epidemiology of non-communicable disease (NCD)
Implementation and evaluation for NCD prevention
Public health policy

MESSAGE

As a director of iGHP, I am proceeding with our missions: 1) to accumulate evidence on global health policy, 2) to conduct research on health care systems in Japan and other countries, 3) to develop human resources for global health policy research, and 4) to make policy recommendations locally and globally.

NARRATIVE CV

He is the President of the Japanese Society of Public Health (formerly the President of Japan Epidemiological Association, 2013-2018), Representative Coordinator of Japan Alliance of Public Health Science Association, a vice President of the Science Council of Japan, a vice President of the Japanese Medical Science Federation.

His academic field is epidemiology, focusing on the prevention of lifestyle-related diseases and non-communicable diseases. He has directed community-based epidemiological research projects over the past 40 years, publishing more than 1,300 original English articles and mentoring over 120 PhDs, half of whom are now working as researchers. 

As iGHP director, he continues to perform research on lifestyle-related diseases and has started research on communicable diseases. He directs international health research projects. nurture global health scientists and practitioners.

Graduated from the Faculty of Medicine, the University of Tsukuba in 1982, obtained a PhD in the Graduate School of Medicine, and an MPH from the University of Minnesota in 1990 (as a Fulbright Scholar). After returning to Japan, he worked as a physician at Osaka Prefectural Center for Adult Diseases (1988-1990), an Assistant Professor (1990-1993), and an Associate Professor (1993-2002) at the University of Tsukuba, a Visiting Associate Professor at Harvard University (1996-1997), a Professor at the University of Tsukuba (2002-2004), the Graduate School of Medicine, University of Tsukuba (2004-2005), a Professor of Public Health at Osaka University (2005-2022), Director, Institute of Global Health Policy Research (iGHP), National Center for Globa Health Medicine, Japan (2002ー2004), and then the present position (2025-).

Professor Iso's international activities are highlighted as a WHO scientific adviser for non-communicable diseases (2012-1019) and a director of the Japan Society for Promotion of Science Inter-university Exchange Project (2016-2021). His research field is epidemiology and the prevention of NCDs such as hypertension, dyslipidemia, diabetes, stroke, ischemic heart disease, and dementia. Research and educational projects he committed as a principal investigator for large long-term cohort studies and trials such as Circulatory Risk in Communities Study (CIRCS), Osaka Unit of Japan Environment & Children's Study (JECS), and Japan Trial in High-risk Individuals to Accelerate their Referral to Physicians: A Nurse-led, Community-based Prevention Program of Lifestyle-related Disease as the research leader of Strategic Research, Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (2013-2016). and many other research projects. He also served as director of the master's program for public health and the Campus Asia Project, which will nurture research leaders in medicine and public health to solve global health problems at five top universities in China and South Korea.

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Curriculum Vitae (Detailed)

Hiroyasu Iso, MD, PhD, MPH

Email: iso(at)pbhel.med.osaka-u.ac.jp  iso.h(at)jihs.go.jp  ※replace (at) with ＠

Japanese public health scholar, physician, Doctor of Medicine, and Fulbright Scholar. Born in Nanao City, Ishikawa Prefecture. Research fields include epidemiology of lifestyle-related diseases and preventive medicine. Has led a community cohort study spanning over 40 years. Authored over 1,300 original English-language research papers. Supervised over 120 doctoral candidates, half of whom are active researchers.

Positions

Director, Institute for Global Health Policy Research, Bureau of Global Health Cooperation Bureau, Japan Institute for Health Security
Specially Appointed Assistant to the President
President, Japanese Society of Public Health
Vice President, the Japan Medical Association and the Japanese Medical Science Foundation
Vice President, Science Council of Japan

Career

1988	Research Fellow in Epidemiology, University of Minnesota School of Public Health
1988	Technical Officer, Mass Examination Division I, Osaka Prefectural Center for Adult Diseases
1990	Lecturer, Department of Social Medicine, University of Tsukuba
1993	Associate Professor, Department of Social Medicine, University of Tsukuba
1996	Visiting Associate Professor, Harvard Medical School (Dispatch researcher to overseas core research centers by the Ministry of Education)
2002	Professor, Department of Social Medicine, University of Tsukuba
2004	Professor, Social Health Sciences, Graduate School of Comprehensive Human Sciences, University of Tsukuba
2005-2022	Professor, Department of Public Health, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University
2013-2015	Vice Dean, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University
2022-Present	Professor Emeritus, Osaka University
2022-2024	Director, Institute for Global Health Policy Research,  Bureau of International Health Cooperation, National Center for Global Health and Medicine
2025-Present	Director, Institute for Global Health Policy Research, Bureau of Global Health Cooperation, Japan Institute for Health Security; Specially Appointed Advisor to the President

Education

March 1982	Graduated from the School of Medicine, University of Tsukuba
April 1983	Passed the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates
June 1982	Registered as a Physician (License No. 269423)
March 1986	Completed Doctoral Program, Department of Environmental and Ecological Sciences, Graduate School of Medicine, University of Tsukuba: Doctor of Medicine
June 1988	Completed Master's Program, Department of Public Health and Epidemiology, University of Minnesota Graduate School: MPH (Fulbright Program)

Research Activities

2007-2010	Program Director, Master of Public Health Program, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine (supported by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Graduate School Education Reform Support Program)
2010-2013	Program Director, Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science:  Systematic Overseas Dispatch Program for Young Researchers
2011-2022	Director, Osaka Unit Center, Eco-Child Study, Ministry of the Environment
2013-2014	Associate Dean, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University
2013-2017	Research Leader, Strategic Research by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare
2016-2022	Program Director, Japan Society for the Promotion of Science: Global University Strengthening Project (CAMPUS Asia Program)
Since 2023	Research and Development Coordinator (Principal Investigator, PI) for Elucidation of Mechanisms from Stress Response to Disease Onset under the Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development (AMED) Innovative Research and Development Support Program

Social Activities

2013-2018	President, Japanese Epidemiological Association
2018-Present	President, Japanese Society of Public Health
2012-2019	WHO Scientific Advisor (Lifestyle-related Diseases, Social Determinants of Health)
2022-Present	Representative Coordinator, Japan Alliance of Public Health Science Associations
2023-Present	Vice President, the Japan Medical Association and the Japanese Medical Science Federation
2024-Present	Vice President, Science Council of Japan

Awards and Honors

1989	Japan Heart Foundation Young Investigator’s Award
1992	Japanese Society of Public Health Young Investigator’s Award
2014	Osaka University President's Award (Education Category)
2015	Osaka University President's Award (Research Category)
2015	The Japan Medical Association Medical Award
2016	Osaka University Award

Twenty selected publications

1. Iso H, et al. Serum fatty acids and fish intake in rural Japanese, urban Japanese, Japanese American and Caucasian American men. Int J Epidemiol 1989;18:374-381.
2. Iso H, et al. The relation of body fat distribution and body mass with haemoglobin A1c, blood pressure and blood lipids in urban Japanese men. Int J Epidemiol 1991;20:88-94.
3. Iso H, et al. Serum total cholesterol and mortality in a Japanese population. J Clin Epidemiol 1994;47:961-9.
4. Iso H, et al. Community-based education classes for hypertension control: A 1.5-year randomized controlled trial. Clinical Trial. Hypertension 1996;27:968-74.
5. Iso H, et al.　Passive smoking and plasma fibrinogen concentrations. Am J Epidemiol 1996;144:1151-4.
6. Iso H, et al. Effects of a long-term hypertension control program on stroke incidence and prevalence in a rural community in northeastern Japan. Stroke 1998;29:1510-8.
7. Iso H, et al. Prospective study of fat and protein intake and risk of intraparenchymal hemorrhage in women. Circulation 2001;103:856-63.
8. Iso H, et al. Intake of fish and omega-3 fatty acids and risk of stroke in women. JAMA 2001;285:304-12.
9. Iso H, et al. One-year community-based education program for hypercholesterolemia in middle-aged Japanese: a long-term outcome at 8-year follow-up. Atherosclerosis 2002;164:195-202.
10. Iso H, et al. Perceived mental stress and mortality from cardiovascular disease among Japanese men and women: the Japan Collaborative Cohort Study for Evaluation of Cancer Risk Sponsored by Monbusho (JACC Study). Circulation 2002;106:1229-36.
11. Iso H, et al. Fat and protein intakes and risk of intraparenchymal hemorrhage among middle-aged Japanese. Am J Epidemiol 2003;157:32-9.
12. Iso H, et al. Alcohol consumption and risk of stroke among middle-aged men: the JPHC Study Cohort I. Stroke 2004;35:1124-9.
13. Iso H, et al. JACC Study Group. Smoking cessation and mortality from cardiovascular disease among Japanese men and women: the JACC Study. Am J Epidemiol 2005;161:170-9.
14. Iso H, et al. JPHC Study Group. Intake of fish and n3 fatty acids and risk of coronary heart disease among Japanese: the Japan Public Health Center-Based (JPHC) Study Cohort I. Circulation 2006;113:195-202.
15. Iso H. Changes in coronary heart disease risk among Japanese. Circulation 2008;118:2725-2729
16. Iso H, et al. Risk classification for metabolic syndrome and the incidence of cardiovascular disease in Japan with low prevalence of obesity: A pooled analysis of 10 prospective cohort studies. JAMA 2021;10:e020760.
17. Iso H. et al. Chronic diseases and risk factor trend in Japan: Cardiovascular inequalities. In: Health in Japan: social epidemiology of Japan since the 1964 Tokyo Olympics Brunner, Eric B, Cable N, Iso H (editors). Oxford University Press 2021.
18. Yamagishi K, Iso H (Last). Trends in stroke, cardiovascular disease, and medical expenditure under a community-based long-term stroke prevention program. J Hypertens. 2022 Dec 28. doi: 10.1097/HJH.0000000000003351.
19. Iso H, et al. Effect of a community-based program to accelerate referral to physicians for individuals at high-risk of lifestyle-related diseases: A Cluster Randomized Trial. J Atheroscler Thromb. 2023 Mar 5. doi: 10.5551/jat.64100.
20. Iso H. Prevention of cardiovascular disease, a major non-communicable disease, in a super-aging society: Health success and unsolved issues in Japan. Glob Health Med. 2024 Feb 29;6(1):33-39. doi: 10.35772/ghm.2023.01130.

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