The Faculty of Social and Political Sciences (FISIP) of Universitas Negeri Semarang (UNNES) conducted a visiting researcher program at the Medical University of Vienna, Austria, from October 27 to 31, 2025. This activity is a continuation of a collaborative research project between the FISIP UNNES team, represented by Dr. scient.med. Fadly Husain, and Prof. Dr. Michael Kundi from the Department of Environmental Health, Center for Public Health, Medical University of Vienna.
The research collaboration is funded by the Institute for Research and Community Service (LPPM) UNNES under the Collaborative Research Scheme with QS 100 World Universities. This program aims to strengthen international research networks and enhance UNNES’s academic visibility at the global level.
In its second year, the collaboration focuses on the use of animals as traditional medicine, commonly referred to in Health Anthropology studies as Ethnozoo-therapy. The research explores how animal-based traditional healing practices contribute to public health and environmental sustainability.
According to Dr. Fadly Husain, this study not only enriches the field of health anthropology but also aligns with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly Goal 3: Good Health and Wellbeing and Goal 15: Life on Land. “An interdisciplinary approach between health anthropology and environmental health is essential to understand traditional practices that support sustainable health,” he stated.
During the visiting program in Vienna, the team discussed findings from the first phase of the research and designed plans for joint publication in reputable international journals.
This activity is expected to strengthen UNNES’s reputation as a conservation-minded university actively engaged in global collaborations and to serve as a best practice model for building sustainable research partnerships in the fields of health and social sciences.
