JAKARTA – The United States Embassy congratulates Dr. Fitriya N. Dewi for being chosen as a finalist for the third annual Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-U.S. Science Prize for Women, sponsored by ASEAN, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and Underwriters Laboratories (UL). She was chosen for her exceptional research on the impact of rapid urbanization on public health.
Dr. Fitriya is the head of the Biomedical Research Program at the Primate Research Center at Bogor Agricultural University. Her research focuses on comparative medicine and women’s health and the connection between high-fat urban diets and the risk of diseases like breast cancer.
“As we know, rapid urbanization comes with the shift in dietary patterns where many people from an early age can be exposed to a high-fat diet,” said Dr. Fitriya. “Our work investigates dietary compounds that originate from indigenous plants in Indonesia and tries to identify potential for cancer prevention.”
ASEAN continues to look for ways to improve the safety, sustainability and security of cities in the face of rapid urbanization and increase resilience in the face of stressors and shocks.
The 2017 ASEAN-U.S. Science Prize for Women supports promising early-career women scientists in the ASEAN region and encourages collaboration between ASEAN Member States and the United States around sustainable solutions for urban centers across Southeast Asia. The winner will be chosen on October 19, 2017 at the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Science and Technology in Burma and will receive $20,000, while the honorable mention will receive $5,000.
The ASEAN-U.S. Science Prize for Women is one of the many U.S. initiatives in support of ASEAN and its 10 Member States. The United States partners with ASEAN to support economic integration, expand maritime cooperation, cultivate emerging leaders, promote opportunity for women and address transnational challenges. Through USAID’s cooperation with ASEAN, the United States addresses the root causes of poverty and instability and strengthens the foundation for prosperity and security. The United States and ASEAN are celebrating 40 years of partnership in 2017.
To learn more about the 2017 ASEAN-U.S. Science Prize for Women, follow @USMission2ASEAN and #SciencePrize on Twitter and Facebook.
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