Dr Sayaka Horiuchi
Research Collaborator
Working groups
Background
Sayaka Horiuchi is Japanese paediatrician and epidemiologist. She has more than 15 years of experience in the field of the maternal, neonatal and child health as a clinician, public health worker and researcher. She worked for the program development and management to improve maternal, neonatal and child health in Lao PDR between 2012 and 2016.
Sayaka undertook a Master of Science in 2016 and made the career transition from public health practitioner to researcher. Her research interest is quality improvement of neonatal and childcare. She also serves as a WHO technical advisory group member on child health measurement to improve visibility of disease burden, service coverage and health outcomes among children.
Qualifications
- 2021: Doctor of Public Health, Teikyo University Graduate School of Public Health, Japan
- 2016: Master of Science (Epidemiology), London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, UK
- 2007: Medical doctor, University of Yamanashi, Japan
Appointments
- 2021-ongoing: Life course Quality of Care Measurement Coordination Working Group, WHO
- 2019-ongoing: Consultant on Well-Child Care review, WHO regional office for the Western Pacific Region
- 2018-ongoing: Child Health Accountability Tracking Technical Advisory Group, WHO/UNICEF
- 2016: Consultant on Maternal and Child Health, WHO country office in Lao PDR
- 2012-2015: Exert on Community Health, Project for Strengthening Integrated Maternal and Child Health Services in Lao PDR, Japan International Cooperation Agency
- Board member, Japan International Child Health Association
- International Liaison Committee, Japan Pediatric Society
Awards
- 2025: Equitable Carer Travel Fellowship
- 2021: Young Professional Award, Japan Association for International Health
- 2016: Young Oral Presentation Award, Asia-Pacific Academic Consortium for Public Health
Positions
- 2022-ongoing: Research collaborator, Global Women’s and Newborn Health, Burnet Institute
- 2019-ongoing: Assistant Professor, Center for Birth Cohort Studies, University of Yamanashi, Japan
- 2017-2018: Assistant Professor, Teikyo University Graduate School of Public Health, Japan
- 2009-2012: Paediatrics, National Center for Child Health and Development, Japan
Burnet publications
View 10 moreCommunity engagement supports maternal health care attitudes and utilisation: mixed-method evaluation evidence from the CONNECT Initiative in Lao PDR
BMC Health Services Research
Marco J. Haenssgen et al
Measuring and monitoring child health and well-being—an integral part of the climate change agenda
Health Policy and Planning
Jennifer Requejo et al
An innovative, digital approach to training district health care providers on essential newborn care skills: findings from a pilot cluster-randomised trial in Lao People’s Democratic Republic
Journal of Global Health
Sayaka Horiuchi et al
News and features
Special focus on Thailand in Burnet Travel Awards
Funds totalling $140,000 have been shared among 22 Burnet Institute Travel Award winners for 2025, including a new and special award, the Princess Srinagarindra PhD Scholarship.
New Burnet funding for early-career research projects
Two exciting and diverse projects focused on Adolescent Health, and Women's and Newborns' Health in Lao PDR and the Philippines have been granted funding from Burnet’s Discovery Innovation Fund.
