Pringsewu, Lampung – Universitas Aisyah Pringsewu (UAP) has officially established an international collaboration with the University of Manchester, United Kingdom, through the Indonesia-UK Healthy Pregnancy Journey (IUPJ) Network program. This prestigious partnership is marked by a series of academic events and field visits held from June 2 to 5, 2025, in Pringsewu Regency, Lampung.
The IUPJ program is a joint initiative for research and the development of healthcare services, with a special focus on the psychological aspects of pregnancy. It aims to enhance understanding and professional practices related to both physical and mental well-being during pregnancy. This project represents a major milestone for Universitas Aisyah Pringsewu, which has successfully become one of the few universities in Lampung to secure a joint research grant with one of the world’s top universities listed in the QS Top 200— the University of Manchester.
The program began with an opening ceremony at the UAP auditorium on Monday, June 2, 2025. The event was attended by Pringsewu Regent H. Riyanto Pamungkas, members of the Aisyah Lampung Foundation, university academics, and stakeholders in the health sector. A tumpeng cutting ceremony was held as a symbolic gesture to mark the official launch of the collaboration between the two institutions.
The activities continued with a seminar and discussion session themed “Psychology in Pregnancy,” featuring keynote speaker Dr. Debbie Smith, an expert in health psychology from the University of Manchester. The event was attended by hundreds of participants, including students, lecturers, and healthcare practitioners.
On the second day, June 3, 2025, the research team conducted field visits to several maternal healthcare facilities in Pringsewu Regency, including community health centers (Puskesmas), integrated health posts (Posyandu), and independent midwifery clinics. The purpose of these visits was to observe firsthand the implementation of pregnancy support and psychological services for expectant mothers in Indonesia.
The third and fourth days were dedicated to workshops and further discussions on potential PhD research opportunities, the development of mental health assessment tools for pregnancy, and the creation of systematic reviews that could inform future maternal health policies.
Dr. Ririn Wulandari, S.ST., MPH., PhD, head of the UAP research team, expressed her hopes that this initiative would strengthen research capacity among faculty members and improve the quality of long-term psychological support for pregnant women. “This collaboration is a significant milestone in bringing Universitas Aisyah Pringsewu onto the global stage of academic collaboration,” she said.
The IUPJ partnership not only strengthens academic relations between Indonesia and the UK but also serves as a strategic step toward building a more human-centered, research-based, and holistic pregnancy care system, especially in rural regions like Pringsewu. *(na)
