Muhammad Rizal Martua Damanik

The involvement of Professor Rizal Damanik in the area of family planning and population began when he was appointed as Deputy Chairman of Training, Research, and Development at The National Population and Family Planning Board of the Republic of Indonesia (BKKBN) in 2017. During his tenure at BKKBN, he has extensive and developed programs which aim to internationalize the Bangga Kencana Programs of BKKBN. He has established research collaboration with universities both at national and international levels, outreach programs to international society through activities such as Ambassador Talk and Ambassador Goes to KB village, developing international training programs within the South-to-South Triangle Collaboration (SST) framework, Partners in Population and Development (PPD), and with various international partners such as UNFPA, WHO, USAID, JHCCP, UNICEF, etc.

Muhammad Rizal Martua Damanik is a Professor in Community Nutrition at the Department of Nutrition, Faculty of Human Ecology, IPB University in Bogor City Indonesia. Professor Rizal Damanik has various academic backgrounds. He had his First Degree in Veterinary Medicine (Doctor of Veterinary Medicine; DVM) from the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of IPB University in Bogor Indonesia. He completed his Master's program in Reproductive Sciences (MRepSc) at the Institute of Reproduction and Development, Faculty of Medicine at Monash University Melbourne Australia. He then gained his PhD Degree in Human Nutrition at Monash Asia Institute, Faculty of Medicine at Monash University, Melbourne Australia. Both of his postgraduate programs in Australia were funded by the Australian Government namely AIDAB/AusAID scholarships program. During his academic career in IPB University Professor Rizal Damanik has extensive research on the issues related to nutrition for pregnant and lactating women. One of his achievements is the utilization and usage of the Torbangun plant (Coleus amboinicus Lour) as a lactagogue for lactating mothers.