Dr Kayano joined WHO in 2015, having previously worked as Assistant Professor at Nagasaki University School of Medicine. He currently works as the focal point of health emergency and disaster risk management (Health EDRM) and facilitates global research collaboration through the work of the secretariat of the WHO Thematic Platform for Health EDRM Research Network. He is one of the lead editors of WHO Guidance on Research Methods for Health EDRM published in 2021 and taking lead of the global initiative on research capacity building for Health EDRM.