Devout to Service

Since 2022, Aswa has been actively involved in the Center for Indonesian Medical Students’ Activities (CIMSA) Surakarta, an organization that brings medical students from across Indonesia and has branches in various regions.

In October 2024, Aswa and her fellow CIMSA members organized a series of activities to mark breast cancer awareness month, under the theme Harnessing Outreach for Prevention and Education. Their first initiative took place during the car-free day on Jalan Slamet Riyadi, Solo, where they provided breast cancer education to the general public.

CIMSA later took further steps by collaborating with Lovepink Indonesia, a nonprofit organization that campaigns for early breast cancer detection. This collaboration resulted in breast ultrasound (USG) examinations conducted in several areas across Solo Raya.

“Lovepink has a program called the 10,000 Free Breast Ultrasounds Movement, with the hope that Indonesia will be free from advanced-stage breast cancer by 2030. Some of the ultrasound quotas were distributed through CIMSA,” said the Muhammadiyah University of Surakarta (UMS) medical student at the end of last August.

Aswa Arsa Kumala (left) assisting a patient during a free breast ultrasound screening at Panti Waluyo Hospital, October 6, 2024. Personal Documentation

The collaboration targeted 50 participants from several villages in the Solo Raya area. A number of women, Aswa said, were found to show symptoms of breast cancer. However, she declined to reveal the exact number in order to protect patient confidentiality. “It’s confidential,” she said.

Cancer has long been a subject close to Aswa’s heart. Her interest was sparked after the passing of her aunt, who suffered from leukemia. The loss left a deep wound on her. “I cried so much back then because I loved my aunt dearly,” she recalled.

As a university student, Aswa’s desire to explore cancer research only grew stronger. She actively submitted proposals to the Student Creativity Program (PKM). 

One of her projects, titled “HeLa-targeting Apoptotic Nanolance: Propolis Nanoparticles of Tetragonula laeviceps as a Targeted Chemotherapy Agent on HeLa Cells”, the study successfully passed the internal selection in mid-January 2025.

The 21-year-old girl envisions empowering women as her life’s mission. For her, pursuing a medical career is one way to realize that dream. 

She has shed light on her future, aiming to specialize in obstetrics and gynecology. “I want to embrace and support as many women as I can,” she said, passionately.

The girl from Sragen, Central Java, is also deeply committed to community service. Her journey of service began when she joined the Medical Assistance Team (TBM) Gyrus. She took part in activities such as blood donation drives, public health education, and free medical checkups in several villages across the Solo Raya region.

One of her most memorable experiences came during a national community service mission in Palangka Raya, where she joined fellow delegates from TBM Gyrus. The program provided health examinations for local residents.

To her surprise, Aswa was even given the chance to assist with circumcision procedures for children. “We were given the opportunity by the doctor to perform circumcisions,” Aswa recalled. Under the direct supervision of physicians, she began carrying out several steps of the procedure on young patients.

She is also actively involved in providing education and training on first aid techniques, including splinting and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). According to Arsa, these two topics are crucial for communities to learn in emergency situations. “In Indonesia, there are still very few people who know how to perform first aid,” she explained.

Not only does Aswa devote herself to service, she also pursues excellence through academics. She actively participates in research, both independently and in collaboration with faculty. Under the guidance of Dr. Yusuf Alam Romadhon, M.Kes., a lecturer at the Faculty of Medicine at UMS, Aswa has produced two studies on hypertension.

Her first research, titled “The Differences in Blood Pressure, Anthropometric and Laboratory Measurement in Various Types of Work: An Observational Study in Rural Communities”, sought to identify variations in blood pressure, body measurements, and laboratory results among rural populations. She presented this study at the International Conference on Cardiovascular Disease 2024.

Her second project took place along the northern coastal region of Central Java, titled “Age, Coastal Proximity, and Salt Consumption: Multifactorial Analysis of Hypertension Risk in A Central Javanese Population.” In this study, Arsa examined the relationship between community proximity to the sea, salt consumption, and hypertension risk.

“There was a rather unique finding in this research,” Arsa explained. The study revealed that people living near the coast tended to have a lower risk of hypertension. “We assumed it was because they engage in more physical activity.”

However, Aswa also discovered another theory suggesting that living by the sea may help reduce stress. The calming scenery, she explained, could contribute to a lower stress level among coastal residents. Still, Aswa emphasized that further studies are needed to validate this theory.

She presented her research at the International Conference on Medical Breakthrough (ICMB) in late 2024, and later published it in the Proceedings of the International Summit on Science, Technology, and Humanity.

Aswa’s ambition to achieve was not confined to research alone. In early 2025, she joined the Bangkok International Intellectual Property, Invention, Innovation, and Technology Exposition (IPITEx) and Thailand Inventors’ Day 2025.

Aswa Arsa Kumala receiving a gold medal at the Bangkok International Intellectual Property, Invention, Innovation and Technology Exposition (IPITEx) and Thailand Inventor's Day, February 6, 2025. Personal Documentation

She became part of the MedLink Smart team, led by UMS Mechanical Engineering student Muhammad Adityo Rivalta, contributing to the application’s development from the medical perspective. Their collaboration earned the team a gold medal.

Read more: MedLink Smart: The Future of Digital Healthcare

Her achievements soon caught the attention of the Faculty of Medicine at UMS. Aswa was selected as one of five candidates for the Faculty’s Outstanding Student Award. 

She went on to claim first place at the faculty level, earning the right to compete at the university-wide selection. At the UMS Outstanding Student Competition held in June, Arsa secured the title of first runner-up.

Writer: Gede Arga Adrian

Translator: Farizal Luqman Majid

Editor: Al Habiib Josy Asheva