SEMARANG – The Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Diponegoro (FK Undip), further strengthened its academic ranks through the inauguration of Prof. Dr. dr. Alifiati Fitrikasari, Sp.KJ(K) as Professor by the Academic Senate of Universitas Diponegoro. The inauguration ceremony was held at Prof. Sudarto Building, Tembalang Campus, on Friday (January 30, 2026). She is the first professor in the Psychiatry Study Program at the Faculty of Medicine, Undip.
In her inaugural address, Prof. Alifiati presented a lecture entitled “The Potential of Probiotics as Adjuvant Therapy for Depression”, a topic considered highly relevant to current mental health challenges.
She explained that the use of probiotics has the potential to support the effectiveness of standard antidepressant therapy, accelerate symptom improvement, reduce medication side effects, enhance patient adherence, and lower relapse rates. This positions probiotics as a relevant adjuvant therapy, including for patients with depression accompanied by physical comorbidities such as cancer.
Research findings indicate that a combination of Lactobacillus rhamnosus Rosell-11 and Lactobacillus helveticus Rosell-52, administered at a dose of 2×10⁹ CFU twice daily for eight weeks, was able to significantly reduce depressive symptoms in both patients with depression and cancer patients experiencing depression.
Prof. Alifiati emphasized that depression affects not only psychological well-being but is also associated with an imbalance of gut microbiota, which plays a crucial role in regulating brain chemicals and emotional states. Based on animal studies and clinical trials, probiotics have been shown to help improve depressive symptoms.
“Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium strains are among the probiotic strains currently widely used as adjuvant therapy for depression,” she stated.
Nevertheless, Prof. Alifiati also highlighted several challenges in implementing probiotics as adjuvant therapy for depression. These include variability in depressive conditions and comorbidities that influence therapeutic response, limited data on probiotic strain specificity within the Indonesian population, lifestyle factors such as diet and smoking habits, as well as the need for standardized strains, dosages, insurance coverage, and broader education for both the public and healthcare professionals.
“With an appropriate approach, probiotics have the potential to be developed as adjuvant therapy for depression, including in patients with chronic physical diseases, as part of a comprehensive and long-term treatment strategy,” she concluded.
Meanwhile, in his remarks, the Rector of Universitas Diponegoro, Prof. Dr. Suharnomo, S.E., M.Si., expressed his hope that the inauguration of the new Professor would contribute meaningfully to addressing various national challenges.
“A professor represents the highest level of academic expertise. It is expected that such expertise will not be confined to laboratory settings, but can be widely applied for the benefit of society,” he said.
This inauguration reaffirms FK Undip’s commitment to advancing medical science that is excellent, innovative, and responsive to public health needs, including in the field of mental health. (*)
