Prof Nyoman Kertia is an internist, rheumatologist, and Professor of Rheumatology and Herbal Medicine. He is The Head of Internal Medicine Department, Sardjito Hospital, Yogyakarta. He also teaches at School of Medicine, Nursing, and Public Health - Gadjah Mada University.
After graduated from Udayana University, He worked in Lasolo and Sampara Public Health Center, a remote area in Southeast Sulawesi, for 5 years. He continued to study internal medicine in Gadjah Mada University and graduated in 1993. He has studied rheumatology in Arthritis Foundation of Western Australia and graduated in 2002. During his study in rheumatology, he found that osteoarthritis was not only caused by degenerative processes, but also caused by inflammations. His research about higher leucocyte count in synovial fluid of osteoarthritis patients made him once received EULAR traveler bursary award.
Since his late grandfather was a Balian (Balinese traditional healer), Prof. Nyoman realized that Indonesia has abundant resources in natural medicine, and most people needed a lower-cost treatment for their diseases. He interested to study more about herbal medicine. His PhD dissertation explored the curcuminoid (Curcuma domestica Val. Rhizome extract) for the management of osteoarthritis. He then produced a traditional medicine for osteoarthritis and osteoporosis management; name Remapo (a mixture of Curcuma xanthorrhiza Roxb, Zingiber officinale, Sojae semen extract, and shrimp shell). This medicine received the Best Patent Award from Gadjah Mada University in 2018. Beside Remapo, Prof. Nyoman has also produced Comemoro (traditional medicine for dementia) and Physalis-C (traditional medicine for autoimmune diseases). His consistency in developing rheumatology and herbal medicine made him became The Best Senior Researcher in 2018 from Gadjah Mada University.