Philosophy and Characteristics of International Exchange at this Graduate School
At the Graduate School for Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering in Health Systems, we harness our strengths, which are founded on collaborations in medicine and engineering and the integration of arts and sciences, in order to establish a new international and interdisciplinary approach to gerontology (neo-gerontology). This approach seeks to create value in practices of well-being that address the pressing challenges Japan is facing as one of the world’s first super-aged societies. These include but are not limited to: cancer, dementia, dysphagia, speech impairment, self-determination, caregiving, and death. The principal objective of students entering our graduate school is to tackle these social challenges through an educational program that achieves a diverse integration of various fields of expertise beyond the scope of traditional humanities and sciences. As such, this program is composed of faculty not only from the humanities and social sciences but also from our medicine and engineering departments. By taking this integrated approach, students are able to combine existing methods and practices in various academic fields to take on the academic subjects at hand. Based on all this, we have made it our philosophy to cultivate the professional talent that will thrive and prosper in coming generations that are certain to be defined by significant change.
Initiatives in international exchange currently underway include the construction of an international dementia research center and human resource development network as well as preparations for the establishment of a joint research and education institution in India. The Graduate School for Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering in Health Systems features well-developed R&D departments for medical devices and materials as well as for biopharmaceutical discovery and development. Utilizing our graduate school’s strengths, we have begun preparations for building a joint education and research organization with the Bioscience and Engineering section of Kolkata’s Sister Nivedita University (Techno India Group), while formulating partnerships that include internships at the affiliated company Techno Canada Inc. These are but a few of the characteristics of international exchange at our graduate school.
Along with the above, one of the unique attractions offered by our graduate school is the opportunity to directly observe actual health system settings by participating in the Advanced Hospital Training program for our master’s course and the internships and Okayama Living Lab for our doctoral course. We have also established a special course for the master's program (available to Japanese students as well) that can be completed in English and allows students to interact with different cultures, while engaging in diverse fields of study. We are further looking into attracting international students (particularly from Asia and the Middle East) who have demostrated a high rate of admission to doctoral programs. In addition, Okayama University plays a central role in the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology’s Preparatory Education for Chinese Graduate Students to Japan by helping lead as well as dispatch delegates and faculty to the program. Despite its high level of convenience as a strategic point on Shinkansen and air travel networks, Okayama is unique within Japan for also offering an urban culture and environment that is both comfortable and easy to live in. We look forward to you entering the Graduate School for Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering in Health Systems, the only such program in Japan offering both master’s and doctoral degrees in integrated science. Let’s discover more together.
Specific Initiatives in International Exchange
- Joint research for advancing strategies in curing cancer using iPS cells with America’s Wayne State University, Karmanos Cancer Institute and Egypt’s Menoufia University, National Liver Institute
- Joint research for advancing R&D projects aimed at the early diagnosis of dementia with the Beijing Institute of Technology
- Joint research in R&D for medical robotic systems with the Technical University of Denmark
- Began formulation of a double degree to serve as the core educational research program for collaborations in medicine and engineering and the integration of arts and sciences. This double degree focuses on a collaborative three-way program between Taiwan’s largest university hospital, Taipei’s Chang Gung University and its affiliated Health and Culture Village, and Detroit’s Wayne State University, which is home to the Integrative Bioscience Center (IBio) and Graduate Program in Gerontology.
- Hosted open lectures and international symposiums