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Greetings from the Dean

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Shigetsugu HatakeyamaHokkaido University School of Medicine, one of the oldest and most traditional medical schools in Japan, was originally founded in 1919 as Hokkaido Imperial University School of Medicine, and in 2019, it marked its 100th anniversary. To date, the School of Medicine has produced a total of 10,000 graduates, and approximately 6,500 alumni are active in their specialized fields as doctors, medical researchers, and other professionals throughout Japan and around the world.

In 2017, education at the School of Medicine saw a renewal of its clinical clerkships with the cooperation of more than 50 affiliated hospitals in Hokkaido, in order to enhance clinical practice in the fifth and sixth years. To promote further reform of medical education, it has established a curriculum committee with the participation of students, where students and faculty are working together to reform the interactive education system. These implementations conform to the international accreditation standards set by the Japan Accreditation Council for Medical Education. The School of Medicine underwent evaluation for the international accreditation in 2021. With its medical education assured from an international standpoint, we expect to further propel the overseas study program and the graduates' international activities in the medical field.

Hokkaido University Graduate School of Medicine, originally established in 1955, was reorganized in 2017 to flexibly produce medical personnel who can respond to the changing demands of society. Through this reorganization, the "Graduate School of Medicine", which had integrated educational and research organizations, was divided into two organizational entities: the " Graduate School of Medicine ", to which graduate students belong, and the "Faculty of Medicine", to which faculty members belong. This has enabled us to create a global graduate education system that can respond organically to society and students. In this reorganized system, the faculty members of the Faculty of Medicine and other institutions within the University work together to conduct the world's most advanced research, thereby providing a high-quality educational environment for the graduate students of the Graduate School of Medicine studying under them. In this way, we can expect the development of both “the graduate students as the Graduate School of Medicine” and “the faculty as the Faculty of Medicine”. At the University, the execution of cutting-edge research at the Graduate School of Medicine is essential to the provision of education, which also contributes to the philosophy of the Graduate School of Medicine: "to lead the world with cutting-edge research in medical science, and to equip the next generation of medical researchers and medical professionals with a strong sense of ethics and a well-rounded character to contribute to the health and welfare of humanity”. By having graduate students of the Graduate School of Medicine receive education under the faculty members affiliated with the Faculty of Medicine who are at the forefront of research, we can expect to “help students develop advanced levels of knowledge and research skills in the fields of medical and life sciences and profound insights that meet the needs of society”, which is the educational goal of the Graduate School of Medicine.

Amidst drastic changes affecting the social environment of universities, we will continually strive to further advance the School of Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, and Faculty of Medicine, in view of the future of education, research, and medical care.

April 1, 2023

HATAKEYAMA Shigetsugu, M.D., Ph.D.
Dean, Hokkaido University Faculty of Medicine