Message from the Dean

　　　　　　　　Keiji Naruse

I am Keiji Naruse, Dean of the Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences. The Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry, and Pharmacy is a comprehensive graduate school that aims to contribute to the international and local communities, and to nurture medical professionals with advanced knowledge and rich humanity in research, education, and medicine.

In the 1990s, it was proposed that all universities in Japan should focus on graduate schools, and in 2001, the Graduate School of Medicine and the Graduate School of Dentistry merged to form the Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, which became the Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences.

I would like to promote research that accelerates the integration of medicine, dentistry, and pharmacy, as well as the fusion of different fields, with “connection” as the keyword. (1) We will form an international research center and a next-generation research center in the medical field as a center for the creation of innovative medical technology, which is one of the strengths of our university, and increase the number of top 10% papers and international co-authored papers. (2) In order to build an innovation ecosystem, we will establish and operate an organization to implement strategic activities by consolidating and strengthening innovation creation functions. (3) Establish and maintain an environment that facilitates the active learning of talented people by improving the treatment of doctoral students based on the newly established degree program and by promoting various career paths, including those in academia and industry. (4) We will support the activities of outstanding young researchers and create and improve an attractive research environment where they can engage in challenging research with free thinking and can demonstrate their abilities to the fullest.

The university is a noble place for the creation of knowledge, and one of the unique features and strengths of the university in healthcare is that it has not only the Graduate School of Medical, Dental and Pharmaceutical Sciences, but also the Graduate School of Health Sciences and the Graduate School of Integrated Health System Sciences, where synergy effects through collaboration and cooperation can be strongly expected, and the University Hospital, which is designated as a core clinical research hospital. The university also has a university hospital designated as a core clinical research hospital. As Dean of the Graduate School, I will share the direction of the Graduate School with the university’s executive committee, and by working across departments and divisions, I will strive to strengthen the research capabilities of Okayama University as a whole and to secure, foster, and produce outstanding research personnel. I will contribute to the further development of the Graduate School.