Features of Osaka University
Osaka University has an affiliated hospital where it conducts on-site education, such as development of translational medicine, and acceptance of patients and medical trainees from overseas.
Osaka University has schools of medicine, dentistry, pharmaceutical sciences, science, engineering, and engineering science, as well as the liberal arts of human sciences, foreign studies, economics, law, and letters. As a result, the university has outstanding potential to foster international medical personnel.
As Osaka University creates an interdisciplinary domain, we will foster global leaders with a field of vision spanning both liberal arts and science, and promote education and research systems for those who are innovative and meet the medical needs worldwide.
Background
In 2002, Osaka University established the Medical Center for Translational and Clinical Research inside its affiliated hospital, making it a national leader in translational research (TR). The new facility was employed by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology as a TR research base and by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare as a base for early and exploratory clinical testing. In this way, Osaka University worked to develop innovative pharmaceuticals and medical implements from academia, and to develop regenerative medical treatments. As it built up a record of supporting such innovation, it began promoting the human resources training necessary to this enterprise.
In recent years, the need for international development of new medical technology has increased, and the university has received numerous requests from overseas to examine newly developed medical technology.
Aiming to support both the development and international exposure of medical technology, in 2012 Osaka University established the Department of Medical Innovation within its hospital.
In 2013, the university established the Center for Global Health in the Department of Medical Innovation in an effort to promote international medical innovation in pharmaceutical products, medical implements, and medical systems from Japan; to enhance worldwide health; and to support Japan's international contribution to medicine.
Although this approach trained many experts, it did not produce the next generation of experts from outside the Faculty of Medicine because the university training program for translational research and international medicine remained underdeveloped. To resolve this situation, the university instituted Department of Global and Innovative Medicine, which fuses science—specifically the schools of medicine, dentistry, pharmaceutical sciences, science, engineering, and engineering science—with the liberal arts of human sciences, foreign studies, economics, law, and letters in a common university-wide educational program to start fostering medical innovators.
Goals
2013
We will examine and adjust related educational programs by faculty and research field, and existing university-wide programs related to medicine and health in Osaka University. Then we will draft a curriculum and syllabus for a medical innovation program.
2014
Global Health and Medical Innovation Program I (faculty education program) will be offered as a university-wide common education program. The program will be common to the schools of medicine, health sciences, pharmaceutical sciences, dentistry, human sciences, foreign studies, engineering, science, engineering science, law, economics, and letters. Program 1 assessment will be carried out simultaneously.
2015
Global Health and Medical Innovation Program II (graduate school program) will be offered as a cross-functional PhD program.
Health and Medical Innovation Program I will continue to be offered. Assessments of Programs I and II will be ongoing.
2016
The existence of program problems in the two-year Program I (administered 2014-2015) will be assessed, and the effective program and curriculum will be examined based on assessment indicators. Additions and modifications to the fiscal 2017 curriculum will be considered. Program II will continue to be offered.
2017
Program I will go ahead with necessary improvements, and Program II, administered over two years, will be assessed and necessary improvements considered, and the program curriculum for the following year will be drafted.
< Assessment indicators >
Assessments will consist of three parts: those by program takers, by instructors, and by external observers. The "implementation assessment" (extent to which plan was realized) and "effect assessment" (the program's educational effect) will be collected via a point scale, making them quantitative assessments, while others will be collected verbally. The program's effect and improvements, and the effect of improvements (within five years) will be clarified and disclosed.
In 2013-2014: For the implementation assessment, the measures used were program administration circumstances, number of students, attendance rate, student assessment, and instructor assessment. The Health and Medical Innovation Program I was rated on an absolute 100-point scale. In 2015-2017: The effect assessment will be carried out along with the above implementation assessment. For the effect assessment, program takers and non-program takers of the 2014-2015 Program I will be given a career-aim survey on faculty specialization in health and medical innovation. They will be asked to quantitatively assess the meaning of this program in their career development. Modifications to the program content will be assessed by surveys of program takers, instructors (self-assessment), and external observers.
