Newsletter International Exchange Center Issue No. 2: Spring 2017 Welcome international fellows to Showa U. Professor Takashi Miyazaki, DDS, PhD Director of the International Exchange Center, Showa University already arrived to Showa University in this issue of our newsletter. I d like to welcome our newest group of international research and training fellows to Showa University. Since 1982 Showa University has offered a free program designed for foreigntrained medical specialists and related researchers who wish to further their training in Japan. This postgraduate fellowship program is unique to other Japanese universities and is just one example of Showa University s goal to improve medical care worldwide and expand our network of collaboration and cooperation. This year, we are honored to be accepting 23 international fellows from around the world. You can read more about the fellows who have http://www.showa-u.ac.jp/en/international/ I m also excited about our recent efforts to strengthen and expand our exchange program agreements. In spring I visited Taipei Medical University to sign new MOU s between our School of Dentistry and School of Pharmacy the first time the pharmacy schools have made an exchange agreement with each other. And earlier this year, we also visited one of sister schools, Kyung Hee University in South Korea, to re-emphasize the value of our relationship and to work toward conducting undergraduate exchange between several of our schools. Articles about both of these trips are in this newsletter as well. As described above, we are working to expand the global impact of Showa University to make it a world-class university. We encourage our foreign research fellows and exchange agreement universities to collaborate and working together with us to contribute to a healthy society in the world. https://www.facebook.com/showaiec/
Medical dispatch to Madagascar For the past 6 years, Showa University has sent a medical dispatch team to Madagascar, who work with local medical professionals at Clinic Ave Maria to provide medical treatment to cleft lip and palate patients for roughly 2 weeks. One of these local medical professionals was Dr. Hery-Zo Maminiaina Rakotoharinivo, and this year he became an international training fellow in the Orthodontics department. Under the leadership of Dr. Yasuyoshi Tosa, (Associate Professor, Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery) 15 members attended this year s dispatch, including doctors, dentists, nurses, a medical graduate student from Madagascar currently studying at Showa University, one student from each of the 4 schools, and administration staff. 1 staff member was Mr. Miura from the International Exchange Center, who was responsible for organizing and coordinating the team s supplies and activities. During this dispatch, the medical team treated 17 cases, many who were young children whose family could not afford such treatment. A small delegation also visited the University of Mahajanga, which is the only dental school in Madagascar, to discuss the possibility of creating an exchange partnership. We hope to finalize an exchange agreement between our universities dental schools this year. We congratulate Showa University s medical dispatch team for once again showing such hard work and dedication! Award ceremony & farewell party On March 7 th, 2017, Showa University hosted a certificate award ceremony and farewell party to celebrate 4 international fellows who completed their training program: Dr. Chen Jue from China (Department of Physiology); Dr. Nicolas Albert Rikeros Gehrenbeck from Ecuador (Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery); Dr. Bekir Unal from Turkey (Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery); and Dr. Mohamed Adel Ahmed Mohamed from Egypt (Department of Orthodontics). All 4 international fellows personally received an official certificate award commemorating their completion of the fellowship program from the President of Showa University, Dr. Ryohei Koide. At this ceremony, Showa University was also honored to welcome 2 representatives from our fellows embassies in Tokyo: Mr. David Villagómez, Deputy Chief of Mission and Consul from Ecuador, and Mr. Hatem El Nashar, Deputy Chief of Mission from Egypt. All of our fellows made great strides in their training/research, learned more about Japan and its people, and most of all, deepened their relationship with Showa University.
New MOU s with Taipei Medical University Showa University s School of Dentistry (since 2006) and School of Medicine (since 2012) have had successful exchange agreements between Taipei Medical University (TMU), especially among our undergraduate students who have become increasingly interested in participating in foreignelective clerkships. Based on this history of successful exchange, we have sought to expand this relationship. The main event the signing of a new exchange agreement between the pharmacy schools occured on the second day. Held at the Health Science Building, Dr. Itabe, who served as the representative for Showa University s School of Pharmacy, first had a short meeting with the Dean of College of Pharmacy, Dr. Jackson Chieh-His Wu, in the Dean s Office. Then, during the signing ceremony, Dr. Itabe gave the MOU (already signed by our dean, Dr. Nakamura) to Dr. Wu, who then also signed the document. The main goal of this MOU is to develop undergraduate student exchange and the possibility of collaborating activities for On March 29-30, 2017, Dr. Itabe, Chairman of the International Exchange Committee of the School of Pharmacy, and Dr. Miyazaki, Vice President and Director of the International Exchange Center, visited TMU to conclude a new exchange agreement between the pharmacy schools, and to renew the exchange agreement between the universities dental schools. On March 29 th, a signing ceremony was held for the dental schools. Dr. Miyazaki and Dr. Dayen Peter Wang, Dean of College of Oral Medicine at TMU, signed a new memorandum of understanding (MOU), which is designed to encourage both faculty and undergraduate student exchange, especially foreign elective clerkships. graduate students and faculties between the two pharmacy schools. Afterwards, there was a Q&A session and group photo. We are excited for this new exchange agreement and hope to start sending our pharmacy students to TMU by next spring!
Visit to sister school: Kyung Hee University Since 2000, Showa University and Kyung Hee University in South Korea have been sister schools. To reaffirm the special bond between our Asian neighbor, members from the International Exchange Center visited Kyung Hee University last February. Headed by Dr. Takashi Miyazaki, Director of the International Exchange Center and Dean of School of Dentistry, 3 faculty members (Dr. Miyuki Hashimoto, Dr. Michael Myers, and Ms. Yuka Hiraizumi) and 1 staff member (Mr. Takeshi Miura) visited Kyung Hee s Seoul campus. During this visit, we were able to meet representatives from the School of Dentistry, School of Medicine, College of Nursing Science, and the Office of International Affairs. In particular, we were able to meet the deans from the schools of medicine and dentistry and introduce Showa University and talk about the possibility for undergraduate exchange. Altogether, this was a wonderful trip that helped strengthen the bond between Showa University and Kyung Hee University. We look forward to building upon our collaborations with each other and exchanging students between our schools. Visit to exchange program: Mahasarakham U. Since August, 2008, the School of Pharmacy has had an exchange agreement with Mahasarakham University (MSU) in Thailand, which has become increasingly popular with students from both universities. From March 13-16, Dr. Hashimoto from the International Exchange Center participated in a staff exchange with MSU with Dr. Kobayashi from Pharmaceutical Education in the School of Pharmacy to know what our 5th-year students experience during their foreign elective program. During their visit, they met with Dr. Chonlatee Photong (director of Public Relations and International Affairs) and staff of the Office of International Affairs, during which Dr. Hashimoto introduced Showa University by showing an introductory video. They also met Dean Buniue Sungthong and staff of the Faculty of Pharmacy, including Dr. Bunleu Sungthong, who was an international fellow at Showa University and is now an Assistant Professor in the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences. They also joined a group of exchange students currently studying at MSU to experience some of their activities. For example, they visited a community pharmacy, MSU s Natural Medicinal Mushroom Museum, and the Center of Excellence for Silk Innovation of MSU, and made a herbal ball in the herbal medicine department. This trip allowed us to reflect on our exchange program and make some improvements for the future. We thank everyone from MSU for their wonderful hospitality.
IEC event: Exchange party II Let's have a party! On November 9 th, 2016, the International Exchange Center held our "International Exchange Party". This is an event we hold twice a year (in the fall and summer) to encourage international exchange on campus. This time, approximately 35 Showa University students, exchange students, international graduate students, and international research fellows came together to have fun and mingle over food and drinks. During the party, 3 exchange students from the Medical University of Vienna gave a PowerPoint presentation introducing their university and their home countries (Austria and Germany). They provided some basic facts about their home countries to our party guests, such as famous foods, famous people, and popular places to visit. Next, we learned how people in different countries play "rock, scissor, paper" from our international fellows and exchange students an International Exchange Party tradition! Along with Austria and Germany, we also learned how they play the game in Ecuador, Turkey, and Kenya. This event is continuing to grow in popularity, so we hope to see more new faces during our next international exchange party in the summer! IEC event: One-day tour of Tokyo II The International Exchange Center organizes oneday tours of Tokyo twice every year in the summer and fall. On October 8 th, 2016, the fall version of this event was held at Ueno to coincide with the Cultural Exchange Day for Foreign Students at the Tokyo National Museum. On this day, international guests and their accompanying students could enter the museum for free. After walking around the different floors and seeing the exhibits, our internationals guests and their Showa University student volunteer could also experience special events organized for that day, such as a Japanese traditional tea ceremony, and a chance to wear traditional outfits from Japan, China, and South Korea. Our international guests and their Showa University student volunteers then strolled around the famous "Ameyayokocho" market near Ueno Station, looking at all the interesting stalls and buying some small snacks to eat. This is just one of many events the International Exchange Center organizes to help our international students experience Japanese culture during their stay.
Welcome party 2017 On May 23rd, 2017, Showa University held our annual Welcome Party for International Fellows to officially introduce the newest group of international training and research fellows and to acknowledge our current exchange students and other international students who have been studying at Showa University for a while. The President of Showa University, Dr. Ryohei Koide, provided some opening remarks about the history of this program and its recent success, and the Director of the International Exchange Center, Dr. Takashi Miyazaki, welcomed everyone during the reception toast. Later, the 9 international fellows who had already started their training program this year introduced themselves, along with their supervisors (see the list below). In addition, representatives from the embassies of 7 of our fellows (India, Madagascar, Myanmar, Nepal, and Turkey) were honored guests at this party and gave some short comments. Several mentioned that studying in Japan, a world leader in medical technology, would be an excellent opportunity for the fellows, and encouraged them use to learn as much as possible. Lastly, our Dean of the School of Medicine, Dr. Yoshio Ogawa, provided closing remarks and expressed his hope that the fellows could learn a lot and also experience Japanese culture. ATTENDING 2017 INTERNATIONAL FELLOWS NAME COUNTRY DEPARTMENT/DIVISION Gao Lin China Biochemistry (Medicine) Peter Daniel Young USA Pharmacology (Medicine) La Min Ko Ko Myanmar Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery (Medicine) Enis Mert Turkey Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery (Medicine) Wormi Sharon Ashish Sharma India India Digestive Disease Center, Northern Yokohama Hospital (Medicine) Digestive Disease Center, Koto Toyosu Hospital (Medicine) Thant Phyu Syn Myanmar Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery (Dentistry) Abhishekhi Shrestha Nepal Orthodontics (Dentistry) Hery-Zo Maminiaina Rakotoharinivo Madagascar Orthodontics (Dentistry)
Showa U. in Foreign Affairs magazine The March/April 2017 issue of Foreign Affairs magazine included a special business report focusing on Japanese education and its progress toward greater internationallzation. Showa University was honored to be the only comprehensive medical university included in this report. Topics from the interview included our extensive study abroad opportunities for undergraduates and our postgraduate international training and research fellowship program, unique among Japanese medical universities. Along with an excerpt from our interview, Showa University has also published a print advertisement in the report (right). You can view the full report at: http://gmipost.com/upload/special_feature/pdf/42/fa- JAPAN%202017.pdf. Go check it out! Previous exchange students 7 th -year, Medicine: Taipei Medical University Why did you choose Showa University? My seniors told me that they had good memories in Showa University. They made friends and studied advance medicine in the hospital. Also, Showa University treated international students very well, like providing dormitory nearby the hospital, scholarships, and friendly staff in IEC. 5 th -year, Pharmacy: Mahasarakham University Tell us about your good experience or good memories. People are very kind and nice. Your university environment and facilities is very suitable for study. Teachers are expert and nice to us, I appreciate that they try to teach us in English I enjoy to have class with teachers. 5 th -year, Medicine: Medical University of Vienna What are your impressions of Showa University? I think that the students at Showa University can get a really good medical education and at the same time they have the opportunity to improve their social skills by joining one of the many club activities and events that Showa University is offering.
Alumni profile: Dr. Maki Narita Maki Narita, D.D.S., M.S. is a board certified periodontist and a specialist in dental implants practicing in Torrance and Costa Mesa, California and teaching at UCLA School of Dentistry Section of Periodontics. After graduating from Showa University School of Dentistry and obtaining the Japanese dental license in 1996, she received her D.D.S. (Doctor of Dental Surgery) from the U.S.C. School of Dentistry in 1998 and her California and Texas dental licenses. Dr. Narita has also served as a clinical instructor for the anterior fixed restoration course at U.S.C. After being a general dentist for 12 years, Dr. Narita decided to pursue periodontics/dental implants specialty. In 2013, she successfully completed the Postgraduate Periodontics Program at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) and obtained a Masters of Science Degree in Orofacial Sciences. Dr. Narita is a founder of Global Harmony Inc., an interpretation and translation services company specializing in consecutive and simultaneous translation services for both English and Japanese speaking dentists at universities, conventions, and meetings. She also founded an educational blog for Japanese dental professionals and introduces conversational English used in a dental practice, speakdentalenglish.com, Dr. Narita has also been appointed as lecturer at her alma mater, Showa University School of Dentistry Department of Orthodontics in 2014. Study Club Showa has been founded by Dr. Narita in 2017 to further and enhance the knowledge, techniques, and skills of clinical dentistry for Japanese general dentists. It meets every quarter and next time will be Sept. 5 th. Upcoming summer 2017 events May 8~June 30 June 21-26 July 28 Pharmacy exchange students from Mahasarakham U. and Albany College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences Dentistry exchange students from Hong Kong U. Bon-odori Japanese dance festival Inquiries: International Exchange Center Showa University, Building #15, Room #103 & 105 1-5-8 Hatanodai, Shinagawa-ku Tokyo142-8555 Japan Phone: 03-3784-8266 Email: int-exc@ofc.showa-u.ac.jp Web: https://www.facebook.com/showaiec/ FamilyMart Editors: International Exchange Center staff Takashi Miyazaki: Director Miyuki Hashimoto: Associate Professor Michael W. Myers: Associate Professor Yuka Hiraizumi: Associate Professor Takeshi Miura: International Exchange Center Staff Taeko Suzuki: International Exchange Center Staff Shiming Matsushima: Part-Time Staff Hatanodai Station Sumitomo Mitsui Bank