Educational Policy of Graduate School of Health Sciences (Doctor's Course) (Genome Medicine and Medical Science Course)
Fundamental Educational Goals
In the Genome Medicine and Medical Science Research Course, we strive to enrich our educational activities, which are the most critical mission requested by society. Based on the results of our advanced research activities to date, we aim to develop students' ability to actively participate in the “creation of knowledge.” We support each individual in fostering a rich humanity through close dialogue and discussion with fellow students and faculty, and we provide education aimed at nurturing individuals with a wide range of abilities and personalities who can play a core role in various fields, both domestic and international, primarily in medical care.
Exemplary Students
For the practice and establishment of health promotion, we aim to nurture educators and researchers who can independently research and develop educational programs, devices, and technologies related to health, medical care, and welfare, based on the foundation of “interprofessional work.”
In the Genome Medicine and Medical Science Research Course, our goal is to set forth the “practice and establishment of health promotion”. To achieve this goal, we base “the practice and establishment of health promotion” on the educational philosophy of “Inter-Professional Work.” We train educators and researchers who can independently research and develop educational programs, devices, and technologies related to health, medical care, and welfare, to meet the demands of society.
Specifically, we will foster individuals to develop the following five abilities:
○ Implementation Ability: To identify challenges in the practice, education, research, and human resource development of genomic medicine; to acknowledge differences; to present new findings and solutions to society for the advancement of medical science and health promotion.
○ Inquiry Ability: To discern and reveal the essence of challenges in the practice, education, research, and human resource development of genomic medicine in an original way.
○ Communication Ability: To demonstrate leadership in the practice, education, research, and human resource development of genomic medicine.
○ Specialized Ability: To research and discover new insights and create devices, technologies, etc.
○ Liberal Arts Ability: To respond quickly to social changes, such as globalization, and broaden their knowledge through a multi-faceted perspective and flexible thinking.
Degree Policy
The Genome Medicine and Medical Science Research Course awards degrees to exemplary students who have studied for the prescribed period of time, acquired the following competences and earned the credits required for graduation.
Abilities acquired: Implementation Ability, Inquiry Ability, Communication Ability, Specialized Ability, Liberal Arts Ability
【Implementation Ability】Implementation ability involves defining challenges in the practice, education, research, and human resource development of genome medicine, acknowledging differences, and presenting new insights and solutions to society for the advancement of medical science and health promotion.
• The ability to explain the necessity of improving medical science and promoting health in genome medicine.
• The ability to solve issues by understanding and mutually benefiting from the differences with other specialties in the face of challenges in genome medicine.
• The ability to convey new insights and solutions to society throughout their life in the practice, education, research, and human resources development of genome medicine.
【Inquiry Ability】Inquiry ability is to originally discern and reveal the essence of issues in the practice, education, research, and human resources development of genome medicine using professional knowledge in the field.
•The ability to discover the essence and universality of issues from their own perspective and find solutions.
•The ability to explain the discovered essence and universality to society in simple words.
【Communication Ability】Communication ability is to demonstrate leadership in the practice, education, research, and human resources development of genome medicine.
•The ability to clearly transmit knowledge and skills of genome medicine to others.
•The ability to work in a medical team while identifying and explaining their role in genome medicine.
•The ability to discuss with others after understanding the position, knowledge, and skills of each medical staff.
•The ability to build mutually beneficial relationships beyond their specialty through smooth communication.
【Specialized Ability】Specialized ability fosters independent research capabilities, discovery of new insights, and the ability to create tools and techniques.
•The ability to explain research methodologies and utilize techniques as a highly specialized professional in genomic medicine.
•The ability to deeply integrate knowledge and skills.
•The ability to discover new insights and create new tools and techniques.
【Liberal Arts Ability】Liberal arts ability maintains a multifaceted perspective on various values, flexible thinking, and can swiftly adapt to societal changes, such as globalization, while expanding one’s knowledge.
•The ability to collect and analyze information and use it appropriately.
•The ability to explain societal changes, such as globalization.
•The ability to promote personal growth and learn from different perspectives.
Curriculum Policy
To develop individuals who have mastered the skills set out in our Degree Policy, we arrange and implement an educational curriculum for the Genome Medicine and Medical Science Research Course, based on the following principles and ideas:
Education Implementation Policy
We will educate our students to develop their ability to continue learning independently towards the practice of a sustainable society.
Education principles, methods, and evaluation
We emphasize what students “have become capable of” rather than “what was taught,” from the viewpoint of autonomous, dialogical, and deep learning. We offer the following educational content and methods in General Education, Specialized Education, and Language Education, respectively.
【General Education】
Aiming at cultivating general skills required by all students, we provide practical activities for learning together and growing together with other students.
In the Genomic Medicine and Medical Science Research Course, we conduct an educational program for the Degree Policy. The standard duration of the doctoral program is three years. Students are required to fulfill more than the prescribed credits in this sub-program. Then, after receiving the necessary research guidance, they must carry out an interim presentation, review their doctoral dissertation, and take a final examination.
In the first year, in the “Introduction to Degree Program,” we provide an overview of the learner-centered program of study, outlining the personalities, learning objectives, and learning outcomes to be fostered in this sub-program. Students will also be guided on how to learn about research ethics, intellectual property/rights, and information security that are necessary as the foundation of research. In “Inter-Professional Work,” students from different fields and supporting faculty members engage in long-term, multi-professional collaboration, debate on issues of regional health, medical care, and welfare, and aim to explore and solve multiple issues. Many of the students are working adults who work in educational institutions or local hospitals. Through several evaluations during the course, including a final presentation, we nurture individuals to have flexible thinking and multi-faceted perspectives and can quickly respond to societal changes, such as globalization. We want students to contribute to the practice and establishment of health promotion, and contribute to the improvement of health, medical, and welfare education as well as the development of human resources in the health and medical field.
Regarding Learning Evaluation, we specify the criteria and methods for grading each course in advance, and strictly evaluate the learning outcomes based on these criteria. For master's theses and specific subjects, we clarify the review criteria and methods, and conduct a final review and examination of research results. For doctoral dissertations, evaluation is required at an interim evaluation meeting, and passing the final review and examination is required. For the final review and examination of doctoral dissertations, we organize a review committee consisting of three or more members (however, it is also possible to invite external researchers to the committee if budgetary measures are possible within the program). The review committee members (chief judge) are elected by mutual vote of the members.
【Specialized Education】
In order to foster a deep understanding of the contents of their specialty area through systematic instruction, we provide opportunities to integrate and create knowledge across different specialized areas.
In the first year, students are evaluated through reports and presentations in interdisciplinary classes and workshops organized by this subprogram, which enable them to acquire advanced professional knowledge. From the first year, students will tackle issues in close collaboration with faculty members. We support the process of compiling their work into a thesis over three years. This fosters both the acquisition of cutting-edge knowledge and techniques in the research field along with the enhancement of problem-solving and logical thinking skills. At the mid-stage, presenting at and engaging in discussions at a mandatory interim presentation session with other graduate students and faculty members allows students to understand the issues and positioning of their research. Through this process, we cultivate individuals who can play a leading role in health science practice, education, and research, as well as individuals who have independent research abilities and can contribute to health, medical, and welfare services through the development of equipment and techniques.
To nurture students with a rich liberal arts education and advanced specialized ability across disciplines, we assign an additional sub-guidance teacher as needed to the main guidance teacher, creating a personalized guidance system that responds to the students' needs and manages the research process. For working students without practical experience before and during enrollment, the “Internship practice (Doctor)” is made compulsory, providing opportunities to apply the results of their learning through practical experience in the community.
With the above educational program, we nurture individuals who can contribute to the training of human resources in the health and medical fields in an international society. We want individuals to respond quickly to changes in the field with flexible ideas and multi-faceted viewpoints, and to play a leading role in the practice, education, and research of health sciences while contributing to the practice and establishment of medical science and health promotion.
The constructed educational curriculum implements the PDCA cycle from various perspectives such as faculty development, organizational internal evaluation, external evaluation, and analysis of class evaluation questionnaires by students. Regular and continuous improvements linked to the SDGs are also carried out.
Regarding Learning Evaluation, we clearly state the criteria and methods for grading class subjects in advance, and strictly evaluate learning outcomes based on these criteria.
【Language Education】
We provide education to improve English skills, which are necessary to thrive in a global society.
The program provides credit for presentations of research results in English at international conferences both domestically and overseas, as well as research activities and internships abroad during the three-year period. Students learn presentation skills, communication skills, and debate skills. They are encouraged to write papers in English, thereby cultivating their English proficiency, knowledge acquisition and information dissemination in English with an international perspective.
Extracurricular Education Policy
We provide various extracurricular opportunities for students to experience their own growth beyond classroom learning.