A KKU-MD delegation led by Associate Professor Apichat Jiravuttipong, MD, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine visited Kumamoto University (KU) from June 7 to 11, 2023 for the purpose of educational collaboration extension. The delegation paid a courtesy call on Prof. Hisao Ogawa, KU President, and met KU School of Medicine researchers and physicians.

Kumamoto University is one of the oldest universities in Japan and supports a wide range of educational and research activities. KKU and KU signed an academic exchange agreement in 2004 to promote friendship and academic exchanges, especially in the fields of biology, health science, and medicine. In 2016 a Double Degree Program (DDP) agreement for doctoral degree between KU Graduate School of Medical Sciences and KKU-MD was initiated. The first KKU-MD student graduated from this program in 2023.

During the visit the delegation discussed cooperative achievements of graduate student and researcher exchanges, the DDP between KU and KKU-MD Medical Biochemistry and Molecular Biology programs, and the next collaborative project for potential DDP students. The discussions also included academic cooperation to provide KKU medical students, residents, graduate students, and faculty staff opportunities to visit and exchange with KU.

The KKU delegation also visited KU hospital’s medical services and toured their International Research Center for Medical Sciences (IRCMS) facilities meeting KKU exchange students there and many medical researchers. This visit strengthened KKU-MD’s cooperative relationships with KU in collaborative research and education development. It is hoped that the visit enhances KKU’s human resources capacity to contribute medical problem solving capacity not only at national but also global level.

Reporting by Sathaphorn Onlamun

Editing by Prof. John F Smith