Greetings

Hokkaido University School of Medicine, one of the oldest and most traditional medical schools in Japan, was originally founded in 1919 as Hokkaido Imperial University School of Medicine, and in 2019, it marked its 100th anniversary. To date, the Schoolof Medicine has produced a total of 10,000 graduates, and approximately 6,500 alumni are active in their specialized fields as
doctors, medical researchers, and other professionals throughout Japan and around the world.
In 2017, education at the School of Medicine saw a renewal of its clinical clerkships with the cooperation of more than 50 affiliated hospitals in Hokkaido, in order to enhance clinical practice in the fifth and sixth years. To promote further reform of medical education, it has established a curriculum committee with the participation of students, where students and faculty are working together to reform the interactive education system. These implementations conform to the international accreditation
standards set by the Japan Accreditation Council for Medical Education. The School of Medicine underwent evaluation for theinternational accreditation in 2021. With its medical education assured from an international standpoint, we expect to furtherpropel the overseas study program and the graduates' international activities in the medical field.
Hokkaido University Graduate School of Medicine, originally established in 1955, was reorganized in 2017 to flexibly produce
medical personnel who can respond to the changing demands of society. Through this reorganization, the “Graduate School ofMedicine”, which had integrated educational and research organizations, was divided into two organizational entities: the“Graduate School of Medicine”, to which graduate students belong, and the “Faculty of Medicine”, to which faculty members
belong. This has enabled us to create a global graduate education system that can respond organically to society and students. In
this reorganized system, the faculty members of the Faculty of Medicine and other institutions within the University work together toconduct the world's most advanced research, thereby providing ahigh-quality educational environment for the graduate students of
the Graduate School of Medicine studying under them. In this way,
we can expect the development of both “the graduate students as
the Graduate School of Medicine” and “the faculty as the Faculty ofMedicine”. At the University, the execution of cutting-edge researchat the Graduate School of Medicine is essential to the provision ofeducation, which also contributes to the philosophy of the Graduate
School of Medicine: “to lead the world with cutting-edge researchin medical science, and to equip the next generation of medical researchers and medical professionals with a strong sense of ethics
and a well-rounded character to contribute to the health and welfare of humanity”. By having graduate students of the Graduate
School of Medicine receive education under the faculty members
affiliated with the Faculty of Medicine who are at the forefront ofresearch, we can expect to “help students develop advanced levelsof knowledge and research skills in the fields of medical and life
sciences and profound insights that meet the needs of society”,
which is the educational goal of the Graduate School of Medicine.
Amidst drastic changes affecting the social environment of universities, we will continually strive to further advance the School ofMedicine, Graduate School of Medicine, and Faculty of Medicine,in view of the future of education, research, and medical care.

HATAKEYAMA Shigetsugu, M.D., Ph.D.
Dean
Faculty of Medicine and Graduate School of Medicine/
School of Medicine, Hokkaido University

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