Speech on Entrance Ceremony
Hokkaido University Graduate School of Medicine
April 1, 2024
Shigetsugu Hatakeyama, M.D., Ph.D.
Dean, Hokkaido University Graduate School of Medicine
Congratulations on your admission to Hokkaido University Graduate School of Medicine.
I would like to extend our warmest congratulations on behalf of faculty members of theGraduate School of Medicine. We are pleased to welcome you all, filled with hope and eyes
shining with delight.
Hokkaido University Graduate School of Medicine was established in 1955 in accordancewith the graduate school educational reform. In 2000, under the government’s policy to place
importance on graduate schools, education and research at the Graduate School of Medicine
was enhanced by shifting the center of education and research for the enrichment of theSchool of Medicine to the Graduate School of Medicine.
In April 2017, in order to send out the manpower flexibly to respond to the social needs
which change dramatically, the Graduate School of Medicine was reorganized into anorganization which solely graduate students belong to, by separating the organization offaculty members, which is newly named as Faculty of Medicine. This reorganization enabled
us to provide global education of graduate school by organically integrating different
disciplines. In other words, the educational approach has been enabled where faculty ofmultiple graduate schools, research institutes, or others can take part in the education, andthe redistribution of educational resources has been realized without being confined to a
research domain. By virtue of this new system, we can promptly respond and establish aneducational organization, if requested by the society to implement a new type of education.
The Doctoral (PhD) Program provides one major (medicine), three courses. It places
importance on the education beyond the boundaries of academic disciplines as well as
devising the curriculum to guarantee high degree of specialty secured at any course.
Specifically, we offer “Basic Medicine Course” to train medical researches and physician
scientists, “Social Medicine Course” to nurture human resources who will work actively in thefield of social medicine and public health, and “Clinical Medicine Course” to nurture humanresources who will execute high-level of clinical research.
In 2009, our Graduate School of Medicine introduced MD-PhD Program to foster young
basic medical researchers and educators, which number is especially concerned to bedecreasing. The program allows 6th-year students at the School of Medicine to take required

subjects of the Doctoral Program of the Graduate School of Medicine while learning under
the curriculum for 6th-year students in the School of Medicine. With this program, students
can complete the graduate school's program in three years, if they meet the requirements forcompletion. In addition, the Clinic and Research Combination (CLARC) Program waslaunched in 2013. This allows post-graduate year 2 medical residents to enroll in the Graduate
School of Medicine, enabling them to start a combination of Clinical Training and Doctoral
Program.
The Master’s Program was inaugurated in 2002, ahead of many other universities. This
program aims to promote to unite the knowledges of different fields and train researchers andhighly specialized professionals with creativity and comprehensive viewpoints thoroughproviding students who have completed undergraduate studies other than medicine with theknowledge and information of the latest medical science and medical care. In 2017, the Public
Health Course was newly established, where educational system to acquire Master of Public
Health is introduced. In addition, with the aim to expeditiously send out human resources tothe society, who can cope with regional problems including Hokkaido’s, such as the aging
society and declining population, Public Health Course (One-Year Course) has beenestablished. This course is intended for medical doctors, dentists, pharmacist and otherprofessionals working in fields of medicine possessing a certain amount of practical experience
to complete the course in one year.
Under the philosophies of the Graduate School of Medicine “to lead the world with cuttingedge research in medical science” and “to equip the next generation of medical researchersand medical professionals with a strong sense of ethics and a well-rounded character tocontribute to the health and welfare of humanity”, the Graduate School of Medicine sets its
educational goal to nurture individuals who possess high ethical standards and highly
specialized knowledge regarding medicine, life science and social medicine as well as researchand teaching or practical capabilities. Since the remarkable developments in medicine
nowadays are based on past research developments, there will be no progress in medicine oftomorrow without the research of today. However, there are alarming circumstances where
the number of students who enroll medical graduate schools is decreasing, as well as thenumber of young medical researchers and physician scientists, who are to play important partin the field of tomorrow’s medicine. What are suggested as the factors behind this, are thefalling populations of young generations linked with the decline of young medical researchers,
decreasing opportunities for researchers to work and introductions of the new clinical resident
training systems and the new medical specialist system. We would like to pay our heartfelt
respects to you who have chosen the way of Hokkaido University Graduate School of Medicine
in these circumstances. I believe the exposure to the front-line research and to execute yourown research at this graduate school should be a life fortune for not only those who wish toplay an active role as a basic researcher but for those who wish to become clinical researchers
endowing orientation towards research and researchers who desire to become successful andcapable medical specialists or highly specialized professionals. What are expected during thecourse in this graduate school are not only to enhance your ability to plan and execute theresearch but also to enrich your qualifications and abilities to cope with the dramatical changesof the society, and most importantly to maintain your spirit to keep on challenging.
Students who are going to learn the latest medical research are expected to take theinitiative in implementing highly creative knowledge and solving various problems based ona high ethical standard as members of outstanding scientists, and to contribute to the demandsof society. It is our sincere hope that the day will come when you will acquire the degree byachieving respectable research result and complete this graduate school.