Accreditation Results(Accreditation Results for School of Veterinary Medicine)

Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine
School of Cooperative Veterinary Medicine

Basic Information of the Institution
Ownership: NationalLocation: Hokkaido, Japan

Accreditation Status
Year of the Review: 2022
Accreditation Status: accredited （Accreditation Period: April 1, 2023 – March 31, 2030）

Hokkaido University
School of Veterinary Medicine(Cooperative Veterinary Education Program) /Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine
School of Cooperative Veterinary Medicine

Accreditation Results
for the Cooperative Veterinary Education Program betweenHokkaido University School of Veterinary Medicine andObihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine

The educational mission of the Cooperative Veterinary Education Program between
Hokkaido University School of Veterinary Medicine (Hokkaido University) andObihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine (Obihiro University) is to“provide an international standard of veterinary education that integrates the two
institutions’ educational resources to create a joint veterinary program otherwise
unattainable by a single university.” Under this mission, the Cooperative Veterinary
Education Program offers high quality veterinary education, leveraging the strengthsof each institution, namely companion animal medicine and infectious diseases of
Hokkaido University, and production animal medicine, meat and food safety of
Obihiro University. In addition to the shared educational mission, each veterinary
school stipulates its own goal for the joint program based on the mission and purpose
established by the respective universities. Obihiro University’s Cooperative
Veterinary Education Program aims to train “veterinarians who possess a global
perspective and a sense of awareness of a broad range of issues, and who can thrive
in a variety of fields, in other words, veterinarians who specialize in the field ofclinical veterinary medicine related to the prevention and diagnosis of animal
diseases, or public health including zoonotic infections.” The educational goal of
Hokkaido University’s Cooperative Veterinary Education Program is “to develop
new generations of veterinarians with a well-rounded character, a strong sense ofethics and international perspectives, as well as researchers who can adopt apioneering approach to veterinary medicine” by imparting specialized knowledge
and skills in veterinary medicine, with the graduates “expected to contribute to themaintenance and improvement of animal health, the improvement of public health,food safety and the development of life sciences.”
The cooperative program’s education and research activities are carried out
to achieve the goals and objectives described above. In the comprehensive
participatory clinical training course, for example, a list of “day-one competencies”
that students should acquire is defined and used to monitor and evaluate student1

Hokkaido University
School of Veterinary Medicine(Cooperative Veterinary Education Program) /Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine
School of Cooperative Veterinary Medicine

learning in a logbook format. Other efforts to improve clinical education include theSkills Lab made available for students to hone their clinical skills through repeatedpractice, along with training opportunities of night-time and emergency veterinary
care for both companion animals and industrial animals. To assure the quality ofeducation, the Cooperative Veterinary Education Program has put in place a quality
assurance system led by the Programme Executive Board between Hokkaido
University School of Veterinary Medicine and Obihiro University of Agriculture andVeterinary Medicine as well as a mechanism to use student feedback for teaching
improvements. These efforts are producing remarkable outcomes, with the joint
program gaining full accreditation by the European Association of Establishments
for Veterinary Education (EAEVE) in AY2019. This accreditation sets a positive
example for other universities, and the two veterinary schools are expected tocontinue to develop their current efforts, leading to improvement and innovation ofJapan’s veterinary education, especially in the areas of clinical and public healtheducation.
Furthermore, under the joint program each university undertakes activities
that build on their respective strengths. Obihiro University, for example, conducts
tests, diagnostics, and cutting-edge research in collaboration with outsideorganizations through its centers and institutes, including a well-equipped medical
facility for industrial animals, the Field Center for Animal Science and Agriculture,
the National Research Center for Protozoan Diseases, and the Diagnostic Center forAnimal Health and Food Safety, which is an ISO/IEC17025 certified facility.
Hokkaido University in turn carries out research on global challenges, such as theprevention and control of zoonosis diseases through the International Institute for
Zoonosis Control, One Health Research Center, and an animal testing facility
certified by the Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal
Care International (AAALAC International). These centers and institutes are used
not only for veterinary education, but also for social contribution purposes, such as
academic lectures and seminars, which is commendable.
Other notable features include Obihiro University’s Practical courses inPathology, covering a wide variety of animals and providing abundant practicalexperience with students undertaking the entire process of diagnosing injured
animals from antemortem and pathological exams to case reporting. One uniquefeature of Hokkaido University is the initiative to promote internationalization

2Hokkaido University
School of Veterinary Medicine(Cooperative Veterinary Education Program) /Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine
School of Cooperative Veterinary Medicine

through the credit transfer program established in partnership with five overseas
veterinary institutions.
The certified evaluation and accreditation highlighted a number ofstrengths as described above, but it also identified a number of areas for improvement.
One suggestion for improvement that applies to both universities is the promotion ofdiversity in the faculty organization, such as increasing the percentage of females
among all full-time teachers. There are also institution-specific suggestions forimprovement, with Obihiro University being advised to publish the “Degree
Conferral Standards” and the “Curriculum Policy” stated in the Cooperative
Veterinary Education Program’s diploma policy and curriculum policy, respectively,on its website and in the course registration guide. Hokkaido University should work
to reduce the faculty’s workload as some teachers are burdened with an excessive
teaching load.
Going forward, the Cooperative Veterinary Education Program should
continue its self-study efforts for improvement and reform, and further assure andenhance the quality of its veterinary education program (bachelor’s program) tonurture and develop its unique characteristics.

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