Aiming to Be a University That Serves the Community and Engages the World
—Toward a further leap of SUMS through “Co-creation” and “Collaboration”—
On April 1, 2026, I assumed the office of President of Shiga University of Medical Science, succeeding former President Shinji Uemoto. Building upon the history and traditions established to date, I am committed to working together with all faculty, staff, and students to strive for the further advancement of our university.
SUMS is a single-discipline medical university established in 1974 with approximately 1,000 students studying in the School of Medicine, the School of Nursing, and the Graduate School. The university’s philosophy is "As the university which is supported by its local community, contributes to the community and plays an active part in the world, we contribute to development of medical and nursing science and promotion of human health." Our mission is to foster doctors and nurses who will work in Shiga Prefecture and contribute to community medicine, as well as to nurture professionals who will disseminate distinctive research outcomes and utilize them internationally, as embodied in our philosophy of being "a university that plays an active part in the world." To fulfill this vision as an institution open to society, it is essential to establish collaborative places for joint education and research with external individuals, corporations, local governments, and funding organizations while maintaining active partnerships with local healthcare providers as well as domestic and international academic institutions. With the keywords, "co-creation" and "collaboration," I aim to drive further advancement of our university.
In contributing to community healthcare, we are working to train doctors and nurses to work in Shiga Prefecture and dispatch physicians to local hospitals. At the same time, we strive to practice advanced medical care at the University Hospital as the last bastion of medical care in the region. In April 2026, we opened Building E at the University Hospital with a view toward gaining designation as an Advanced Emergency and Critical Care Center. Here, we are practicing advanced medical care, equipped with state-of-the-art emergency and intensive care facilities, endoscopy equipment, and radiation therapy equipment for cancer.
In nurturing professionals who are capable of making an impact on the global stage, we are implementing initiatives such as summer overseas attachment programs for third-year medical students and a nursing student exchange program with The National University of Malaysia (UKM) in the School of Nursing, expecting students to acquire a global perspective during their undergraduate years. In addition, in 2025, we established the "International Joint Ph.D. Program in Ageing Science" (admission quota: 2 students per year), a joint degree program with UKM in the Doctoral Program in Medical Science, welcoming two graduate students as the first graduating class in October. Furthermore, we newly established the "Division of Global Collaboration in Nursing Research" for the Doctoral Program in Nursing Science, advancing the internationalization of our graduate school.
In research, we aim to disseminate our university's distinctive research findings to the world, including medical research using monkeys, research on intractable neurological diseases, NCD epidemiology research, and advanced cancer research, while putting excellent research results into practical application. As examples of disseminating research results to the world, I would like to introduce three initiatives:
The first initiative is the “Institute for the Advanced Study of Human Biology,” led by Kyoto University. Serving as a satellite research center, our university is advancing pioneering research using genetically modified macaques, a non-human primate model that remains unparalleled worldwide. The second is the project for the establishment of world-leading research and development centers for vaccine development. Our university is participating in this nationwide vaccine development research as a supporting institution.
For the third initiative, "Program for Forming Japan’s Peak Research Universities," the NCD Epidemiology Research Center is contributing to the "Body Sphere Research" project led by Ritsumeikan University, which was selected for this program. Under a five-year plan starting in AY2026, we plan to enhance our university's research capabilities in collaboration with Ritsumeikan University and other institutions.
Furthermore, in 2023, we established the “Medical Innovation Research Center,” which brings together diverse talent regardless of nationality, gender, age, or discipline to conduct creative research. The steerable catheter developed in this lab in collaboration with partner companies is being used in many hospitals and has achieved remarkable results, such as winning the Grand Prize at Medtec Japan 2025 held in April 2025. Moving forward, we will continue to disseminate distinctive research outcomes to the world and aim for the social implementation of outstanding research results.
While inheriting the rich history and traditions of SUMS, I will forge ahead to cultivate a campus where all faculty, staff, and students can take pride and proactively tackle new challenges.
April 1, 2026
TOOYAMA Ikuo
President, Shiga University of Medical Science