BETA VERSION
Background
Nagasaki University's School of Tropical Medicine and Global Health (TMGH) was established in 2015 and offers 3 unique, master-level course:
1) Tropical Medicine Course (MTM)
2) International Health Development (MPH)
With globalization accelerating in the 21st century, there are growing concerns for the sustainable development of human society due to climate change and the aggravation of living environments caused by population growth and economic development. Under these circumstances, the notion of “global health” has emerged as an integrated issues area encompassing topics such as communicable and non-communicable diseases occurring regardless of geographical and/or economic boundaries.
TMGH was established to meet the pressing need to cultivate human resources who will solve global health challenges employing innovative, comprehensive and trans-disciplinary approaches. At TMGH, we offer a unique curriculum including clinical exposure and research in a low-income setting (for the Tropical Medicine course), a long term internship program at an international organization/NGO and research in a developing country (for the International Health Development course), and a flexible program depending on students’ background (for the Health Innovation course). In addition, English will be the language used for all 3 courses, allowing easier communications between international students and Japanese students.
Philosophy and Purpose of TMGH
Along with the globalization of the economy, industry, and mass migrations in the 21st century, problems relating to the natural and social environment have also become globalized. Infectious diseases, mental health issues and lifestyle related illnesses are particularly affected by changes in our environment, requiring new ways to counter them, methods that transcend countries and regions, known as “global health”. TMGH aims to go beyond the existing academic boundaries, using a new comprehensive approach to solve world health problems and train new professionals in “Global Health” who can be called upon internationally for this purpose.
Why was TMGH founded in Nagasaki?
Nagasaki University has inherited “the rooted culture of Nagasaki, encouraging the fostering of rich minds and using science that supports world peace to contribute to the harmonious development of society”. We adhere to this philosophy and encourage our students to strive to achieve “strength in the field, strength during crisis, and readiness to jump into action”, aiming to lead the intellectual foundations of society in the 21st century.
In addition, Nagasaki University’s Medical School and Institute of Tropical Medicine (NEKKEN) along with various other graduate schools have a long tradition of being internationally active. Under the university president’s leadership, our mission “as a local university has been to encourage students to have a bird’s eye view of the world from a regional perspective, and to consider each region’s viewpoint from a global perspective. From global issues to local ones, we must create a workforce of experts capable of facing this ‘glocality'.
Currently, however, the integration of training health professionals for the global stage into Japan’s education system has been slow. As a result, the establishment of a pool of professionals who can take on global health issues has been recognized as an important mission for Nagasaki University. Considering the well-established presence of the Institute of Tropical Medicine (NEKKEN), the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, and the Graduate School of International Health Development at Nagasaki University, it was thus decided to establish the School of Tropical Medicine and Global Health (TMGH) in Nagasaki.