Department
Support Center for Advanced Medical Sciences
The Division of Biomedical Technology, Support Center for Advanced Medical Sciences was established in order to streamline and strengthen the support of the bioscience research on the Kuramoto Campus. The Center, which was supported by the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, introduced new equipments in a positive manner, strengthened support activities and became a fulfilling and unique facility as a regional universities in Japan.
Core staff the Center has been supporting the bioscience research throughout the Kuramoto Campus.
Center for Healthcare Education Research
In April 2004, the Institute of Biomedical Sciences and our Research Center for Education of Health Bioscience were simultaneously established to encourage integrated education with a cross-functional approach between medical and other healthcare professions.
Our center will not only promote educational reform but also assist in the planning, implementation and evaluation of educational programs for medical and other healthcare professions as well as bioscience research through both undergraduate and graduate schools. We will promote inter-professional education（IPE）in cooperation with all teaching staff of Tokushima University in order to provide society with healthcare professionals with humanity, sociality, ethics, mutual understanding and respect for patients, clients and co-workers. Further goals of Our center include building partnerships with local government, medical communities and welfare organizations together with promotion of the research and development of educational methods.
Institute of Space Nutrition
In recent years, the creation of the International Space Station has allowed astronauts to stay in space over an extended period. This technological advancement, however, places astronauts in an unusual environment with weightlessness and radiation, posing a higher risk for such conditions as muscle atrophy, osteoporosis, and taste disorder. To prevent and remediate these conditions, “food” is essential. Tokushima University is very unique concerning “food.” It is the only university in Japan which has the School of Clinical Nutrition within the Faculty of Medicine. Furthermore, the university alumni includes Dr. Shuji Nakamura, a Novel laureate in physics for the development of blue LED which is essential for ‘plant factories’（closed growing system for vegetable production）.
Building on such foundation, the Institute of Space Nutrition was established under the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences on August1, 2018. The mission of the institute is to contribute to the establishment of a research and development center for “space nutrition and food science” in this country, as well as to ensure the safety and health of astronauts through “food,” employing the university’s capabilities to develop functional food and plant factories. Initially, it was only “a space plant factory unit” and “a functional space food unit”. On the first year after foundation, “a space hospital unit” was added to consider medical care in space.
From this time forward and with this institute as the hub, we will advance the “space food industry” through joint research with associated universities, research institutions, and companies. We will, then, apply the technologies advanced at this institute and research outcomes to develop food products for maintaining and improving the health of the elderly. We also aim to further strengthen the field of space nutrition, which was initiated by the agreement between this university and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency （JAXA） regarding collaborative graduate schools and to train researchers of space life science with a focus on “space nutrition, food science and space medicine.”
Nursing Skills Advancement Center
The Nursing Skills Advancement Center was founded in April 2020 to give the results of nursing research back to the local community while improving the sophistication of local healthcare and the quality of nursing care together with providing opportunities for skills advancement education to nursing professionals.
“Skills advancement education” is to continue lifelong learning and career development on a periodic basis through returning to an educational institution after completion of basic medical education in order to acquire new knowledge and skills necessary for medical professionals throughout their careers.
With the advancement of technological innovation and the highly-developed medical care in recent years, it has become important for nurses to continue their education and acquire the latest and most advanced knowledge/skills throughout their lifetime. The center aims to establish an educational system linking the university and the community through expanding its roles and functions to achieve a higher educational institution open to the community in the future.
