Jefferson Japan Center

Established in January 2012, the Jefferson Japan Center coordinates the exchange of health personnel between Jefferson, Japanese Association for the Development of Community Medicine (JADECOM), one of the largest Japanese health systems; Noguchi Medical Research Institute (NMRI), a recognized leader in medical education exchange; and leading Japanese health science institutions. Together, these partners work to achieve several goals. 

• Supplement the development of health professionals from Japan with experiences at Jefferson.
• Promote the exchange of research ideas and personnel between the Japanese institutions and Jefferson.
• Further research during these exchanges.

As the largest Japanese health science center in the U.S. and with a proud relationship with the Japan America Society of Greater Philadelphia, the Japan Center, committed to promoting medical education and humanistic care in Japan and the U.S., has:

• Hosted more than 450 healthcare professionals, including physicians, nurses, pharmacists, physical and occupational therapists, speech pathologists, dietitians, medical technologists, students and hospital administrators over the past seven years.
• Launched its first collaborative research symposium in 2017.
• Sponsored two high-profile lectureships, including the Dr. Yoshihisa Asano Lecture for Medical Education, as well as the Dr. Fumimaro Takaku Lectureship in partnership with the Department of Family & Community Medicine.

Team Members

• Danielle DeSantis, MPH, CHES, Program Manager & Visitor Travel Coordinator (Danielle.DeSantis@jefferson.edu)
• Vincent Gleizer, Project Coordinator (Vincent.Gleizer@jefferson.edu)
• Wayne Bond Lau, MD, Associate Director (Waynebond.Lau@jefferson.edu)
• Charles Pohl, MD, Executive Director for Jefferson Japan Center & Senior Vice Provost for Student Affairs (Charles.Pohl@jefferson.edu) 
• Yumiko Radi, Operations Director (Yumiko.Radi@jefferson.edu)
• Takami Sato, MD, PhD, Director (Takami.Sato@jefferson.edu)

Highlights

• Rural Health Initiative: Program to improve Japan’s health care in the rural setting
• Rehabilitation Science Innovation: Development of business model with Fujita Health University’s innovation center to design universal moveable design spaces
• Physician Faculty Development Certificate: Training future physician leaders
• Nursing Accreditation Project: Collaboration between Jefferson College of Nursing and Toho University
• Industry Collaboratives: Working with Toyota and Canon in design thinking, innovation and population health programs
• Education in Medicine: Established the annual Noguchi/Jefferson Japan Center Medical Education Symposium in Japan, as well as annual summer educational camp for Japanese medical students and residents
• Education and Research in Nursing: Working with Toho University to design and develop nursing practitioner training program in Japan