TEL. 03-3353-8111
〒162-8666 8-1, Kawada-cho, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo
The Department of Hygiene and Public Health was founded in 1934 by Professor
Hiroto Yoshioka, son of the founder of Tokyo Women's Medical University,
Dr. Yayoi Yoshioka, and since then has been engaged in research and education
on a wide range of health issues throughout society. The term "public
health" may be unfamiliar to many people, but public health is the
study of protecting the lives (ensuring and promoting the health) of the
public (all people). The important role of this field is to prevent people
from getting sick or injured in advance and to widely disseminate the knowledge
and techniques of basic and clinical medicine to society, and that is why
it is called social medicine. Article 25 of the Constitution of Japan states
that the national government shall strive to improve public health, and
Article 1 of the Medical Practitioners Law states that physicians shall
contribute to the improvement and promotion of public health. The results
of this academic research are put into practice in community health, maternal
and child health, mental health, and elderly health at public health centers,
as well as in school health,occupational health, environmental health,
international health, and other initiatives. In public health, research
on this wide range of areas is conducted mainly using epidemiological (i.e.,
identifying the frequency, distribution and the causes of various health-related
events in a population) approaches. Our division aims to educate medical
professionals who can play an active role in these broad areas, and is
primarily responsible for education in medical statistics, clinical epidemiology
and EBM. We also conduct research on women's health and working women,
as well as research on improving the working environment of medical institutions,
in order to contribute to "the empowerment of women," which was
the purpose of the founding of Tokyo Women's Medical University.
【Section of Global Health】
Our original Department of Parasitology, which had been led by Professor Tatsuo Shirasaka, was reorganized into the Department of International Environmental and Tropical Medicine in 1993 (Heisei 5) when Professor Takatoshi Kobayakawa was appointed to address not only parasites but also global health issues, and in 2009 (2009), Professor Hiroyoshi Endo and in 2016 (2016) Professor Tomohiko Sugishita took over the position, by harmonizing the two approaches, field and bench, like two wheels of a car. Today, it has evolved from genome analysis to interdisciplinary field research, and even to empirical and policy research in global health and its application to social design, with the aim of fostering leadership among female physicians and social change.
In pre-graduate education, we conduct lectures and exercises on biostatistics, epidemiology, and EBM in "AI, Data Science and Medicine," a longitudinal course from the first to the fourth year of the School of Medicine.
In addition, we conduct lectures and practical training in hygiene and public health in line with the Model Core Curriculum for Medical Education, including the core subjects "Environment and Health, Disease, and Disability" and "Social Systems and Health, Medicine, and Welfare" in the fourth year (segment 8) of the School of Medicine.
In "AI, Data Science and Medicine," students will learn the actual collection, organization, integration, analysis, selection, retrieval, dissemination, and presentation of information, focusing on the use of ICT (Information and Communication Technology) to effectively utilize various types of information related to medicine. First, students will learn the fundamentals of statistics, with the goal of acquiring the knowledge necessary to be able to process statistical data appropriately and to accurately interpret the results obtained. After that, the goal is to understand the concepts and methods of epidemiology and to acquire the basic skills to apply them to populations. Furthermore, students will develop practical skills in EBM in clinical practice.
In "Social Systems and Health, Medical Care, and Welfare," students are requested to recognize the concept of individual and group health, learn about individual and social organizational efforts necessary to maintain and promote health, as well as laws and regulations, statistical information, administrative organizations and systems, and economics related to health care, and aim to be able to examine problems and measures for medical care in society.
We are also involved in "Tutorial," "Practical Studies of Sincerity and Love," "Research Projects," "Independent Elective Practice," and "Basic Clinical Practice".
In the School of Nursing, we conduct lectures in Public Health (3rd grade), Health Science (2nd grade) and Epidemiology (4th grade).
【Section of Global Health】
Lecture
| Segment/Block | Grade | Lecture contents |
|---|---|---|
| S2 | 1 | Living organisms and microorganisms (general introduction to parasites, international health and infectious diseases) |
| S4 | 2 | Respiratory system II (Respiratory parasites) |
| S7 | 4 | Infectious diseases (parasitic diseases) |
| S8 | 4 | Social Systems and Health, Medical Care, and Welfare |
| Elective Lecture | 1-4 | Medical Policy |
| S10 | 6 | Society and Health Care (International Health and Infectious Diseases) |
Practical Training
| Segment | Grade | Contents of Practice |
|---|---|---|
| S7 | 4 | Parasitology practice |
| S8 | 4 | Social Medicine Practicum |
| S9 | 5 | Elective Practicum (Clerkship) |
The amendment to the Medical Care Act in 2016 stipulates improvements in
the working environment of medical institutions, and as part of the subsequent
work style reform for physicians, a cap on overtime work will be applied
to physicians in 2024. Therefore, we are conducting research on ways to
improve working conditions so that physicians, as professionals themselves,
can clarify how they and their colleagues would like to work within appropriate
working hours, rather than simply reducing working hours.
In addition, in our country, where there is a large gender gap, there is
a need to resolve issues related to the health and career development of
working women. In particular, since our university aims to foster female
medical professionals and improve the social status of women, our division
also conducts research on women's health and career development.
【Section of Global Health】
In order to realize the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the Department of Tropical Medicine (Malaria Genetics), the Department of Interdisciplinary Regional Research (Field Research), and the Department of Global Health Research (International Health Policy Research) are collaborating with each other. Through education and research activities, we hope to foster human resources with an international perspective and nurture the next generation of leaders who will create a "prosperous society that values life". The research includes genome analysis of Plasmodium falciparum malaria, medical care seeking behavior research in Papua New Guinea, and empirical studies in Laos and Kenya, etc. Through various studies based on molecular biology, public health, epidemiology, sociology, development studies, economics, and medical anthropology, we conduct research and leadership education on the future of medicine and social design.
Michiko Nohara
Hajime Honma (Section of Global Health)
Division of Public Health, Graduate School of Medicine
Subjects in charge: Epidemiology/Medical Statistics, Clinical Epidemiology/EBM, Epidemiology/Clinical Epidemiology Intensive Discussion, Experiments and Practical Training (Problem-Based Research), Practical Training in Social Medicine
Research Achievements Database (Public Health)
Research Achievements Database (Public Health, Section of Global Health)
〒162-8666
8-1, Kawada-cho, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo
TEL +81-3-3353-8111