Kyushu University School of Medicine was founded in 1903 as the Fukuoka Medical College of Kyoto Imperial University. In 1911 it was reorganized as the Kyushu Imperial University College of Medicine, and in 1947, it becomes the Kyushu University School of Medicine that now located in the hospital campus. Since its foundation, the school has been committed to the advancement of medical care and research including the education and training of medical practitioners and scientists.

Kyushu University has recently been selected as a Designated National University by the Japanese government, being expected to contribute to the resolution of social issues and the transformation of the social and economic systems through the fusion of knowledge in the natural sciences and humanities and social sciences. One of our priority areas is "medical and health fields." In line with this, the "Integrated Initiative for Designing Future Society" was established as a headquarter of this theme to organize activities of many related departments, such as School of Medicine, School of Dentistry, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University Hospital, and Medical Institute of Bioregulation, to potentiate collaboration for revitalization.

The most important mission since the establishment is to train talented and exceptional individuals who gather from all over the country, and to develop them into professionals who will lead the next generation of healthcare. We have just completed the evaluation for Quality Assurance of Medical education based on global standards and continuously review our educational system to improve the quality of our medical education. In every phase of pre- and post-graduate education, I believe that it is important for students and faculty members to experience and share the joy of discovery and creation.

Given our goals of achieving dogma-challenging basic science breakthroughs and applied research that allows for advancement of the quality of medical care, we endeavor to create an environment that encourages cross-departmental cooperation. This is vital to ensuring the serendipity that is essential for creative breakthroughs while taking full advantage of the economies of scale available in the hospital campus where medical, dental, pharmaceutical, and laboratory science are highly concentrated. All the while, we continue to focus on our responsibility for training the next generation of medical professionals who will play important roles in the future of medical care in Japan and abroad.

Japan is facing various challenges as a country, and in midst of that, the significance of national universities is also being questioned. We are being closely watched to see if we can cooperate and advance our own innovations in the fields of research, education, and clinical practice. As Kyushu University Faculty of Medical Science, we are determined to strive for even greater heights without fear of change.