KAA-Jr. (Keio Akakura Academy Jr.) — A Gathering of Keio University's Three Medical Schools and Affiliated Schools

2024/10/24

Photo: KAA-Jr. Shinanomachi Campus On-site Participants

On August 17, KAA-Jr. was held, bringing together students and graduates from the three medical schools—the School of Medicine, the Faculty of Nursing and Medical Care, and the Faculty of Pharmacy—along with middle and high school students from Keio University affiliated schools. The School of Medicine was established as the Department of Medicine in 1917, with Shibasaburo Kitasato, the face of the new 1,000-yen bill, serving as the first Dean and Hospital Director. Kitasato believed that nurses were the most important element in hospital management and that training excellent nurses was an urgent task. In 1918, he established the Department of Medicine Nurse Training Center, providing nursing education that emphasized not only knowledge but also character. The Faculty of Pharmacy originated when Noboru Kojima, a graduate of the department of political economy, opened the Kyoritsu Women's Pharmacy School in 1930, which became the Keio University Faculty of Pharmacy in 2008.

The Keio University School of Medicine Sanshikai is the medical school alumni association established in 1920. One of its activities is the operation of "Akakura Sanso" in Myoko City, Niigata Prefecture. Akakura Sanso was built with a donation from Keio University alumni Mr. Yuitsu Ogawa; although it was once destroyed by fire, it was rebuilt in 1994. An event called the Keio Akakura Academy (KAA) is held at Akakura Sanso, where students from the three schools and senior faculty members spend two days and one night talking together. KAA-Jr. was started as a forum for students and graduates of the three schools to interact with students from affiliated schools, with the cooperation of the deans of the three schools and the principals of the affiliated schools.

The first event was aimed at students from Keio Senior High School, Keio Shiki Senior High School, Keio Shonan Fujisawa Senior High School, and Keio Girls Senior High School. Titled "Let's Talk Honestly with Current Students from the Three Medical Schools," it was initiated primarily by Kazumi Fukagawa, a director of Sanshikai, and Teruyoshi Yoshida, who was a student in the Faculty of Pharmacy at the time. While a round of hospital and laboratory tours was planned for March 2020, it was canceled due to the outbreak of COVID-19, and instead, videos were distributed and questions were accepted. Due to its popularity and the fact that the "Akakura Academy (KAA)" was recognized as a Keio University officially authorized student club in April 2020, the event has been student-led and supported by Sanshikai since the second session. Keio Academy of New York joined in 2023, and this sixth session also reached out to junior high school students.

This time, there were a total of 31 participants: 14 on-site (2 from Keio Senior High, 3 from Shonan Fujisawa Chutobu Junior High School, 8 from Shonan Fujisawa Senior High, and 1 from Keio Academy of New York) and 17 web participants (Keio Academy of New York). The event began with Yoshihiro Fukuo (5th-year medical student), a member of the KAA-Jr. Executive Committee, serving as the MC. I (President of Sanshikai) gave an opening greeting, introducing KAA-Jr., the history of the three schools, and explaining that much research is conducted at Shinanomachi in addition to clinical practice and education.

In the first part, the University Student Panel Discussion, Itsuki Saito (4th-year pharmacy student) served as the facilitator. Seven student panelists gave presentations: Riku Fukuoka (Shiki High grad, 2nd-year med), Tetsu Terasawa (Keio High grad, 2nd-year med), Saki Matsuno (Girls High grad, 2nd-year med), Kanan Nagasawa (NY Academy grad, 2nd-year med), Minori Nagata (Shonan Fujisawa High grad, 2nd-year med), Kao Sekiguchi (Girls High grad, 2nd-year nursing), and Tamana Kuroishikawa (Shonan Fujisawa High grad, 2nd-year pharmacy). They discussed reasons for choosing their faculty, study methods during high school, university course content and difficulty, time management between studies, club activities, and part-time jobs, and whether they had free time in university life. It was also mentioned that about 60% of medical students study abroad and that the ability to obtain national qualifications was a reason for choosing medical-related faculties. To the question of what should be done during high school, many opined that since there are no entrance exams, students should enjoy high school life and value their friends, and that English is the subject they should study most. Conversely, a student from the NY Academy suggested that terms for physics and chemistry should be summarized in Japanese.

In the second part, the Professional Panel Discussion, Michitaka Giga (1993 med grad, Thoracic Surgery/Palliative Care) served as the facilitator. Presentations were given by panelists Takayuki Ando (2013 med grad, Center for General Medicine Education), Hiroshi Sasaki (2015 med grad, Medical Officer at the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare), Mina Uematsu (2013 nursing grad, Midwife, Obstetrics Outpatient), Asahi So (2018 nursing grad, Ph.D. program at the Graduate School of Health Management), and via web, Masato Ito (2018 pharmacy grad, Pharmaceutical Company). They spoke about their work duties, their careers to date, and why they chose their current professions.

Mr. Ando spoke about feeling the need for general practitioners while studying in the UK and his involvement in medical education through entrepreneurship. Mr. Sasaki discussed his involvement in COVID-19 countermeasures and his current work in establishing the "National Institute for Health Security," a new expert organization to prepare for infectious disease crises. Ms. Uematsu spoke about her motivation as a midwife, and Mr. So discussed being in the Ph.D. program at the Graduate School of Health Management, as well as the verbalization of nursing, studying abroad in nursing, and how to interact with patients. Mr. Ito, a graduate of the Faculty of Pharmacy, works in clinical trials at a pharmaceutical company and mentioned that he often works from home. Students asked questions about the joys of the work and specific duties. Both the presentations and the questions were excellent, providing a valuable opportunity to learn that there are diverse ways of working within each profession, beyond just being a doctor, nurse, or pharmacist.

This is a rare and precious activity unique to Keio University, centered on students from the three schools, maintaining horizontal connections between the three faculties and vertical connections between graduates, university students, and students of affiliated schools. I hope it will continue in the future.