[Doctoral Programs] Graduate School of Medicine, Medical Science Program

This program is intended for graduates of schools of medicine, 6-year dental schools, veterinary schools, and the Faculty of Pharmacy, as well as those who have completed a master's course.

The Medical Science Program cultivates researchers capable of conducting highly original basic research in fields related to basic and clinical medicine, elucidating the pathological mechanisms of diseases, and developing treatments for intractable diseases.  

Aiming to cultivate world-class medical and medical science researchers, students take lecture-style courses in basic and clinical medicine and healthcare-related fields, engage in research activities, and write a doctoral dissertation. The curriculum is organized so that students can acquire international and practical research execution and research proposal skills. As a specific timeline, students register for courses in April of their first year and begin taking classes while starting their research in close consultation with their academic advisor. In July of the first year, in order to ensure that research proceeds with a long-term and reliable outlook, students must submit a four-year research plan and receive approval from the Graduate School of Medicine Committee. By the end of the second year, students generally earn all credits for core subjects and sub-subjects. After a review of the curriculum content in the third year, students submit their doctoral dissertation by early November of the fourth year. Once accepted by the Graduate School of Medicine Committee, they undergo a doctoral dissertation defense around January. If the doctoral dissertation is approved by the Graduate School of Medicine Committee by March, the student completes the program (obtaining a Ph.D. in Medicine [Ph.D. (Medicine)]).

The Keio University School of Medicine started in 1920 as the first private university medical school, following the "Keio University Medical School" founded in 1873. The Graduate School of Medicine Doctoral Programs were established as a new system graduate school in April 1956 and were operated for many years with five majors: three basic systems (physiology, pathology, and preventive medicine) and two clinical systems (internal medicine and surgery). However, the Kitasato spirit, the founder of Keio Medicine—namely, the sentiment of "strengthening the cooperation between basic and clinical medicine and fusing the school together like one family"—led to an integrated basic and clinical research system that gained momentum and flourished after the adoption of the COE (Center of Excellence) program. As a result, graduate students in clinical fields began to make full use of excellent research facilities such as the Center for Integrated Medical Research, and the results of joint research between basic and clinical departments were frequently published. To merge these and develop them as a single academic system, the previous five majors were consolidated into the "Medical Science Program."

In fiscal year 2007, momentum grew to cultivate high-quality cancer specialists by bringing together the wisdom of basic and clinical medicine across clinical departments. With support from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, the "Cancer Professional Training Plan (Gan-pro)" was launched. It became necessary to train such personnel as part of graduate school education capable of degree conferral. Furthermore, in Japan, where clinical research is considered weak compared to other countries, there is an urgent need to train personnel who can design and manage excellent clinical research that could be published in the New England Journal of Medicine. To provide this new type of human resource development related to medical care at the graduate level, which the previous structure of the Graduate School of Medicine could not fully handle, the "Applied Medicine Program" was established in fiscal year 2009. In other words, the Graduate School of Medicine was reborn into a two-program system consisting of the "Medical Science Program," which consolidated the previous five majors, and the new "Applied Medicine Program." Recruitment and selection under this two-program system began for students entering in April 2009.

Furthermore, research for obtaining a degree is also permitted at domestic partner institutions such as the National Cancer Center, the RIKEN Brain Science Institute, and the Shizuoka Cancer Center.

Many of the core subject lectures (Special Medical Lecture, medical methodology, and Bioethics), which are compulsory for the Graduate School of Medicine Doctoral Programs, are conducted in English. This provides an international and practical learning environment without distinction between Japanese and international students. The number of international students enrolled in the Graduate School of Medicine is increasing every year, from 18 in 2016 to 35 in 2019, and 53 as of April 2021, all studying and challenging one another. Foreign researchers are present in each laboratory, and many short-term international students from overseas medical schools also visit.

In addition, graduate students are encouraged to participate in international conferences and study abroad, focusing on cultivating researchers who can be active internationally. At regular meetings of The Keio Medical Society and seminars hosted by various laboratories, students can learn about cutting-edge research from leading domestic and international researchers, promoting international research collaboration.

In fiscal year 2020, although overseas travel was restricted due to the spread of COVID-19, international joint research has actively continued.

Since 2011, the Graduate School of Medicine Doctoral Programs have offered a Joint Summer School with Karolinska Institutet, Peking University Health Science Center, and King's College London (joined in 2014). Every year, lecture courses and lab work are held at one of the participating schools. This is a credit transfer program where participants can earn credits at their home institution by attending the entire program. In the future, we aim to develop this into a double degree program.

Furthermore, we have established partnerships with world-class research institutions such as the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard (USA), Karolinska Institutet (Sweden), UCSF Gladstone Institutes (USA), UCSD (USA), and INSERM (France), providing opportunities to advance research through joint research and study abroad.