2021/06/17
Every year on June 12, the School of Medicine and the Sanshikai (the School of Medicine alumni association) hold the Kitasato Memorial Ceremony at Kitasato Hall on the Shinanomachi Campus. This ceremony is held to commemorate the great achievements of Dr. Shibasaburo Kitasato, the first Dean of the School of Medicine and Director of the University Hospital, on the occasion of the anniversary of his death on June 13.
In 1892, with the support of Yukichi Fukuzawa, Dr. Shibasaburo Kitasato founded the Institute for Study of Infectious Diseases in Shiba Park. To honor the aspirations of Yukichi Fukuzawa, he became the first Dean of the School of Medicine, laying the foundation for the current School of Medicine and University Hospital.
The 90th Kitasato Memorial Ceremony was scheduled to be held this year, but it was canceled due to the spread of COVID-19.
Since the Sanshikai Award (Kitasato Award and Kitajima Prize) ceremony is usually held during the memorial ceremony, only the award ceremony was held this year on June 12 in the auditorium of the East School Building.
The Kitasato Award by the Sanshikai was established in 1951 to commemorate the great achievements of Dr. Shibasaburo Kitasato. In 1958, the Kitajima Prize was added to commemorate Dr. Taichi Kitajima, the second Dean of the School of Medicine.
The Kitasato Award (for outstanding achievements in basic research and research that contributes to clinical applications) and the Kitajima Prize (for outstanding achievements in clinical medicine and clinical research) are prestigious academic awards at the School of Medicine, recognizing achievements that are also internationally acclaimed.
At the award ceremony, the winners were presented with certificates and supplementary prizes, and congratulatory speeches were given by Masayuki Amagai, Dean of the School of Medicine, and Junzo Takeda, President of the Sanshikai, who were in attendance. This year's winners of the Kitasato Award and Kitajima Prize are as follows. Videos of the winners' lectures are available on the Sanshikai website.
[Winners]
Kitasato Award: "Integrative Understanding of Hepatology through the Gut-Liver Axis Connecting the Liver and Digestive Tract"
Nobuhiro Nakamoto (Associate Professor, Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, School of Medicine, Keio University)
Kitajima Prize: "Clinical Study for Reducing Postoperative Surgical Infections: Results of Intervention by a Multidisciplinary Team"
Hideaki Ohara (Associate Professor, Department of General and Gastroenterological Surgery, School of Medicine, Keio University)
Photo by Takeshi Kishi