June 13, 2023
On June 12, the 92nd Kitasato Memorial Ceremony was held at Kitasato Hall on the Shinanomachi Campus.
The School of Medicine and the Sanshikai (the School of Medicine alumni association) hold the Kitasato Memorial Ceremony on June 13, the anniversary of the death of Dr. Shibasaburo Kitasato, the first Dean of the School of Medicine and Hospital Director, to commemorate his great achievements. The ceremony had been suspended since 2020 due to the spread of COVID-19, but this year marked the first time in four years that it was held.
In 1892, Dr. Shibasaburo Kitasato founded the Institute for Study of Infectious Diseases in Shiba Park with the support of Yukichi Fukuzawa. 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 ceremony featured addresses from President Kohei Itoh (read by Vice-President Yuko Kitagawa in his absence), Takanori Kanai, Dean of the School of Medicine, Junzo Takeda, Chairman of the Sanshikai, and Hirosuke Kobayashi, President of The Kitasato Institute. This was followed by the award ceremony for the Sanshikai Awards (the Kitasato Award and the Kitajima Award). Many distinguished guests were in attendance from The Kitasato Institute, including President Hirosuke Kobayashi and Kako Shimabukuro, President of Kitasato University.
The Kitasato Award, presented by the Sanshikai, was established in 1951 to commemorate the great achievements of Dr. Shibasaburo Kitasato. In 1958, the Kitajima Award 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 with clinical applications) and the Kitajima Award (for outstanding achievements in clinical medicine and clinical research) are prestigious academic awards at the School of Medicine, recognizing internationally acclaimed accomplishments.
This year's recipients of the Kitasato Award and the Kitajima Award are as follows. Following the award ceremony, the recipients gave lectures. Attendees listened intently to the presentations on cutting-edge medical research findings.
[Award Winners' Lectures]
Kitasato Award: "Cell Production and Clinical Application Based on the Metabolic Mechanisms of Pluripotent Stem Cells"
Shugo Toyama (Senior Assistant Professor, Department of Internal Medicine (Cardiology), Keio University School of Medicine)
Kitajima Award: "Elucidation of the Pathophysiology of Scoliosis and Development of New Clinical Tools"
Kota Watanabe (Associate Professor, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Keio University School of Medicine)
Photo: Akisue Takematsu