2024/06/17
On June 12, the 93rd 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 the anniversary of the death of Dr. Shibasaburo Kitasato, the first Dean of the School of Medicine and Director of the University Hospital, on June 13, to commemorate his great achievements for years to come.
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 and laid the foundation for the current School of Medicine and University Hospital.
At the ceremony, following addresses by President Kohei Itoh (whose address was read by Vice-President Yuko Kitagawa due to his absence), Takanori Kanai, Dean of the School of Medicine, Junzo Takeda, President of the Sanshikai, and Mr. Hideo Kitasato, a representative of the Kitasato family, the award ceremony for the Sanshikai Prize (Kitasato Award and Kitajima Prize) was held. In addition, Chairman Koyu Kobayashi and many other distinguished guests from The Kitasato Institute were in attendance.
The Sanshikai's Kitasato Award was established in 1951 in commemoration of the great achievements of Dr. Shibasaburo Kitasato. From 1958, the Kitajima Prize, commemorating the second Dean of the School of Medicine, Dr. Taichi Kitajima, was also added. The Kitasato Award (awarded for outstanding achievements in basic research and research that contributes to clinical applications) and the Kitajima Prize (awarded for outstanding achievements in clinical medicine and clinical research) are prestigious academic awards at the School of Medicine, and are given for achievements that have received international recognition.
This year's recipients of the Kitasato Award and Kitajima Prize are as follows. After the award ceremony, the recipients gave lectures. Attendees listened intently to the presentations on advanced medical research findings.
[Lectures by the Award Recipients]
Kitasato Award: "Elucidation of Pathogenesis by T Cells in Cutaneous Autoimmune Diseases and Their Regulatory Mechanisms"
Hayato Takahashi (Associate Professor, Department of Dermatology, Keio University School of Medicine)
Kitajima Prize: "Elucidation of the Molecular Basis of Congenital Endocrine Disorders"
Satoshi Narumi (Professor, Department of Pediatrics, Keio University School of Medicine)
Photo by Takeshi Kishi