June 13, 2025
On June 12, the 94th Kitasato Memorial Ceremony was held at the Kitasato Hall on the Shinanomachi Campus.
The School of Medicine and the Sanshikai (the School of Medicine's alumni association) hold the Kitasato Memorial Ceremony to commemorate the great achievements of Dr. Shibasaburo Kitasato, the first Dean of the School of Medicine and Hospital Director, on the anniversary of his death on June 13.
In 1892, Dr. Shibasaburo Kitasato founded the Institute for Study of Infectious Diseases in Shiba Park with the support of Yukichi Fukuzawa. To honor Yukichi Fukuzawa's vision, he became the first Dean of the School of Medicine, laying the foundation for the current School of Medicine and University Hospital.
At the ceremony, following addresses by President Kohei Ito (read by Vice-President Yuko Kitagawa in 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 Sanshikai Awards (Kitasato Award and Kitajima Award) ceremony was held. In addition, we were honored by the presence of many distinguished guests from The Kitasato Institute, including Chairman Yasushi Asari.
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 (awarded for outstanding achievements in basic research and research with clinical applications) and the Kitajima Award (awarded for outstanding achievements in clinical medicine and clinical research) are prestigious academic awards within the School of Medicine, recognizing achievements of international acclaim.
This year's winners of the Kitasato Award and Kitajima Award are listed below. Following the award ceremony, the recipients gave lectures. Attendees listened intently to the presentations on advanced medical research findings.
【Award Winner Lectures】
Kitasato Award: "Elucidation of Inter-organ Networks and Intestinal Homeostasis Maintenance Mechanisms Using Multi-omics Analysis"
Yohei Mikami (Associate Professor, Department of Internal Medicine (Gastroenterology), Keio University School of Medicine)
Kitajima Award: "Development of Minimally Invasive Treatments and Establishment of Personalized Medicine for Intractable Cardiovascular Diseases"
Masaharu Kataoka (Professor, Second Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Japan)
Kitajima Award: "Establishment of a Basic and Clinical Translational Research Platform in the Field of Lung Cancer and Molecular Understanding of Lung Cancer Biology"
Hiroyuki Yasuda (Associate Professor, Department of Internal Medicine (Pulmonology), Keio University School of Medicine)
Photo: Aki Takematsu