Your pharmacist license can be utilized anywhere in the world.

The job of a pharmacist is often thought of as working in pharmacies and hospitals.

While that is certainly the common perception, I believe there is more to it.

With a national license, you can leverage your expertise as a medication specialist

to work in corporations, government ministries, or even abroad.

I encourage you to consider the profession of a pharmacist from a broader perspective.

As of November 2021

Originally, I aspired to be a researcher, not a pharmacist, but after joining a pharmacy-related research lab within a university hospital during graduate school, I developed an interest and a sense of urgency about the clinical setting. There were times when pharmacists didn't understand the common knowledge of medical sciences, and vice versa. I keenly felt that without a proper understanding of the basic knowledge of how drugs work in the body, it's impossible to treat a disease with the truly appropriate medication. I realized that "basic science" and "clinical practice" are inseparable, and to truly master "clinical practice," a deep understanding of "basic science" is crucial. I chose to become a pharmacist at a university hospital because I believed I could both "work as a pharmacist" and "conduct basic and clinical research."

Today, evidence-based medicine is the standard, and there are standard treatment guidelines for various diseases. By following these guidelines, improvement can be expected in about 70 to 90 percent of patients. But should we be satisfied with that? What about the remaining 10 to 30 percent of patients? The foundation of my research lies in the desire that grew while I was working as a pharmacist: "to somehow save patients who do not improve with standard treatment." "Why isn't the drug working? What is happening inside the body? How can we use the drug to provide effective treatment for this patient?" I believe it is precisely on this difficult challenge that pharmacists, as medication experts, should demonstrate their skills. To do so, a strong foundation in basic science—understanding the mechanisms of the body and how drugs work—is essential.

The goal of my research is "the realization of better pharmacotherapy," and to achieve this, I am pursuing both "basic and clinical research" and "pharmaceutical education." Even if a good drug is developed, it is meaningless without skilled pharmacists who can administer it properly. Along with basic and clinical research related to drugs, training excellent human resources is equally important.

The research I am currently involved in includes "personalized medicine," "cancer chemotherapy," and "drug repositioning." First, personalized medicine is research primarily for patients who are difficult to treat with standard methods. For example, we replicate the pathological conditions of special patients in cell or animal experiments, confirm the drug's effect in that environment, and investigate the causes related to the drug's effect by examining proteins and genes. Alternatively, we may also investigate patients' actual medical records to verify efficacy and safety.

I am also involved in the development of new cancer drugs, and I am currently repeating basic experiments using cancer cells. Furthermore, I am advancing research on drug repositioning, which applies drugs already used for certain diseases to other diseases. Since existing drugs already have a certain level of guaranteed safety, I believe this approach can be translated into clinical practice more quickly than developing new drugs.

In parallel with this drug research, I am also focusing on "pharmaceutical education." When I think about "what makes a good class," from the students' perspective, it might just be about getting a passing grade (credits). However, what is a truly "good class"? It is a class where what was taught—that is, what we want students to learn—is properly acquired by them. Alternatively, even if the scores are not high, if a class can motivate students to think, "That was an interesting class, I want to study more," I believe the class can be considered a success. Therefore, I am currently engaged in research to enhance learning effectiveness. Incorporating methods from educational psychology, for example, I have students answer questionnaires and analyze their responses using statistical analysis methods. I extract key factors and use the results to make improvements in subsequent classes.

To provide better pharmacotherapy to all patients, the contribution of pharmacists as medication experts is indispensable. Their expertise will be sought in various places. It's not limited to hospitals and pharmacies, nor is it limited to Japan. I hope that those who are aiming to obtain a pharmacist license will have a broad perspective.

Keio University has been designated as one of the Top Global Universities by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, and the Faculty of Pharmacy is also focusing on its global education program. For example, in the "Advanced Overseas Clerkship," students undertake clinical training at affiliated hospitals of our overseas partner universities. There are no faculty chaperones; students travel alone and receive clinical training on-site. This is not an observation tour. Under the guidance of local supervisors, students go to patients' bedsides on their own and create treatment plans. This program embodies the hope that students will leverage these experiential learning opportunities abroad to play active roles in a wide range of fields, including not only clinical settings but also research, industry, and government. I truly hope that many students will learn through this valuable experience, gain an international perspective, and become leaders in their fields.