On the 125th anniversary of the founding of the Graduate School and Faculty of Medicine, Kyoto University
I am delighted to extend my heartfelt congratulations on the 125th anniversary of the Kyoto University Graduate School and Faculty of Medicine.
The history of the Faculty and Graduate School of Medicine dates back to in 1899 (Meiji 32), and the founding of the Kyoto Imperial University School of Medicine.
Although it was exactly 25 years ago, it seems like only yesterday that I helped compile the Graduate School and Faculty of Medicine’s 100th anniversary commemorative album, Konoe-cho Mubanchi, at the request of Distinguished Professor Tasuku Honjo, who was dean of those institutions at that time.
Back then, the Graduate School and Faculty of Medicine could boast a remarkable 100-year history, having produced a wealth of groundbreaking research founded on a unique pioneering spirit, and in the quarter-century since, they have further pioneered new fields of medicine with even more remarkable results.
In particular, Professor Shinya Yamanaka’s research on iPS cells and Distinguished Professor Tasuku Honjo’s research on cancer immunology have turned a new page in the world of medicine and healthcare, and Kyoto University has become a world-class institution for medical research that has produced two Nobel laureates in Physiology or Medicine. Behind those achievements lies the deep understanding and tireless support of not only our current faculty and staff, but also of our alumni associations, including the Shirankai medical alumni association, and the establishment of the Shiran-Kaikan, the Memorial Auditorium and Museum of Medicine (formerly the Anatomy Hall), and the Student Center are symbolic of that support.
Furthermore, in recent years, the university’s industry-academia collaboration and international collaboration activities aimed at groundbreaking drug discovery have become a pioneering model for medical research and development in Japan, and this year will see the completion of a new research building for the affiliated Center for Cancer Immunotherapy and Immunobiology.
As we look toward the coming quarter-century, I sincerely hope that the Graduate School and Faculty of Medicine, as long-established institutions, will continue to make significant contributions to improving people’s health and welfare through original research and the training of the next generation of talent who will lead medical research around the world.
Nagahiro Minato
President
Kyoto University
