President's Greetings

Tomonori Habuchi, MD., PhD.
President of the 57^th Annual Meeting of the Japan Society for Medical Education
Dean, Akita University Graduate School of Medicine
Professor, Department of Urology

Toward a New Stage of Digital Education in Advancing the Next Generation of Health Professions Education -All for Patients, All Together-

We are pleased to announce that the 57th Annual Meeting of the Japan Society for Medical Education will be held in Akita City from Friday, July 25, to Sunday, July 27, 2025. It is a great honor for us to serve as the host of this esteemed conference, and we extend our deepest gratitude to all those who have made this possible. We believe that the 57th Annual Meeting will not only contribute to the advancement of medical education but also offer an invaluable opportunity to enhance healthcare services in Akita. In this spirit, the faculty and staff of Akita University Graduate School of Medicine, along with the Council of Affiliated Hospitals, are diligently preparing for this occasion with sincere appreciation.

Akita University Graduate School of Medicine was established in 1970 as the first national university medical school to be founded after World War II. This achievement was made possible through the unwavering support and enthusiasm of the local community, with the former Akita Prefecture Central Hospital being transferred to the national government to serve as the university's affiliated teaching hospital.

Since its inception, Akita University Graduate School of Medicine has placed a strong emphasis on medical education, with the aim of fostering outstanding healthcare professionals who will contribute to both clinical practice and research. In pursuit of this objective, the university introduced lectures on basic medical sciences beginning in the first year of medical students (since 1970), clinical training at affiliated hospitals (since 1976), and a 16-station Post Clinical Clerkship Observed Structured Clinical Examination (Post-CC OSCE) as a graduation examination (since 2001). These initiatives were part of our efforts to incorporate the latest innovations in medical education from Europe and the United States. Our educational reforms have been carried out in collaboration with not only the university's faculty and staff but also leaders from 55 affiliated hospitals throughout Akita Prefecture.

Moreover, we have prioritized the establishment of a robust educational framework by creating specialized interdisciplinary departments such as the Medical Education Center (2006–2010), the Department of Community Medicine and Primary Care Development (2008–2013), the Medical Simulation Center (since 2012), the Department of Medical Education (since 2013), the Center for Medical Education and Training (since 2014), and the Department of Innovative and Digitalized Medical Education (since 2022). These educational divisions now work in concert to promote the digitalization and sharing of educational resources among physicians and healthcare providers within the university and its affiliated hospitals, with the overarching goal of improving the quality of next-generation healthcare.

In light of this historical background, the upcoming the 57th Annual Meeting in Akita will be jointly hosted by Akita University Graduate School of Medicine and the Council of Affiliated Hospitals. In an era marked by an aging population, depopulation, and increasingly diverse social challenges, enhancing the quality of future healthcare will depend on how effectively we can develop educational programs that cultivate interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary teams. These teams must be capable of ensuring the continuity of care quality from undergraduate and postgraduate education through to lifelong learning.

To this end, we have chosen the theme of the 57th Annual Meeting to focus on the effective utilization of digital education methods, which have gained rapid popularity in recent years, to continuously enhance team-based care.

We sincerely hope that the 57th Annual Meeting in Akita will provide an opportunity for all participants from across the country to engage in sustained discussions on the most effective approaches to digital education for optimal team-building. We are committed to making this event a memorable and meaningful experience for all attendees. We kindly ask for your continued support and look forward to welcoming a large number of participants from around the world.

Executive Committee Chairman's Greetings

Hitoshi Hasegawa, MD., PhD., FACP.
Executive Committee Chairman of the 57^th Annual Meeting of the Japan Society for
Medical Education
Professor, Department of Medical Education, Akita University Graduate School of Medicine Director, Center for Medical Education and Training
Chair, Japanese Medical Association Continuing Medical Education Committees

Under the motto "All For Patients, All Together! Striving for Ideal Team Building," we cordially invite you to convene in Akita, a region leading the world in addressing the challenges of an aging society. Let us take this opportunity to engage in meaningful and profound discussions on the future of medical and healthcare education for the next generation!

It is with great honor and deep gratitude that I have been entrusted with the role of Executive Committee Chairman for this esteemed and historically significant conference.

I sincerely appreciate the opportunity to lead this prestigious event. Throughout my career, I have had the privilege of working closely with many esteemed colleagues, including leaders from various departments and divisions within our university, affiliated hospitals across Akita Prefecture, and distinguished organizations such as the Japan Medical Association, the Akita Medical Association, as well as numerous healthcare professional groups. Additionally, I have collaborated with governmental bodies at both the national and prefectural levels involved in healthcare and educational administration. Together, we have engaged in seamless educational reform, spanning the entire continuum from pre-admission education, undergraduate education, postgraduate clinical training, to lifelong learning.

During this period, healthcare has undergone significant transformation, driven by the exponential growth of medical information, alongside the aging, increasing complexity, and diversification of healthcare itself. The widespread adoption of the internet since 1995 has accelerated these changes, fundamentally altering healthcare delivery systems and the nature of healthcare teams. I have had the privilege of witnessing and experiencing firsthand the rapid advancements in medical and healthcare education that have accompanied these developments.

As we now enter the era of generative AI, beginning in 2023, the theme of this conference has been chosen to convey a message about how we can realize even more ideal healthcare in the years to come. In line with the guiding philosophy of this conference, we propose the "Akita Declaration 2025," a draft outlining three fundamental goals that physicians and healthcare professionals must emphasize and continuously strive to enhance throughout their careers in order to meet the challenges of this evolving era.

In 2022, our university established the Department of Innovative and Digitalized Medical Education, led by Project Professor Sayaka Oikawa. Together with leaders from within our university and affiliated hospitals across Akita Prefecture, we are working to develop a seamless digital education network that spans from undergraduate to lifelong learning. By sharing various educational initiatives and information, our goal is to continuously enhance the quality of both single-discipline and multidisciplinary teams.

We sincerely hope that many of you will take this opportunity to participate in the Conference, where we can engage in meaningful discussions and reflect on the future of medical and healthcare education.

We look forward to welcoming your participation!