Shaping Lives, Shaping the Future

Takanori Kanai
Dean, Keio University School of Medicine
Professor, Department of Internal Medicine (Gastroenterology)

Founded in 1917, the Keio University School of Medicine succeeded the Keio Igakusho (Institute of Medicine), which was established in 1873. In 1956, a doctoral program was established at the Graduate School of Medicine, and a master's program followed in 1994.

The School of Medicine works to unite basic research and clinical practice in order to achieve medical excellence, an ambition laid out by the school’s first dean, Shibasaburo Kitasato. At the same time, we honor Keio University founder Yukichi Fukuzawa and his philosophy of empirical science (jitsugaku), independence and self-respect (dokuritsu-jison) and mutual teaching and learning between teachers and pupils (hangaku-hankyo). As a comprehensive university, we are at the forefront of innovative, cutting-edge research and medical care, not just in our basic and clinical education and research, but also in interdisciplinary collaboration with the faculties of Science and Technology, Pharmacy, and Nursing and Medical Care, among others.

At the Keio School of Medicine, we respect diversity and value the individuality and aspirations of every student. Students will also find abundant opportunities to interact with the best scientists in the world as well as a privileged environment where they can learn from the clinicians who provide the compassionate, state-of-the-art medicine that is shaping lives—and shaping the future. The Keio University School of Medicine is a place where young people breathe new life into old traditions.

As part of medical education at the School of Medicine, we have developed the Laboratory and Field Studies program, where students can conduct research on a topic of their choosing and work independently under the guidance and instruction of faculty researchers who are active on the front lines in their respective fields. We provide support for study abroad programs in countries across Europe and North America and also sponsor many travel programs that take students to study medicine in South America and in other Asian countries. We encourage our students to travel and see the world for themselves, just as Fukuzawa and Kitasato did when they were young. These are experiences that will stay with you for the rest of your life. We are approaching a time when most Keio graduates will take to the international stage as a matter of course. And for those with the ambition, the Keio University School of Medicine is committed to your success.

Dean, Keio University School of Medicine, Professor, Department of Internal Medicine (Gastroenterology)
Takanori Kanai

Prof. Kanai specializes in internal medicine, gastroenterology, and organ correlation. He also serves as the president of the Japanese Society for Mucosal Immunology and is on the board of directors of the the Japanese Society for Gastroenterology.