大学案内｜ABOUT MDU

Matsumoto Dental University (MDU) is providing dental care support in areas affected by the Tohoku Earthquake by dispatching dental care support volunteers. Dr. Hiroshi Kasahara, president of the MDU School of Dental Hygiene, leads the volunteers, and Dr. Soichiro Kawase, assistant professor in the Department of Dentistry for Patients with Special Needs, manages their work. Both Dr. Kasahara and Dr. Kawase went to the Nagano prefectural government office on Friday, July 29, and reported on the work done by the MDU’s volunteers to Mr. Shuichi Abe, the governor of Nagano Prefecture. They requested the governor to provide assistance for future volunteer activities and exchanged opinions with the governor concerning dental care support during times of disaster.

The 72nd academic meeting (general assembly) of the Matsumoto Dental University Association was held in Classroom 201 of the lecture hall building on Saturday, July 9. Five presentations were given, and about 60 people attended. In addition to the presentations on research, education and clinical medicine, Mr. Takayuki Suzuki, a trainee clinical dentist, presented his experience of going to an area suffering from the Tohoku Earthquake to provide dental care support.

To celebrate the third anniversary of the opening of the ophthalmology department at the MDU hospital, a lecture meeting was held at Hotel Buena Vista in Matsumoto, on Saturday, June 25, with Pfizer as a cosponsor. At the meeting, Dr. Koichi Ota of the Ophthalmology Department delivered a lecture titled “Treatment of macular diseases at the hospital” and reported on the ophthalmic treatments administered over the last three years, with reference to various cases.

The first medical safety lecture meeting for this fiscal year was held on Monday, June 27. It was attended by 198 hospital staff. At the meeting, Dr. Toru Shibutani, the chair of the Medical Safety Management Committee, spoke about medical-related accidents and accident-threatening situations that occurred in fiscal 2010, and commented on those. Also, Dr. Tadashi Ogasawara, the chair of the Nosocomial Infection Prevention Committee, announced the results of the first inspection of the hospital that the Nosocomial Infection Prevention Team performed on Thursday, March 17.

A presentation session of the Open Seminar I for the first-year students was held in Classroom 202 of the lecture hall building, on Friday, July 15. Students from nine seminars presented their learning achievements and took questions from other students and lecturers.

The Overseas Interchange Section’s International Students Group held a barbecue party at Shiojiri Central Sports Park, on Saturday, July 9, to promote friendship between international students and Japanese students. Forty-four students, including thirteen international students, and eight faculty and staff enjoyed a barbecue on this summer’s day, and deepened their friendship.

The 27th meeting of the Alexander Discipline Study Club was held in Osaka from Tuesday, July 12, to Thursday, July 14. The Texas Award was presented to people whose treatment results were excellent. Mr. Yusuke Komazaki and Ms. Eiko Miyano, who are students on the Orthodontics course, were awarded the Texas Award.

An assembly attended by MDU graduates and the parents of students currently studying at MDU took place at the Grand Hotel in Taipei, Taiwan on Saturday, June 25. About sixty people were present at the gathering, including staff from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Education, MDU graduates, parents of current MDU students, and prospective MDU students and their parents. After giving an outline of MDU and study at the university, Dr. Isao Iijima, an executive director, and a specially assigned professor, of MDU spoke about the future relationship between Japan and Taiwan, and the unique education system of MDU.

The 21st meeting of The Japanese Society for Jaw Deformities and the 30th anniversary international symposium were held at the Comprehensive Science Center (Hitotsubashi Memorial Auditorium) in Tokyo, on Thursday, June 16, and Friday, June 17. Mr. Noritoshi Tominaga, an assistant lecturer on the Orthodontics course, was awarded the excellent poster prize for the 21st meeting of the society.