Tohoku Medical and Pharmaceutical University School of Medicine Establishes 'Yamato Home Healthcare and Regional Medical Epidemiology Endowed Course'

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 　　　　　　　Image: Left) Tohoku Medical and Pharmaceutical University School of Medicine, Right) Yamato Home Healthcare Clinic Tome

　Medical Corporation Yamato (Location: Tome City, Miyagi Prefecture; Chairman: Yusuke Tagami; hereinafter "Yamato") established the endowed course "Yamato Home Healthcare and Regional Medical Epidemiology Endowed Course" (Professor in charge: Hironori Metoki) at Tohoku Medical and Pharmaceutical University School of Medicine (Location: Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture; President: Chikashi Shibata / Dean of Medicine: Yoshiko Kawai) on April 1, 2026.

　This course aims to foster the next generation of doctors and medical professionals who will lead regional healthcare, primarily in the Tohoku region.

　In conjunction with the establishment of this course, a comprehensive partnership agreement has been concluded to effectively utilize the human and intellectual resources held by both parties, with the aim of cooperating in human resource development and research in regional healthcare.

Main Activities of the Course

1．Career Education for Medical Students

　Lectures on careers will be provided to medical students. By directly conveying career paths in regional healthcare and the ways of working and rewards as a doctor from practitioners in regional and home healthcare, we aim to broaden the base of future doctors aspiring to regional healthcare. Tohoku Medical and Pharmaceutical University School of Medicine believes that it is highly significant to systematically provide opportunities for students to experience the appeal of regional healthcare from an early stage, as more than half of its graduates choose careers that support regional healthcare in Tohoku.

2．General and Home Healthcare Education for Residents and Fellows

　Practical educational opportunities will be provided to clinical residents and specialist residents, covering both general and home healthcare. Clinical training opportunities will be developed utilizing the network of the Yamato Regional Healthcare Group (Medical Corporation Yamato and Yamato Community Hospital General Foundation), establishing an environment where comprehensive regional healthcare, not limited to urban areas, can be learned.

3．Epidemiological Research Utilizing Regional Medical Data

　Epidemiological research on regional and home healthcare will be promoted by utilizing real clinical data accumulated at the home healthcare clinics of the Yamato Regional Healthcare Group. We aim to scientifically elucidate questions arising from the regional medical field and disseminate research results that lead to evidence-based policy recommendations. By circulating clinical practice, education, and research within the same course, it will also function as a place to embody the essential career model for doctors: "transforming clinical questions into research and returning research findings to clinical practice."

Main Objectives

　1．Improvement of the quality of community-based integrated care and home healthcare

　2．Formation of a research hub in the field of regional epidemiology and healthcare policy

　3．Strengthening education rooted in regional medical practice and fostering medical professionals strong in regional and home healthcare

Background of Establishment and Partnership

　Japan is experiencing rapid aging, and the prevention of severe chronic diseases, care in familiar communities, and the establishment of a community-based integrated care system have become urgent social issues. In particular, challenges surrounding regional healthcare are becoming more complex, including an increase in elderly people living alone, an increase in patients with chronic diseases, an increase in children requiring medical care, and insufficient coordination between medical and nursing care. While home healthcare institutions are emphasized as hubs connecting medical, nursing, and welfare services closest to local residents, there are regional disparities and uneven distribution of medical resources, and scientific research results in home and regional healthcare are still insufficient.

　To improve the quality of community-based integrated care, we believe that a "research hub in the field of regional epidemiology and healthcare policy" that scientifically analyzes health issues arising in the region and makes evidence-based policy recommendations, and a "training hub for medical professionals strong in regional and home healthcare" are necessary. By establishing an endowed course at Tohoku Medical and Pharmaceutical University School of Medicine, where more than half of its graduates are destined to support Tohoku's healthcare, we aim to contribute Yamato's accumulated knowledge in home healthcare to education and research, and foster regional medical professionals based on practical learning.

■Medical Corporation Yamato

　Yamato is based on a medical support team formed in the wake of the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011. In April 2013, "Yamato Home Healthcare Clinic Tome" was opened in Tome City, Miyagi Prefecture. Currently, it operates 11 clinics primarily focused on home healthcare (Tome City, Osaki City, Kurihara City, Wakabayashi Ward in Sendai City, Aoba Ward in Sendai City, Natori City, Shiroishi City in Miyagi Prefecture; Ichinoseki City in Iwate Prefecture; Koriyama City in Fukushima Prefecture; Kawasaki City, Yokohama City in Kanagawa Prefecture) and one clinic providing family medicine (Kochi City, Kochi Prefecture), as well as visiting nurse stations and nutrition care stations. We plan to open new facilities in the future, aiming to "build a sustainable medical system that utilizes local resources with medical professionals who have a passion for the region."

Medical Corporation Yamato Website: https://yamatoclinic.org/

■Tohoku Medical and Pharmaceutical University School of Medicine

　Tohoku Medical and Pharmaceutical University was established as Tohoku Pharmaceutical University in March 1949 and was renamed "Tohoku Medical and Pharmaceutical University" in April 2016 with the establishment of its School of Medicine. The purpose of establishing the School of Medicine was "to foster human resources who will lead regional healthcare in Tohoku after the Great East Japan Earthquake," and at the time, it attracted attention as "the first new medical school approved in 37 years nationwide." A characteristic feature is its strong emphasis on regional medical education, ensuring that students develop an attachment to Tohoku and understand the region during their six years of medical education, as more than half of its students are destined to support Tohoku's healthcare after graduation.

Tohoku Medical and Pharmaceutical University School of Medicine Website: https://www.tohoku-mpu.ac.jp/medicine/