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President
of Nagasaki University
Hiroshi
Saito
M.D., Ph.D.
President's Profile
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President’s Speech at the First Symposium of “Chronic Pain Research and Control”
March 14, 2008
Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen, I am Hiroshi Saito, President of Nagasaki University.
I would like to offer a few words at the opening of the first Symposium of “Chronic Pain Research and Control.”
Nagasaki University originates from “Igaku Denshusho”, oldest medical school in Japan founded by Dutch naval surgeon J.L.C. Pompe in 1857. We proudly celebrated our 150th anniversary last year, 2007.
The University made a fresh start on April 1, 2004 as a National University Corporation.
Looking toward the next 50 years of Nagasaki University, in our midterm goals and plans of the primary period after the incorporation in 2004, we have given top priority to a strategic approach in establishing a business base while advancing education and research.
When the University was turned into an independent administrative entity, we presented the five most important basic objectives for achieving our philosophy, and the first one was “With the aim of being a leader among world institutes in both education and research, we will move forward with strategic plans to upgrade and individualize our education and research.”
We have already achieved the first objective in producing the world’s leading research in such success as the 21st Century COE Program selection of our “International Consortium for Medical Care of Hibakusha and Radiation Life Science” and “Global Control Strategy of Tropical and Emerging Infectious Diseases” as well as the Global COE Program selection of our “Global Strategic Center for Radiation Health Risk Control.” Yet, we have adopted ten more new priority research projects in order to further boost our research and education and prepare for post COE work. “Chronic Pain Research and Control” is one of the most important of these projects.
The critical theme of this new challenge is “Pain.”“Pain” is a necessary reaction to protect our health, but excessive or chronic “pain” itself becomes a disease and torment for us.
There used to be a time when enduring “pain” was considered as a virtue, but in the present day, it is desirable to control and conquer “pain” to help live a high quality of life without loss of human dignity.
Also, “pain” is not a phenomenon which appears in one particular illness. It is a symptom that accompanies all types of diseases and is a very “troublesome problem.”
A study to comprehend “pain”, to control “pain”, and to be released from “pain” is extremely vital in protecting people’s health.
In this project, researchers of the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences of Nagasaki University stand together to make genuine contributions to medical care by sharing information and implementing interactive translation between basic research and clinical research.
Today’s Symposium is the very first step of establishing the Nagasaki University Center for Pain Research.
I am looking forward to a world-class “pain” research center in Nagasaki University to follow the success of the past two COE programs. I sincerely hope that Nagasaki will produce prominent researchers and medical professionals who can make the world their stage.
Thank you very much for your attention.
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