On Wednesday, July 17, 2024, we held an online meeting with one of our partner universities, the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). The meeting was titled “West Coast Connection (UCLA x NU)” and was held to celebrate the renewal of the academic exchange agreement between our two universities. This online meeting was an opportunity for discussion regarding exchange.
The participants were Dr. Cindy Fan, Vice Provost for International Research and Global Affairs, and Dr. Kathryn Paul, Assistant Vice Provost and Director for International Exchange, from UCLA. From Nagasaki University, Trustee Masako Ito (in charge of Student and International Affairs), Professor Wataru Nakamura (Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, School of Dentistry), and Nayu Saito, a third-year dental student who participated in the UCLA Summer Sessions held last year, attended the meeting.
First, Dr. Ito expressed her gratitude toward the previous joint research of UCLA Chancellor Gene Block, who will retire at the end of July, and Professor Nakamura; their joint research was where our current collaborative relationship began. She also gave her thanks for the ongoing partnership between UCLA and Nagasaki University. She then introduced Nagasaki University, explaining that after experiencing the atomic bombings, the university established the Atomic Bomb Disease Institute, which specializes in medical care and epidemiological research for atomic bomb survivors, and the Research Center for Nuclear Weapons Abolition, which strives for a world free of nuclear weapons. She also explained that the university has been conducting activities under the slogan “Planetary Health” since 2020, based on the three basic policies of “Global Health,” “Global Ecology,” and “Global Risk,” going beyond the barriers of “department,” “specialty,” or internal or external frameworks. She added that, as an extension of this, the university is implementing a short-term summer program called Planetary Health in Nagasaki for students to think and learn about world peace.
Next, Vice Provost Fan gave an introduction of UCLA. She explained that UCLA is located in the global city of Los Angeles and is the one of the best public universities in the U.S. It is a university that promotes research on critical world issues, builds partnerships across disciplines, borders, and continents, and provides the means for students to have a global experience.
Nayu Saito, a dental student, talked about her experiences during the UCLA Summer Sessions short-term summer program she participated in last year. She explained that in addition to enjoying her lectures, she visited Japanese residents, interacted with students of various nationalities, and gained lifelong friends. She stated that it was a wonderful and life-changing experience for her.
Professor Nakamura explained that visits to each other’s universities, experiencing culture and history, and interpersonal interaction are important for promoting exchanges between the two universities, and, as such, Nagasaki University welcomes students from UCLA to participate in its short-term programs.
Finally, participants from both universities took a virtual group photo to commemorate the occasion and everyone expressed their hopes for continued collaboration.
