Kagoshima University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences was established in April 2003 by integrating the Graduate Schools of Medicine and Dentistry.  Fourteen graduate research departments were integrated and optimized to provide research and education regarding disease prevention and cutting-edge medicine via the doctoral degree programs of Health Research and Advanced Therapeutics.  Shortly thereafter in 2004, the master degree program of Medical Sciences was launched.  As of April 2019, our graduate school consists of 6 departments in Health Research Course (Doctoral course), 11 departments in Advanced Therapeutics Course (Doctoral course), Medical Sciences Course (Master course), 6 departments in Endowed Course, and 8 graduate school research centers.

Each department is conducting innovative global and regional research on important subjects in the fields of medical and dental science.  Some of the notable research conducted so far includes adult T-cell leukemia (ATL) and HTLV-1-associated myelopathy (HAM), citrin deficiency, Fabry’s disease, thrombomodulin hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), and gene therapy for cancer.

Unique to our graduate school are the locally oriented studies that have generated regional and international interest.  Distinctive areas of research include the longevity of the Amami islands inhabitants, and the study of miniature pigs for organ transplantation.  In addition, the graduate school aims to conduct international collaborative research with a focus on East Asia and the South Pacific, especially on the Muslim world.

To meet the emerging needs of a rapidly changing world, our graduate school strives to foster multidisciplinary collaboration across other departments and graduate schools within Kagoshima University.  Issues that need to be tackled in the period ahead include establishment of new research and educational facilities for translational cancer research, psychosomatic medicine, rehabilitation, and island medicine.  For these purposes, Center for the Research of Advanced Diagnosis and Therapy of Cancer, and Center for Integrative Life Sciences were established.  In 2018, South Kyushu Center for Innovative Medical Research and Application was established to provide continuous support covering from basic research to practical application of seeds including drugs, medical equipment, and regenerative medicine products.

The Kagoshima University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences aims to develop graduates with a high sense of ethics who are capable of working as researchers and practitioners, which will contribute to extension of healthy life expectancy and social development.  As part of the university globalization strategy, we highly encourage foreign students to apply to the Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences master and doctoral degree programs.