On February 27, residents and medical students from the Southern Medical University in the Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China, gave President Kiyoshi Morita a courtesy visit.

The students visited Okayama as participants of the Japan-Asia Youth Exchange Program in Science (SAKURA Exchange Program in Science), Science and Technology Experience Course (Course A). In addition to making the courtesy visit, the group had the opportunity to tour innovative research facilities, medical facilities, and corporations such as the OMIC Molecular Imaging Department, Okayama University Hospital IVR Center, General Development Center for Medical Education, and Minimally Invasive Therapy Center on the Shikata Campus. They also participated in related experiments and seminars.

The Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences signed an inter-faculty agreement with Zhujiang Hospital of Southern Medical University in 2011, with active international exchange taking place through joint research, hosting of seminars and symposiums, student and faculty exchange programs, etc. Also, based on the history of exchange between the universities, an inter-university agreement was signed in April 2015.

This time, six undergraduate students and four graduate students were invited from Southern Medical University, a partner university, to see and experience firsthand, a training institution in the medical field that develops global human resources. The participants were able to feel increased motivation towards studying and researching in Japan in the future, through their interaction with a wide range of people from students to researchers. This opportunity increases international awareness for research in the pharmaceutical field and enables international networking.

The international exchange conducted through the SAKURA Exchange Program in Science provides a valuable opportunity to further expand exchange between the two universities.

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Center for Global Partnerships and Education
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