Professor greeting

Thank you for visiting the Tokushima University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences Department of Pharmacology website. My name is Ikeda and I have been leading the classroom since August 2020.

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It's been almost four years since I became a professor. Assistant Professor Hideki Yasuda joined the classroom in January. Assistant Professor Yasuda's background is in veterinary medicine, and we hope that he will further increase diversity in the classroom and contribute to research development. Also, this year, like last year, we have four third-year medical students participating in medical research training, and two graduate students for the first time since I took office. The classroom is more lively than usual. One of the students is an international student from Vietnam, so it looks like it will be an environment where we can learn from each other's international sensibilities. I hope that all of us in the classroom will renew our resolve and increase our motivation to push forward with our research.

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Regarding research, Dr. Funamoto discovered new knowledge about Chinese herbal medicine with Mr. Matsumura and Mr. Hirose from the Faculty of Pharmacy. I plan to present my paper sooner or later. We expect him to play an even greater role than ever before, not only in our department but also as a frontrunner in next-generation pharmacological research. He is playing an active role as a valuable force indispensable to the field of pharmacology, including classroom management and education.

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Regarding education, as in the past, we have received great cooperation from many professors in the fields of physiology, neuropsychiatry, blood endocrinology and metabolism, and the faculty of pharmacy, and we are working on horizontally and vertically collaborative education that transcends the boundaries of basic and clinical fields. We continue to give lectures based on this. Additionally, this year, we invited Professor Toshihiko Yanagida (visiting professor in our field) from the University of Miyazaki to conduct a new trial of pharmacology role-play training. It was an opportunity to learn pharmacology practically from the perspective of a doctor, patient/family, or third party, something that would not be possible in a classroom lecture. This year, we are planning a role-play training session involving multiple faculties in which pharmacy students will also participate. I hope this will be an opportunity to learn about interdisciplinary collaboration through pharmacology.

In pharmacology, students learn drug treatment based on the understanding of pathophysiology, based on the knowledge of cell biology, biochemistry, anatomy, and physiology learned in the first and second years. There is no treatment for diseases that does not involve the use of medicine, and pharmacology is a bridging science from basic medicine to clinical medicine. Physicians have the right to prescribe, and this responsibility is significant. I would like students to acquire lifelong learning methods for the future, rather than simply passing exams. Additionally, knowledge of medicine is essential for medical professionals. If you would like to conduct research that can contribute to medical care through pharmacology, please contact us.

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Although Tokushima University is a local university, it is in a very privileged environment with all medical departments, and is one of the few universities that focuses on training medical researchers. When it comes to research, your educational background and age don't matter at all. If you work hard in the given environment, a path will open up for you, so if you are even slightly interested, please contact us. Words cannot express the emotion I feel when I discover new knowledge through research (Eureka). I would like you to experience that excitement. It's not difficult at all. It depends on the person's motivation. Let's research together to make new discoveries!

(2024.4.1)