From the 14th to 18th of July 2025, Hokkaido University (HU)'s Faculty of Health Sciences hosted an international exchange program for graduate students in Health Sciences in Shiraoi Town together with the University of Melbourne (UoM)'s Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences. This program was designed under the Student Placement Agreement between the two Faculties and as part of the scheme to promote the strengths and distinctive features of the Faculty of Health Sciences, HU: the Health Extension Project Aiming to Cultivate the Next-generation Workforce in Health Sciences.
Professors Mina Samukawa and Atsuko Ikeda, Lecturer Tomoya Ishida, Assistant Professor Yuta Koshino, Dr Miho Komatsuzaki, and eight graduate students from HU welcomed twelve graduate students in Optometry, Physiotherapy, and Audiology, accompanied by Associate Professor Kelley Graydon and Senior Lecturer Tandy Hastings-Ison from UoM. Their one-week stay was hugely supported by the Shiraoi Town Council, residents, and a comprehensive regional sports club Safilva, run by Mirriso Sports, a non-profit organization in Hokkaido.
The program was to experience multi-cultural and multi-generational exchanges in a rural area, gain knowledge and expertise, and understand culture and perspectives in practical settings of Health Sciences. The program included communications with the Shiraoi Town College for Older Adults, which is the home of approximately eighty students in lifelong learning to take health checkups, and Midorigaoka Hoikuen, a certified childcare facility in the town, as well as interviews and exercise guidance for the residents. The final presentations by the participating students highlighted not only the overview of health checkups, but also healthcare suggestions from the perspectives of Optometry, Audiology, and Physiotherapy to the Deputy Mayor of the Town, the Town Board of Education Director, staff, and local people. This community-engaged student placement was the first opportunity for the two universities to apply the fruits of their research and educational collaborations in Health Sciences to the local communities, and a reciprocal occasion in Australia is anticipated.
Text and photos provided by the Faculty of Health Sciences
