Message from Kenichi Akaji.

The origin of the Kyoto Pharmaceutical University dates back to the Kyoto Private German School established at the center of the famous old city, Kyoto, in spring 1884. The school was founded by young scholars trained by German educator Rudolf Lehmann, and its purpose was to provide German-language education in Western medicine and pharmaceutics. Since then, the university has gone through several spurts of educational innovation and has grown to be one of the few leading private pharmaceutical universities in Japan. The university will celebrate its 140th anniversary in 2024. The university’s founding spirit is “Philosophia et Praktikos (Learning and practicing by oneself).” Through the meticulous education provided based on this spirit, approximately 24,000 candidates have successfully graduated and have been working for various pharmaceutical institutions including leading companies; regional core hospitals; and a range of pharmacies, universities, and government agencies.

The recent major change in the pharmacy curriculum was the introduction of the six-year program in 2006. The previous four-year program of pharmaceutical universities had focused mainly on the subject “medicine as a substance.” Today, average life expectancies have increased markedly and pharmacists are required to understand both medicine as an object and the physiology, pathology, and psychology of the human receiving it. Additional qualifications for understanding perspectives on medicine in the digital age will also be required. Considering this, Kyoto Pharmaceutical University has developed an integrated six-year program that covers pre-, basic, and specialized pharmacy; laboratory and practical courses; rotations in hospitals and pharmacies; and thesis research. We have continued to review the program consistently. Ten years after the graduation of the initial batch of students, Kyoto Pharmaceutical University is continuing to foster trained pharmacists who can flexibly respond to anticipated changes. These include collaboration on team-based medicine and health support, the development of novel drugs based on new concepts, and the administration of medicine in a digital age.

Subsequently, to achieve the next-age branding “Kyoto Pharmaceutical University as a unique Research University,” we promote fostering young researchers and promising research fields in the graduate program. The four-year doctoral program at Kyoto Pharmaceutical University offers two courses, “Basic Pharmacy” and “Clinical Pharmacy,” to train future leaders (pharmacists with doctoral degrees) in a variety of medical-related fields. Support from and collaboration with domestic and international research institutions will also enable graduates of our doctoral courses to engage in research activities in Japan and abroad.

Kyoto Pharmaceutical University has created a stable six-year pharmacy education program through the cooperation of current faculty members, alumni, alumnae, and staff. The outbreak of COVID-19 forced us to continue revolutionizing every field of pharmaceutics. Kyoto Pharmaceutical University will move into a new era in cooperation with all faculty members, students, parents, alumni and alumnae and create its next brand. I sincerely request your support to develop the Kyoto Pharmaceutical University of the next generation.