Greetings

Support of personnel exchange by the United States after World War Ⅱ, especially the Fulbright Scholarship was valued and has taken a big part of the development in medical care in Japan through education and research. Our foundation was established in 1988 by approval of the Ministry of Health and Welfare, having a goal to be the Japanese version of the Fulbright Scholarship. After going through revision in November 2000, the range of our activity has expanded from North America to the rest of the world. This made us able to fund seminars and meetings for research more aggressively. This is how we achieved a new foundation in August 2012 as a public utility fund.

Our main activity is the international exchange for health care professionals. We have funded more than 600 people who live in the United States, Canada, Europe, and Asia. The applicants’ work has been highly valued after their return home as well as during their studies abroad. Our foundation will try our best to continue with this scholarship as we are doing now.

In today’s world, society, the economy and nature are in a spiral of changes and the situation is getting more and more demanding. Public health, medical care and education are no different. Even in difficult times we must do our best for better medical service and health care.

Lately there have been big changes in undergraduate education and training received after graduation. It is a change of mindset from teacher-centered education and doctor-centered health care to student-centered education and patient-centered health care. Specifically, giving lecture has changed to problem-based learning and clinical training has changed from observation to participation.
Other changes include introducing the Common Achievement Test (CAT) which includes Computer-based Testing (CBT) and Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) as a requirement before clinical clerkship. Also training after graduation has become mandatory. The adoption of the matching system and the revision of the medical specialist education system are additional examples of the changes of mindset as well.
Many of these changes referred to new ways of medical education in North America and Europe. In that meaning, we hope to import those ways of medical education and medical service to Japan by getting real experiences in North America and other part of the world to improve Japan’s medical education and medical service. On the other hand there is world interest in Japanese healthcare system which includes Universa Health Coverage being in place more than 50 years and Japan’s healthcare services for its rapidly aging society. Our foundation wants to give Japanese healthcare a chance to contribute to the world as a public utility fund.

As you know activities of this foundation are supported by your cooperation and philanthropy. Without your help it will be impossible to achieve our goal. This foundation has become a public utility fund in August 2012. Therefore you will be able to receive tax benefits for membership fees and donations.
Thank you for your continued support.

Public Utility Fund
Japan－North America Medical Exchange Foundation (JANAMEF)
President Kazunori Shimizu, M.D.
Chair, Board of Directors Koji Miura, M.D.

The Aim of Establishment

After WWⅡ, a big part of medical care in Japan was relying on the United States. However, in the United States the number of doctors increased which made the acceptance of foreign doctors stricter. Because of that the Japanese residents pursuing medical training in the United States markedly decreased. The number of residents dropped from 300 in the early 1970’s to single digits in the mid 1980’s. There was a possibility that the bond of medical training between Japan and the United States would disappear.

There are many things we should to learn from the United States, beginning with organ transplants, emergency medicine, primary care, the education system and so on. On the other hand, there are people who want to learn endoscopic skills and oriental medicine in Japan. Now the mutual needs of both Japan and America are in fact expanding.

To deal with those varieties of issues, our foundation was established in October 25th 1988 as a public service corporation with a goal to become the Japanese version of the Fulbright Scholarship.

(Oct. 13th, 1988. Authorized by the Competent Governmental Authority, Ministry of Health and Welfare.)

Our History

We were approved as a specified public service promotion corporation in May 1989 and have renewed it every 2 years until 2011. We were supported by membership fees and many donations.

Recently the number of people who received scholarships went over 600 and they have done spectacular work after their return as well as during their studies abroad. Every year many passionate health care professionals from all over Japan visit our healthcare service seminars. This is how we strive to exchange better information about healthcare service and give better training to each other. Additionally we publish JANAMEF NEWS twice a year to offer better information to our members.

Revising the act of endowment in November 2000 enabled us to increase the number of directors and council members. It also allowed us to be able to fund conferences and study meetings. We began medical, dental and pharmacological seminars and nursing seminars lead by directors and council members in 2002, and we have encouraged studying abroad which aims to improve the quality of variety of healthcare services.

Our foundation was authorized on July 24th 2012 by the cabinet office to become a new public utility fund and we were formally registered on August 1st. Our foundation will continue to do our best in international exchanges in heathcare field.
We look forward to your continued support and guidance.

Contents of Activities
    1. Support for medical training in both Japan and the United States and other part of the world
      ・Support of Clinical Training/Research (Type A)
      Target: Support of Japanese health care professionals training in America, Canada and other countries. (Training must be one year or more.)
      Health care professionals from America, Canada and other countries training in Japan.
      (Training must be one year or more.)
    2. Support for study and research for medical service of both Japan and the United States and other part of the world
      ・Support of Clinical Training/Research (Type B)
      Target: Japanese health care professionals studying and doing research in America, Canada and other countries. Short term. Training within one year.
      Health care workers from America, Canada and other countries studying and doing research in Japan. Short term. Training within one year.
    3. Support for Pacific Rim and Asia Fund
      ・Target: Support for medical healthcare professionals from the Pacific Rim and Asia giving lectures, doing research and training in Japan. (Term must be within one year)
    4. Support for seminars and study meetings
    5. Allied healthcare staff exchange support between Japan and the United States
      ・Support for short term nursing training: We support short term study abroad program for nurses supported by Portland State University.
    6. Promotion of the exchange of healthcare informations between Japan and the United States and hosting seminars and symposiums for expanding public awareness.
      ・Hosting seminars for studying healthcare abroad；Inviting people who have studied abroad to participate in seminars about the methods and possibilities of studying abroad.
      ・Hosting JANAMEF seminars；Hosting seminars and symposia for expanding public awareness of healthcare services.
      ・Short term English summer training for medical students；The purpose of this program is to provide an opportunity to be a sub-intern in medical training in the United States. Support for participants is provided by Hawaii Tokai International College.