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Co-organising three seminars in Japan this autumn

Co-organising three seminars in Japan this autumn

Oct – Nov 2019

This autumn, UCD Japan co-organised three research and public seminars working with our partner institutions (Chiba University, Tsuda University and International Christian University).

On the 1st of October, Dr Diarmuid O’Shea (St Vincent’s University Hospital and President of the Irish Gerontological Society) gave a talk ‘Transforming care of older people in Ireland’ at the Graduate School of Nursing, Chiba University. Dean of the Graduate School, Prof. Nakamura welcomed Dr O’Shea and Ms O’Shea, who is a Research Nurse at the Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA) Research Centre, at the Trinity College Dublin. Dr O’Shea and Ms O’Shea also visited Chiba University Hospital. Chiba University and UCD have been research partners since 2016. In September, the UCD Japan Group and the School of Social Policy, Social Work and Social Justice (SPWJ) hosted two-day public seminars ‘(opens in a new window)Technology-supported Community Care in Japan and Ireland’ in UCD and at Tramore’s Coastguard Cultural Centre (CGCC), in partnership with Chiba University (CU) and Tramore Development Trust (TDT), Co. Waterford.

(l-r: Prof. Sayuri Suwa (CU); Dr Diarmuid O’Shea (St Vincent’s University Hospital); Ms Mary O’Shea (Trinity College Dublin); Prof. Ikuko Sakai and Prof. Nobue Nakamura (CU). Photo courtesy of Prof. Suwa)

On the 5th of November, Prof. David Prendergast (Maynooth University) visited UCD’s partner Tsuda University (MOU signed in 2019). He gave a lecture ‘Human centred design for assistive technologies: enabling 'ageing in place’’ to the students in Policy Studies on the Sendagaya Campus.

On the 1st of November, public symposium "The role of higher education in a 'globalizing' world: the experiences of Ireland and Japan" was held on the campus of International Christian University (ICU) in Mitaka, Tokyo.

UCD, known as Ireland’s Global University, and ICU being a bilingual campus (since its establishment in 1949) are ideally positioned to explore the roles of higher education in the era of globalisation. Participants discussed a wide range of topics such as public diplomacy, post-Brexit/EU, multilateral student exchange, and leadership education in Ireland and Japan.

Irish Ambassador to Japan, Mr Paul Kavanagh opened the symposium by his video letter, followed by a series of presentations from senior academics from UCD and discussants from ICU. In addition, former Japanese Ambassador to the United Nations and now Distinguished Professor of the ICU, Yoshikawa Motohide outlined the Erasmus Mundus Joint Master’s Degree Programme in International Humanitarian Action (NOHA+), and one current and former UCD student (Lea and Stephen) gave testimonials.

UCD’s academic delegates were Prof. Imelda Maher (Dean of the UCD Sutherland School of Law and the inaugural Sutherland Full Professor of European Law), Prof. Eilish McAuliffe (Professor of Health Systems and Director of the UCD Centre for Interdisciplinary Research, Education and Innovation in Health Systems (IRIS Centre), Adjunct Prof. John Neary (School of Social Policy, Social Work and Social Justice and Former Irish Ambassador to Japan) and Assoc. Prof. Naonori Kodate (School of Social Policy, Social Work and Social Justice/Co-Chair, UCD Japan Group). The event was primarily funded by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology as part of The Top Global University Project in Japan. (Watch a short (opens in a new window)video clip produced by Mr Yosuke Sato)

(l-r: Assoc. Prof. Naonori Kodate (School of Social Policy, Social Work and Social Justice / UCD Japan Group), Assoc. Prof. Allen Kim (ICU), Prof. Eilish McAuliffe (School of Nursing, Midwifery and Health Systems / UCD IRIS Centre), Prof. Mark Williams (Vice President, ICU), Prof. Imelda Maher (Sutherland School of Law), Prof. John Neary (School of Social Policy, Social Work and Social Justice), Prof. Joo-Young Jung (ICU). Photo by Yosuke Sato).