Six physical therapy students of the Niigata University of Health and Welfare (NUHW) were hosted by the College of Rehabilitation Sciences as they engage in cultural and academic exchange activities from August 6, 2016 to September 10, 2016. The students include Tomofumi Otsuki, Chika Higuchi, Mami Suzuki, Hiromichi Sekikawa, Shota Yotsuyanagi, and Shuta Kojima. They are accompanied by two faculty members, Prof. Masayoshi Kubo, Sc.D. and Prof. Takanori Kikumoto.
The NUHW students are assigned to clinical, sports, and community-based training facilities of CRS in order to observe local physical therapy practice and patient care. They are paired with local interns in order to guide them during the experience. Ms. Ma. Lanie Vergara, MA provided the students with an introductory Filipino course to learn basic conversational Filipino that will help in their interaction with patients. The students also had the opportunity to participate in academic classes and interact with students and teachers. The training program for NUHW students were organized by Assoc. Prof. Valentin Dones III, PhD (Chair of the Department of PT), Mr. Christian Rey Rimando, MSPT (PT Internship Supervisor), Assoc. Prof. Sally Jane Uy, MBAH (Coordinator for International Relations and Programs) and Ms. Jocel Regino, MSPT (Member, Committee on Internationalization).
On the other hand, the accompanying faculty members also shared their expertise with CRS faculty members. Prof. Kikumoto conducted a lecture on prevention of ACL injuries while Prof. Kubo conducted a workshop on Biomechanical Motion Analysis using the Vicon Motion Analysis System of CRS. These trainings are in preparation for potential research collaboration between UST, through the Center for Health Research and Movement Science (CHRMS) of CRS, and NUHW, Japan. This undertaking is led by CHRMS Research Supervisor, Prof. Consuelo G. Suarez, MD, PhD. Prof. Kubo will be returning to UST in September 2016 to conduct further trainings for faculty members who will be involved in the research project.
UST and NUHW has an existing Memorandum of Agreement for academic and research collaborations, effective since 2011 and is up for renewal this year 2016.