Structure and Governance

Graduate School of Medicine Implementation System

Systems Initiated

  • Introduced a fixed-term system for all faculty and reappointment is determined after an inspection by the Personnel System Committee.
  • A limit on the number of reappointments which can be received has been established for all faculty excluding professors, and faculty are employed via a rolling tenure system which combines inspections and fixed-term reappointments.
  • Faculty are recommended for promotion both in and outside the school and the decrease in activity after acquisition of tenure is being avoided.

Philosophy and Policy Behind Policy to Cultivate Young Human Resources

Medical research exceeds the traditional clinical and fundamental framework and is coming to be an interdisciplinary scientific field involving such components as drug development and molecular imaging. Accordingly, it is necessary to cultivate leaders able to flourish as members of a project team who will not be beholden to the existing academic chair and field systems.

Specific Policies to Promote the Tenure Track System

  • Young researchers are given the opportunity to conduct independent research as an independent module. In addition, they are also required to participate as members of a team in graduate school-wide projects, fostering an interdisciplinary environment and cultivating next-generation medical research and education leaders.
  • Tenure track faculty are selected via international recruitment of candidates. Tenure track faculty have their research and education results evaluated after a five year research period and those recognized as excellent are given a rolling tenure post which does not establish a limit on the number of reappointments they may receive.

International Recruitment, Selection, and Employment

  • Faculty are recruited internationally and selected by the Selection Committee.
  • In addition to committee members from within the school involved in the relevant field, the Selection Committee also includes one committee member from outside the school.
  • Advisors may provide letters of recommendation but are excluded from being committee members.
  • Leading candidates must undergo a peer review by multiple researchers in the relevant field.

Research Environment

  • A core center director or project leader from the United Centers for Advanced Research and Translational Medicine, which supervises projects tenure track faculty participate in, serve as a mentor, providing advice on education and research as needed.
  • Young researchers (lecturers or associate professors) are given the opportunity to conduct independent research as an independent module. In addition, they are also required to participate as members of a team in graduate school-wide projects (cancer epigenomes, individualized medicine, academia-developed drugs, etc.), fostering an interdisciplinary environment and cultivating next-generation medical research and education leaders.
  • Tenure track faculty establish an independent research environment with startup funds (subsides + out-of-pocket expenses).
  • Tenure track faculty are guaranteed research and experiment laboratories for their exclusive use.

Career Support for Young Postdoctoral Researchers

In the Program to Disseminate Tenure Tracking System, in addition to tenure track faculty conducting independent research as leaders of independent, they also plan for the allocation of young postdoctoral researchers supported by the tenure track faculty. The Graduate School of Medicine conducts the following activities to provide career support which will help ensure the career path of these young postdoctoral researchers after their term is complete.

  • Support for applicants to academia
  • Support for applicants to industry
  • Support for skills acquisition and the establishment of a social network