Nagoya University Young Leaders’ Program celebrates 20 years

On Monday December 4th, Nagoya University staff, students, alumni, and government officials from Japan and overseas gathered to celebrate 20 years of the Young Leaders’ Programme at the Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine. The Young Leaders’ Program offers a year-long graduate-level course in healthcare administration, taught in English, to promising young healthcare administrators from developing countries to enable them to take up leading positions as healthcare policy makers. Over its first 20 years, the YLP has produced 196 graduates from 15 countries, with one of the graduates from the first year of the program now serving as the health minister of Laos.

Among those who gave speeches offering their congratulations were Nagoya University President Naoshi Sugiyama, THERS Chancellor Seiichi Matsuo, Graduate School of Medicine Dean Hiroshi Kimura, and representatives from the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. YLP Director, Professor Eiko Yamamoto, was presented with certificates of appreciation from the governments of Mongolia and the Kyrgyz Republic in recognition of the program’s contribution to their human resources development. To finish the evening, a party was held to allow 20 years’ worth of graduates, former staff, current staff and current students to catch up, share their experiences and memories and make new friends.

As the Young Leaders’ Program enters its 21st year, you can read more about the program, and find out how to apply, here.