Koto Toyosu digestive diseases center provides training for international students!


Our programs are dedicated to endoscopy and therapeutic endoscopic. They involve various aspects of endoscopic diagnosis and treatment of GI disease; magnifying endoscopy, IPCL pattern diagnosis in the squamous epithelium, NBI magnifying diagnosis in the stomach, EMR/ESD, POEM and laparoscopic surgery. More than 10 foreign doctors have already visited our new center and their staying ranged from 2 weeks to 15 months.

Accommodation: Can be provided by Showa University (depending on room availability).

Scholarship financial support: Certain amount of funds are provided. During your stay, you may submit several articles in English.
(Host team will support you to complete the study)

Application dead line for funded scholarships: August of the previous year of your visit. This is because fiscal year begin from April in Japan.
(For instance, you can submit an application in August 2015 and, if it is accepted, the scholarship will starts after April 2016).

Clinical training: To perform clinical procedures in our hospital, you will have to apply for the "Temporary medical license” issued by the Japan Government and you have to stay in Japan at least for one year. So far, some oversea doctors already got temporary medical licence and they performed approximately 30 complete POEM procedures under the supervision of Prof. Haru Inoue during their one year stay.


Type of visits:


To be an exchange student, you need to satisfy the university’s criteria as follows:

• You have graduated from a university or you are considered to have the same level of education.
• You are working at a university / hospital / institute.

Required documents
1. Letter of recommendation from your current workplace
(Please use the official letterhead).
Official letterhead: company / organization stationery usually containing a company's name, address,
telephone and fax numbers, and often including a logo and other details.
2. Curriculum Vitae with your photo in it (Resume, Research brief etc.)
3. Medical License in English (copy)
4. Diploma or Student registration certificate in English (copy)

You can apply for:
・The use of the international students’ dormitory. (Location: Hatanodai, Shinagawa-ku in Tokyo – about 1 hour by train from Koto Toyosu Hospital)
・The scholarship (You need to stay for more than 3 months to apply for a scholarship): Submission deadline: the end of August of the previous fiscal year of your visit. (Japanese fiscal year begins in April. Showa University Faculty meeting makes a decision on accepting you as an exchange student in the previous year's October)

If you are eligible, the Showa University will provide you a certificate of Eligibility to enter in Japan and you can obtain a 1 year student residence card.
Showa University international exchange staff will support you for accommodation and resident card activation.

At the end of the training, you will receive a complete certificate of training from Showa University.

If you are interested in advanced training in therapeutic endoscopy, you can apply for a clinical fellowship (a duration of 12 months is recommended). In this case you will need a Japanese professional insurance. Two months after your arrival in Japan, you can apply for the temporary medical license. You will need to provide:

　
• A certificate of proficiency in English (If you are not native English speaker)
• One photocopy of your medical practitioner’s license from your country (in English or translated).
• Documentation proving at least three years’ clinical experience. (in English or translated).
• Three photographs (full-faced without a hat, 3 cm x 2 cm, taken not more than six months prior to the date of application).

To be an exchange student, you need to satisfy the university’s criteria as follows:

• You have graduated from a university or you are considered to have the same level of education.
• You are working at a university / hospital / institute.

Required documents
1. Letter of recommendation from your current workplace (Please use the official letterhead).
Official letterhead: company / organization stationery usually containing a company's name, address, telephone and fax numbers, and often including a logo and other details.
2. Curriculum Vitae with your photo in it (Resume, Research brief etc.)
3. Medical License in English or translated (copy)
4. Diploma or Student registration certificate in English or translated (copy)

Showa University Faculty meeting will make a decision about accepting you as an exchange student and it takes about 2~3 months for this procedure.

※ Please inform us if you would like to use the international student’ dormitory. You can use it if there is a vacancy. (Location: Hatanodai, Shinagawa-ku in Tokyo – 1 hour by train from our Hospital)

If you are eligible, the Showa University will provide you a certificate of Eligibility to enter in Japan and you will obtain a 1 year student residence card.

At the end of the training, you will receive the completion certificate of training from Showa University.



Requirement
1. Curriculum Vitae with your photo in it (Resume, Research brief etc.)
2. Description of the purpose of the training and your main interests

* Please provide us with your information above at least a week before your visit.

At the end of the training, you can receive a certificate of attendance from the Digestive Diseases Center, Showa University Koto Toyosu Hospital.


Koto Toyosu Digestive Diseases Center - International Fellows

	Name, job title	Chainarong Phalanusitthepa, clinical fellow
	Expertise	Digestive and general durgery, minimally invasive treatment
	Affiliation	M.D., Grad. Dip. Clin. Sc. (Surgery) Minimally Invasive Surgery Unit, Division of General Surgery, Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University (Bangkok, Thailand)
	Activity

	Name, job title	Amarit Tansawet, clinical fellow
	Expertise	Digestive and general surgery
	Affiliation	M.D., FRCST., LL.B. Vajira Hospital, Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Navamindradhiraj University (Bangkok, Thailand)
	Activity

	Name, job title	Arlyn R.Canones, clinical fellow
	Expertise	Digestive surgery and endoscopy
	Affiliation	M.D. Medical Center, De La Salle Universiy (Manila, Philippines)
	Activity

	Name, job title	Ryan Law, clinical fellow
	Expertise	Gastroenterology
	Affiliation	M.D. Mayo Clinic (Rochester, Minnesota, the United States of America)
	Activity

	Name, job title	Kevin Grimes, clinical fellow
	Expertise	Digestive surgery and endoscopy
	Affiliation	M.D. School of Medicine, University of Nevada, Las Vegas (Las Vegas, Nevada, the United States of America)
	Activity

	Name, job title	Robert Bechara, clinical fellow
	Expertise	Gastroenterology
	Affiliation	M.D. School of Medicine, Queen's University (Kingston, Ontario, Canada)
	Activity

	Name, job title	Valerio Balassone
	Expertise	Digesttive Surgery, Digestive Endscopy
	Affiliation	M.D., Clinical Fellow Ph.D. student Tor Vergata University of Rome (Italy) より
	Activity	【Theme】 Advanced therapeutic endoscopy: POEM, ARMS, ESD. High magnification-NBI endoscopy. Laparoscopy. 【Results】 Clinical results: Observed/assisted over 140 POEMs, Performed 15 POEMs Observed/assisted 40 ESD (pharynx, esophagus, stomach, duodenum, colon). Observed/assisted over 15 ARMS Observed laparoscopic procedures, colonoscopy, colon ESD and EMR. Participation to clinical conferences and seminaries. Scientific results: Accepted/published • Chapter 9: "Endocytoscopy" – Endoscopic Imaging Techniques and Tools (V. Konda). V Balassone, H Inoue (on press, springer). • Balassone V, Sumi K, Inoue H, Peroral endoscopic myotomy: first human experience with a water-jet assisted triangle knife, Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (2016), doi: 10.1016/ j.gie.2015.12.031 • MID TERM RESULTS OF SECOND POEM FOR RECURRENT ACHALASIA: DATA FROM A LARGE COHORT OF PATIENTS. Balassone V, Ikeda H, Inoue H. (DLD supplement-FISMAD 2016 accepted) Submitted • Peroral Oral Endoscopic Myotomy as a Salvation technique post Heller: An International Experience (submitted DDW 2016) • Comprehensive analysis of Adverse Events associated with PerOral Endoscopic Myotomy (POEM) in 1826 patients: an international multicenter study. (submitted DDW 2016) • Comparative evaluation of Peroral endoscopic myotomy (POEM) for the treatment of achalasia in patients with failed Heller myotomy vs patients without a history of surgical myotomy: a multicenter retrospective cohort study (submitted DDW 2016). • An international multicenter study evaluating the clinical efficacy and safety of PerOral Endoscopic Myotomy (POEM) in octogenarians (submitted DDW 2016). • Is POEM the answer for the management of spastic esophageal disorders? A systematic review and meta-analysis. Khan, Balassone, Inoue, Onimaru (submitted DDW 2016). • Long term Outcomes of PerOral Endoscopic Myotomy (POEM) in Achalasia patients with a minimum follow-up of 2 years: An international multicenter study (submitted DDW 2016). • Adjustable counter-traction for giant gastric adenoma endoscopic submucosal resection. Video GIE. Balassone, Ikeda, Sumi, Inoue (submitted) Drafts • A pilot study to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy and the reliability of a simplified classification of intrapapillary capillary loop modifications for esophageal squamous cell lesions under narrow band imaging and high-magnification endoscopy (draft) • POEM in a large cohort of pediatric patients, a multicenter experience. CASP Vancouver 2016 (draft) • Repeat POEM. Indications and outcomes. Balassone, Ikeda, Onimaru, Inoue. (draft)
	Period of enrollment	July, 2015～February, 2016

	Name, job title	Joshua Tuason
	Expertise	Digestive Surgery, Endoscopic Surgery
	Affiliation	M.D., Clinical Fellow Cebu Doctors' University Hospital (Cebu City, Philippines)
	activity
	Period of enrollment	2016.5.16～2017.5.31

	Name, job title	Savu Michelle Katherina
	Expertise	General Surgery
	Affiliation	M.D. Veteran Affairs South Healthcare Center, University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio(UTHSCS), USA)
	Activity
	Period of enrollment	2017.2.15～2017.7.10

	Name, job title	Ashish Sharma
	Expertise	Digestive Endoscopy
	Affiliation	M.D. Kaiser Permanante Hospital (Sacramento, USA) より
	Activity
	Period of enrollment	2017.4.1～2018.7.1

	Name, job title	Anastassios C Manolakis
	Expertise	Digestive Endoscopy
	Affiliation	M.D., Ph.D. Gastroenterologist, Hepatologist University Hospital of Larissa (Larissa, Greece)
	Activity
	Period of enrollment	2018.1.24～2019.1.23

	Name, job title	Mary Raina Angeli Zamora Abad
	Expertise	Digestive Endoscopy
	Affiliation	M.D. St Paul Hospital Cavite Inc. (Cavite, Philippines)
	Activity
	Period of enrollment	2018.4.1～2019.3.31

If you have any question, please contact Ms. Mikiko Kawamura (secretary, E-mail:m.kawamura@cnt.showa-u.ac.jp).