My first encounter to tropical medicine and global health was through my carrier in Quarantine Station in Japan (border measure against high consequence infectious diseases at international airports and seaports), which led me to Diploma of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene course at TMGH in 2021, followed by admission to Master of Tropical Medicine in 2022.
The days I spent in MTM were ones of the most wonderful in my entire life of more than 50 years. They were so intense for focusing on didactic lectures in total 6 months and for conducting our own research project and writing a dissertation in the rest of course. But because of the intensity I could learn so many new things in quite a short time, which brought me totally new and profound insights to this world and my carrier life.
The course happens in a relatively smaller local city in Japan, however, students, faculties and lecturers gather from all over the world and you learn in totally international environment where you can have wide and deep communications with people having various backgrounds. Admin staff are so considerate to take care of students that you can feel safe even in unfamiliar country for you.
Research project happens alongside the intense didactic lectures. It may not be easy to define your research question from scratch and finalize within a period shorter than 1 year, but the completion of a research project definitely gives you clear ideas of what research is, which further may lead you future challenge in Ph.D course.
We really look forward to seeing you in TMGH and future fields in tropical medicine and global health!
Hi. My name is Aden Kay Celis-Seposo, and I am a medical doctor from the Philippines. After coming to Japan in 2020, I made the decision to pursue a Master’s in Tropical Medicine at TMGH due to its outstanding reputation in the field of tropical medicine and infectious diseases. Having completed the intensive one-year course, I’d like to share my top three impressions about it. Firstly, the MTM course offers a comprehensive range of medical knowledge, delving deeply into every tropical disease with specialized input from various experts in their respective fields. Secondly, the course has significantly improved my research skills, providing thorough lessons in epidemiology and statistics, and enabling me to produce high-quality, publishable research. Lastly, the course effectively prepares students for their future careers, whether it be in clinical, academic, or private settings. Overall, I highly recommend undertaking this master’s course to advance your skills and excel in research while exploring new opportunities beyond your current professional scope as a medical doctor or allied health professional.
My background is as a midwife and nurse, and I chose the 2020 MSc satellite course because I wanted to learn more in-depth in graduate school after studying in the 2019 TTM (Tropical Medicine Training Course). I was out of the country as a student because I was studying while working as an overseas health adviser for JICA. With a 13-hour time difference, I had to watch recordings of classes repeatedly and make arrangements for late nights and early mornings for on-time discussions with my supervisor, group work, and thesis review meetings.
The MSc brings together students from various backgrounds, and the research content is diverse, including experiments, public health, innovation, and systematic reviews. The classes are highly flexible except for the required courses, and students can choose types in their field of interest. Onsite students can focus on their research because there are no long-term overseas training programs. Also, a large percentage of the students are international students. The monthly homeroom with the course director, Prof. Hirayama, is a relaxing time to discuss each other’s research and daily life, connecting the onsite and satellite facilities. My research was a questionnaire survey of mothers in Bolivia, South America, regarding mother-to-child transmission of Chagas disease, and being able to conduct research in the field through trial and error was a great experience.
It took much work to study while working abroad. Still, I could complete the program thanks to the understanding of my colleagues, my supervisor and the faculty of TMGH, who patiently guided me. Also, my classmates at the onsite satellite encouraged each other and the support of the academic affairs staff. I also learned to never give up on my studies and research until the end. My studies and experiences at TMGH will be a source of inspiration for me in the future.
To those considering the MSc course, I recommend the highly flexible MSc course and the environment where you can confidently study and research under the tremendous support of TMGH.
Short message from Thanawat Khongyot,
That is my best experience time living abroad outside my country. An unforgettable experience in Japan has begun.
My name is Thanawat Khongyot from Thailand. I graduated M.Sc. (Health Innovation) from the School of Tropical Medicine and Global Health, Nagasaki University.
Before I came here, “Tropical medicine” and “Global Health” were the main topics that I wanted to learn and bring this knowledge to develop the health system in my country. TMGH is the first school where I decided to come and discover these topics. I would say that “Experience-based knowledge” is one of my best appreciations. During my stay here, you can learn lectures from different disciplines worldwide in the international environment. You can get the best multicultural experiences with other students in the class. Health Innovation course is one of my recommended course to study. This course allows you to do what you want based on your laboratory and non-laboratory experiences. They also provided the extra-curriculum class for the students who wished to expand their skills and knowledge. TMGH facilities always support your research and academics, together with NEKKEN (Japan’s most prominent tropical medicine institute). Honestly, I feel like TMGH is my second home; professors, administrative staff, and friends always care for and support each other. TMGH changed me to be different and stimulated me to be a good researcher. Thank you again for the best experience during my stay here.
As a nurse and midwife, I have been involved in the clinical care of women with social and economic difficulties, as well as in humanitarian assistance in disaster areas for NGOs. Through those experiences, I noticed refugee and migrant women and children were particularly vulnerable under those settings, so I wanted to learn how to build a system that facilitates access to health, which is a key role for the empowerment of them.
This fantastic MPH program is designed in a structured manner to help students learn different methodologies and develop perspectives to address global health concerns. The faculty staffs are experienced researchers as well. In the second year, students can integrate the knowledge gained in the first year and practices through a long-term overseas practicum including an internship and research activities. In my case, I did a five-month internship at The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) in Jordan, where I also conducted my research on postpartum depression among Palestine refugee mothers. That experience really helped me understand the health care policy-making processes as well as operations in the field. Through data collection for my study, I acquired critical skills that drove the project forward, and to think logically and critically about the data.
Looking back to my days with TMGH, I was given the gift of broadening my capacity to consider the provision of health services from multiple perspectives there. Above all, working hard with my great classmates and dedicated faculty coming from various nationalities and specialties equipped me with courage, enthusiasm, and humor, which are essential qualities required for working with a diverse group of people. I am sure that learning at TMGH will be an eye-opening experience and offer you deep insights into global health.
TMGH is dedicated to improving global health via innovative research, education, and collaboration. With a faculty of renowned professionals and state-of-the-art facilities, TMGH provides a supportive academic development and innovation atmosphere.
As this program, “Public Health,” emphasizes a modern approach to public health, it suits our country, which is making efforts to face many challenges while implementing public health activities. We need not only to improve our capabilities but also to upgrade our thinking. For such thinking skills, we need to understand the conditions of our outer environment, which means various conditions and changes happening in other countries and their implementation plans according to their multiple contexts, demographic, political, sociocultural, economic, etc. By comparing and analyzing those conditions with ours, we can systematically highlight the needs and bad of our ways.
In addition to our rigorous academic programs, our two-week field trip to Minamata City, Kumamoto Prefecture in Kyushu, allows us to witness the real-world impact of global health initiatives. At the same time, the two-month internship program offers a chance to work alongside experts in the field. I conducted my internship at the International Support and Partnership for Health (ISAPH) in two places, Laos and Tokyo offices. These experiences will broaden my prospects and deepen my understanding of the challenges and opportunities in public health. The TMGH provides us with a solid academic foundation and nurtures our ambition to make the globe better and more equitable for all.
Looking forward to welcoming you to our TMGH family!
The experience on the Diploma of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (DTM&H) gave me the opportunity to study again on the Master of Tropical Medicine (MTM) for further studies. My initial motivation was to become a doctor who could contribute to global health.
The MTM is a short, intensive course that is completed in one year (four terms in total). In the autumn term, MPH and MSc students from various nationalities and professional backgrounds study the basics of epidemiology, statistics, international health and hygiene. Tropical medicine is also covered in a comprehensive and specific way, from neglected tropical diseases to infectious diseases that are now not limited to the tropics. In the winter term, students individually begin to consider the content of their master’s research. In the spring term, a wide range of experts and participants gather at DTM&H from all over the world. You can acquire clinical knowledge and spend quality time in actual case studies with hospitals in the Philippines, Nepal and Vietnam. The summer term is the time to finalize the results of your research into a thesis, a valuable period during which you can concentrate on learning and deepening your own research topic and receive guidance from your supervisors and experts in the laboratory.
MTM has lots of attractive points. I was greatly inspired by the excellent colleagues from various professional backgrounds. Needless to say, it is a great experience that I was able to take classes from specialists from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and other internationally and domestically well-known experts. In terms of research, I was taught in detail the essential elements of research ethics, conducting experiments and reading and writing papers. I am also endlessly grateful to the administrative staff who warmly supported me throughout my academic life.
I would definitely recommend this course to anyone who would like to broaden their horizons with the experience they have gained so far.
Hi ! This is Augustin Kabongo; I am from DR Congo. I came to Japan as MEXT student through embassy recommendation and joined TMGH in October 2021. Studying the Master of Tropical Medicine in TMGH was exciting. As other students, I got an exceptional international experience that I hope will help me in my future career. For 2021-2022 academic year, classes were interactive with students from over 15 different countries and courses were taught by experts in a well-equipped environment that facilitates learning process and advanced research with full support of the teaching staff. Now more than ever, I feel ready to face global health issues and tropical diseases. And for those who are interested in global health and tropical medicine, I strongly recommend joining TMGH, I strongly recommend joining TMGH.
I’m interested in learning medicine globally and so I tried to join this MTM course and had a chance to learn here in Nagasaki.
As an MTM graduate, I’d like to introduce you about this course. The course consists of 4 terms. During the first two terms, we, MTM students, learn with students belonging to MSH and MSc. All lectures, not only Statistics and Epidemiology, but also Tropical medicines were motivating. I could learn the way of thinking from international students (mostly from Asia and Africa), have discussion, work hard and encourage each other, and also take a rest with chatting among not only medical doctors but also nurses, pharmacists and so on. This was a wonderful opportunity to broaden my outlook and give me a new view of the world. Additionally, I could have a valuable relationship with a lot of students from all over the world beyond just one of a Japanese pediatrician.
During the third term, lectures are more detailed and enlarged our knowledge. Only with MTM students, lots of lectures are based on clinical medicine; there are case presentations from collaborated facilities in Viet Nam and Philippines and lectures presented by LSHTM. Those were really interesting and impressive. Just from my personal pediatric point of view, lectures related to pediatrics were not so many but they were really valuable because I could have a chance to see real measles which I could have not done just in Japan and to know the severe dehydration and malnutrition. These inspired me to see children globally.
During winter and summer terms, we worked on our research and finished writing master’s thesis. It was hard to manage just in one year but somehow I completed all my assignments, thanks to my supervisor and assistant professors. It was a nice experience to complete.
In the summer term, we happily had an opportunity to visit and stay in the Philippines for two weeks and learn tropical medicine by lectures and bedside teaching in an actual tropical area. We were very lucky to join this course in 2018 to 2019 and hope this fieldtrip continues.
I would like to take this opportunity to express my appreciation to you all; professors, supervisors, students, and staff in TMGH. Thank you for all of your support. I could have a very meaningful and fruitful time with you.
