Associate Professor 　IIJIMA Shigeo

Perinatal mortality in Japan has remained at the highest level in the world since the mid-1980s. However, shortage of obstetricians and neonatal physicians is the underlying cause of the potential collapse of perinatal care now, especially in the provinces. With high levels of media coverage, local governments have developed a keen interest in neonatal/perinatal personnel needs and the maintenance of high-quality care for newborns and the unborn.

This department was established with funding from Shizuoka prefecture in January 2012 to develop a strategy to recruit adequate neonatology/perinatology trainees and to ensure that high-quality neonatal-perinatal care is available in the future.

Innovative learning programs are needed to attract qualified individuals. We aim to provide medical students and residents with a consistent level of support from pre- and post-graduate training to advanced learning to appoint neonatal/perinatal specialists. We hope that trainees gain knowledge and acquire essential technical skills during clinical education.