[Contributions to the Establishment and Promotion of Pharmacy Education Reform]

In 2006, four-year pharmacist training courses in Japanese pharmacy schools were extended to a six-year course. Around that time, I participated in a committee related to pharmacy education reform within the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. I also joined the pharmacist division of the medical council of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, to reform the national pharmacist examination system. In addition, I was part of the Pharmacy Education Council responsible for developing the contents of the new six-year curriculum, especially for clinical training. In the process, I had the opportunity to interact with many pharmacists and pharmacy educators. Following my transfer from the Pharmaceutical University Division to the Hospital Pharmacy Division in 2007, I participated in multidisciplinary collaborative education [inter professional work (IPW)/inter professional education (IPE)] for students in the disciplines of medicine, nursing, clinical laboratory examination, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, and pharmacy. This gave me an opportunity to apply this multidisciplinary experience to pharmacy education. "IPW", beyond the so-called "team medical care", is becoming an increasingly important concept in the medical field. Since all pharmacists are members of a team dedicated to patient-centered care, it is necessary to strengthen collaborative education, which will lead to an overall improvement in medical care. I believe that education is fundamental in all fields, and especially so in medical care. Pharmacy education needs radical reforms to increase its potency and to augment the value of pharmacists in the medical field.