About us

Organisation

Research

Patient care

Education

Awards

Publications

Funding

Contact

1) About our department

The first department of internal medicine in the University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Japan (UOEH) has continued the tradition of excellence, with faculty members developing new therapies, offering state-of-the-art care, transforming rheumatology education, and leading national and international organizations. The “bidirectional translation between bench and bedside” model has been the philosophy of the department, where research ideas are spurred by clinical experiences, and where findings translate into improved treatments and best practices. Thus, the department has worked as “The Center of Excellence for Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, West Japan”, in order to improve coordination of patient care, education, and research.
The faculty members are involved in both clinical and basic research in rheumatoid arthritis (RA), systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), vasculitis, scleroderma, etc. We are committed to a mission of providing the highest quality care for patients and training students, residents, fellows and young faculty. Our research programs are centered in the clinical areas and include the disciplines of clinical examination and laboratory research and collaborative efforts with other national and international organizations. The patients, payers, employers, participating physicians and institution largely benefit from our mission. Also, as a dean of graduate school we have educated many students from APLAR area to get a PhD degree of medical science in the university.

The department has several specialty centers of excellence.

1. Patient care: To intensively expand clinical trials of biological DMARDs and kinase inhibitors for rheumatic diseases from our specialty network to the institutions.
2. Research: To support local physicians in their understanding of the best research and best strategic approaches to autoimmune diseases and be involved in establishing APLAR guidelines. Translational research is one of our ultimate goal.
3. Education: To provide training to young rheumatologists, scientists, rheumatology nurse or allied health professionals within the APLAR region using its Fellowship program. It is possible to get a PhD degree of medical science in the graduate school.

2) Organisational structure of the department

1. In the Department, 13 faculty members (all are certified rheumatologists in JCR) conduct clinical and basic research and 18 PhD students are involved in basic research works. We manage outpatient clinic (23 booths) and inpatients clinic (45 beds) devoted to all types of rheumatic and autoimmune diseases and musculoskeletal disorders.
2. In the institution tight collaboration with metabolic medicine, multiple basic research departments attend our basic research. In the tight collaboration with dermatology, respiratory, cardiology, hematology, renal, neurological, metabolic and digestive medicine and orthopedic surgery attend our clinic. The clinical trial center in the hospital intensively attends and manages clinical research.
3. Our local COE network consists of 10 specialty centers, which allows patients have most appropriate clinical setting for their illness.
4. Our department is the center for COE of “AI-West J” network with 14 institutes including universities in the West Japan area for the clinical trials and doctor-oriented clinical studies.
5. Currently 8 international students (2 China and 6 Vietnam) are enrolled in our Ph.D. program in this department. By every year, around 2 have obtained admission as the fully supported initiative students and got a PhD degree of medicine.
6. We have 4 laboratory spaces including a RI center and an animal center, close to hospital either for basic research or for analysis of patient samples. Each graduate student has at least one basic and clinical research theme related to rheumatology, clinical immunology and regeneration. Each theme is pursued with a team of a staff and a graduate student. Some clinical trials oriented by our department are performed by the investigators team including faculties, graduate students, research nurses or technicians.

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3) Research

We work on bench-to-bedside research identifying mechanisms underlying rheumatic and autoimmune diseases, foster collaborations between basic and clinical scientists and facilitate clinical trials of innovative therapies in the department, the institution, the region, the country and international levels.

Basic Research: Our basic research initiatives are aimed at unlocking the mechanisms of autoimmunity in order to create more effective treatments and therapies. The followings are major theme.

• Phenotypic analysis of lymphocytes to clarify disease mechanisms and to approach to precision medicine in rheumatic/autoimmune diseases in FLOW study and LOOPS registry.
• Studies on signaling mechanisms such as JAK/STAT, SYK, BTK in immune cells to clarify disease mechanisms and to develop pivotal translational research in rheumatic/autoimmune diseases.
• Regeneration research using mesenchymal stem cells to approach to repair joints and other organs.
• Studies on dynamism of DNA methylation in RA-FLS.
• Studies on metabolic reprograming in T cells and B cells in autoimmune diseases.

Clinical Research: Our clinical research initiatives examine the effects of rheumatic disease on a wide range of patients and study new treatments and therapies to combat these disorders. The followings are major theme.

• Postmarketing surveillance in patients with rheumatic diseases to estimate safety and efficacy of biological DMARD or JAK inhibitors in FIRST registry.
• We participate FIRST registry (>6000 RA patients treated with b/tsDMARDs), LOOPS registry (>500 SLE patients), Asia Pacific Lupus Collaboration (international consortium of expert lupus clinicians and researchers) and many.
• Clinical trials and translational medicine for the development of new treatment strategies in rheumatic/autoimmune diseases.
• We routinely perform ?immunophenotyping? analysis by multi-color flow cytometry by daily basis in our lab, so that we can decide the appropriate treatment or care for each patient, immediately after sampling blood.

We routinely perform “immunophenotyping” analysis by multi-color flow cytometry by daily basis in our lab, so that we can decide the appropriate treatment or care for each patient, immediately after sampling blood.

4) Patient care

This faculty is only ONE COE in the West Japan, developing cutting edge therapies, offering state-of-the-art care, transforming rheumatology education and leading national organizations. The faculty members are committed to a mission of providing the highest quality care for patients with RA, SLE, vasculitis, systemic sclerosis (SSc), etc. through multidisciplinary approach to diagnose and manage patients with the goal of improving the lives of patients. We routinely adopt guidelines for diagnosis, treatment strategy and patient care published from ACR, APLAR, EULAR and/or JCR.
In our department, we have 23 booths in outpatient clinic and 45 beds for the inpatient clinic for all types of rheumatic and autoimmune diseases and musculoskeletal disorders.
Outpatient clinic: 1709 patients with RA, 361 patients with SLE, 197 Sjogren disease, 334 SSc, 68 MCTD, 212 vasculitis syndrome, 85 IIM and many others visit our department in 2024. 90% of them have referrals from other hospitals or clinics. The vast majority of RA patients admitted for clinical trials or clinical studies. Almost all the patients are Japanese.

We have a patient-centered care model. In the clinical path model, at least following five issues are routinely promised in each patient:

1. patient education,
2. patient involvement/shared decision-making,
3. patient empowerment/self-management,
4. involvement of family and friends,
5. physical and emotional support.

Thus, we, especially rheumatology special nurse staffs, are intended to respect the preferences of patients and make patients integral members of the treatment team in the model. Our faculty especially emphasize the importance of patient-centered care for the inpatient and outpatient clinic and such a policy is in undertaken our related institutions in the region. Because patient-centered care integrates the perspectives, understanding and preferences of patients into the delivery of health care, it is essential for an effective doctor?patient partnership in which the doctor’s recommendations are informed by an understanding of the values, needs and life context of individual patient and also his or her family.

5) Education and Training

The faculty is designed to train rheumatology specialists who will provide expert medical care for patients with rheumatic disorders and can serve as consultants, educators, and physician scientists leading national and international organizations. The bidirectional translation between bench and bedside model has been the philosophy of the department, where research ideas are spurred by clinical experiences, and where findings translate into improved treatments and best practices. We emphasize how to effectively diagnose and treat patients and the importance of patient-centered policy in research as well as clinic. We will provide training to young rheumatologists, scientists, rheumatology nurse or allied health professionals within the APLAR region using its Fellowship program. The faculty will provide an environment of inquiry and scholarship as well as clinical discussions, rounds, journal clubs, and research conferences to support residents participation in scholarly activities. The training program is designed to produce rheumatologists who will be successful in all fields, whether in private practice, as academic clinician educators, or as physician-scientists.
The standard period of attendance at the Graduate School of Medicine is 4 years, during which the students belong to a department and acquire research ability as an expert under the supervision of the professor. When they earn the specified credits and complete a thesis that passes examination, they complete graduate school, and are granted a degree (PhD).
We have received Grant-In-Aid for Scientific Research from the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare of Japan, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan, Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development (AMED), and the University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Japan (UOEH). If Asia International Educational Program for Graduate Students in the Field of the university is obtained, tuition fees and rental house fee are exempted and monthly scholarship are provided. (link here)
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6) Selected Awards

In the past 20 years, five researchers have won the EULAR award
2008: Japanese College of Rheumatology (JCR) president award
2009: European League against Rheumatism (EULAR) abstract award
2010: EULAR abstract award
2013: EULAR abstract award
2015: Henoch award in Erlangen University (Germany)
2018: EULAR abstract award
2023: EULAR abstract award
2023: Asia Pacific League of Associations for Rheumatology (APLAR) best abstract award
Endorsement and certification for the application was received from Japan College of Rheumatology

7) Publications

Link [PDF]

8) List local or international funding to the Center

Link [Japanese]

9) Contact Information

Name of Center:
University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Japan (UOEH)
Main address: The first department of internal medicine, School of Medicine, University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Japan (UOEH) 1-1, Iseigaoka, Kitakyushu, 807-8555, Japan
Tel no: +81-93-603-1611	Fax no: +81-93-691-9334
Website: https://uoeh-1nai.jp	Email address: j-1naika@mbox.med.uoeh-u.ac.jp
Head of Center
Name: Shingo Nakayamada, MD, PhD
Job title: Professor and Chairman, Department of Internal Medicine Dean, Graduate School of Medical Science