Established in 2015, our institute has worked to deepen understanding of health and culture. Our centre’s mission is to connect experts across three fields: clinical care (individual health), public health and global health (population health), and medical anthropology (health viewed through perspectives extending beyond the natural sciences). Have you ever felt confused by cultural differences while working in clinical care or international cooperation? What, fundamentally, gives rise to these cultural differences? Is it nationality? Ethnicity, language, or religion? Or perhaps education or economic status? What distinguishes us from the person before us, and what do we share? By gaining a deeper understanding of such differences and commonalities between individuals and societies, we strive to explore better approaches to healthcare.

Diverse cultural backgrounds give rise to unique values ​​and shape the way we live. We believe these values must be part of the foundation for healthcare services. Because clinical care is deeply intertwined with both individual lives and health policy, healthcare professionals and policymakers need a broad perspective when considering—together with patients and community members—what makes people feel wellbeing, and how to achieve that wellbeing. Our fundamental philosophy is that this requires a deep understanding of diverse perspectives of individuals and groups. With this in mind, our institute aims to foster shared learning across a wide range of perspectives on health and medicine—from knowledge of traditional medical systems to the very meaning of life.

We sincerely hope our activities will help improve many people’s quality of life.

KANSAKU Rei, MD, PhD (Medicine), MSc (Medical Anthropology)
President of Institute for Multicultural Health