Medical Teacher, Vol. 28, No. 3, 2006, p. 296

OBITUARY

A Tribute to Professor Ichiro Yoshida

Professor Ichiro Yoshida was a true lifelong learner of

medical education. Many other medical educators in Japan

were too busy (or too shy) to travel abroad but he was

actively absorbing new ideas in the field from all over the

world. When he learned about a new concept, he sent me

emails about it in order to consolidate what he had learned

and develop his thinking. However, the email asking ‘What

is a reflective journal?’ dated 8 December 2005 was the last

one I received from him. My replies to all his emails until

that day will become a wonderful ‘portfolio’ for me for a

long time to come.

Ichiro Yoshida’s specialty in mass screening of paediatric

metabolic abnormalities sent him to Singapore and Pakistan

for the purpose of international cooperation. His mentor,

Dr Fumio Yamashita, was also a well-known medical

educator in Japan and Professor Yoshida followed the same

career path. In the 1980s and 1990s, the speed of change in

medical education in Japan was rather slow. Professor

Yoshida was very anxious about the situation.

In the new century, Japanese medical education has

implemented many new systems, such as a core curriculum

for undergraduate medical education, a common achieve-

ment test for the preclinical years and two-year mandatory

postgraduate training. However, Professor Yoshida was not

satisfied with the extent of the changes, partly, he felt,

because of the lack of communication with those working in

similar areas in medical education in other countries.

Professor Yoshida motivated many young medical

educators, including me. He played a perfect role as a

medical educator and a lifelong learner. His mindset is

that of a Japanese, but he was not shy of talking to any

medical educator in the world. It is quite natural that his

attitude has inspired many medical educators in Japan,

especially those who wanted to learn from other

countries.

He worked too hard for the world, for Japan, and for his

medical school, and finally fell down. We have lost one of

the most valuable medical educators in Japan. However, his

attitude and his voice will last forever in everyone’s mind, as

we hear him say ‘‘What is . . . ?’’, ‘‘Why did you

implement . . . ?’’, and ‘‘How can you improve . . . ?’’ Such

a role model will last forever.

Hirotaka Onishi

International Research Center for Medical Education,

University of Tokyo, 212 Igakubu Sogo Chuokan,

7-3-1 hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan

Email: onishi-hirotaka@umin.ac.jp

Editor’s note

Professor Ichiro Yoshida from Kurume University School

of Medicine, Japan, died suddenly on 20 December 2005.

He was a great supporter of the Association for Medical

Education in Europe, and a regular participant in AMEE

Conferences. We will miss him, and are very grateful for his

help in promoting the work of AMEE in Japan.

296 ISSN 0142–159X print/ISSN 1466–187X online/06/000296–1 � 2006 Taylor & FrancisDOI: 10.1080/01421590600726391

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