Postal Address: 1-1 Seiryo-machi, Aoba-ku, Sendai, 980-8574 , JAPAN
E-mail: tohokuseikei@e-mail.jp
Dec 23rd, 2024.
Tohoku University was founded in 1907 as the third imperial university in Japan. Today, the university is comprised of 10 undergraduate schools, 15 graduate schools, 5 research institutes, and many other educational and research centers and facilities. There are nearly 5,000 faculty and staff members, and 17,000 students on five campuses; of the student body about 3,500 are women and 1,000 international students come from more than 60 countries around the world.
The Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, School of Medicine was founded in 1942 as the forth imperial department that specialized in the research of bone and joint disease. One of the goals of our department has been to improve the standard of training of young orthopaedic surgeons in the areas of joint surgery, spine surgery and orthopaedics in general.
The Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at Tohoku University School of Medicine in Sendai, Japan, is inviting two orthopaedic surgeons: one for the Kokubun Spine Fellowship Program, and another for the Tohoku University Orthopaedic Visiting Fellowship Program. The Kokubun Spine Fellowship Program was established in honor of the renowned Japanese spine surgeon, Professor Shoichi Kokubun and has previously accepted many spine surgeons, while the Tohoku University Orthopaedic Visiting Fellowship Program also has accepted many orthopaedic surgeons. Orthopaedic surgeons from all fields can apply to these programs.
Fellows are exposed to various kinds of surgeries at our University Hospital and affiliated hospitals. It is a 2-week program between September 2025 and March 2026, and the schedule will be determined by discussion between the fellows and the host hospitals. A part of expenses for the traveling fee will be covered up to 300,000 JPY according to our policy. Please download an application form and send it with Curriculum Vitae, and recommendation letter via e-mail to apply for the fellowship program. The due date for the completed forms is March 31st, 2025.
Kokubun Spine Fellowship Program - Application Form ( Word file )
Tohoku University Orthopaedic Visiting Fellowship Program - Application Form ( Word file )
Toshimi Aizawa MD, PhD
Professor and Chair,
Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Tohoku University School of Medicine
1942-1949 Professor Isaharu Miki
The Department of Orthopaedic Surgery was established by the 3rd Department of Surgery in 1942, at dawn of orthopaedic surgery in Japan. The main studies of the department were the diagnosis and treatment of congenital displacements of the hip (CDH) and TB spine.
1949-1971 Professor Saburo Iino
Mass screening for congenital dislocations of the hip in Miyagi prefecture has been undertaken since this period. Clinical studies of systematic treatment for CDH including patient follow up and total hip replacement were carried out. Basic research on gait analysis has produced excellent results. The application of titanium as a material for internal fixation was examined using an animal model. The study has proved its usefulness.
1971-1986 Professor Eikichi Wakamatsu
Prof. Wakamatsu was the first to introduce the concepts of spinal canal stenosis and cauda equina syndrome in Japan. Operative techniques of total hip arthroplasty (THA) and total knee arthroplasty (TKA) were greatly improved during this period. Many basic studies of osteoporosis were carried out, and morphological analysis techniques using non-decalcified specimens were established. Basic researches regarding aseptic necrosis of the femoral head produced numerous significant results.
1986-1995 Professor Minoru Sakurai
Prof. Sakurai’s clinical activities were specialized at peripheral nerve diseases, He and his colleagues also performed spinal surgery and hip surgery, and many operations such as THA for osteoarthritis of the hip and osteotomies for acetabular dysplasia. Researches in various fields were carried out, including for the pathogenesis and treatment of peripheral nerve injuries, the development of hydroxyapatite artificial bone. Prof. Sakurai has developed the Tohoku University Total Hip Replacement System.
1995-2006 Professor Shoichi Kokubun
Prof. Kokubun has developed and standardized various kinds of spinal surgery technique, including surgical treatments of cervical myelopathy, lumbar degenerative diseases, spine and spinal cord tumors, and surgical correction of spinal deformities. He has also developed the principle strategy for making neurological diagnosis of cervical myelopathy. Prof. Kokubun and his colleagues have performed many basic researches focused on the relationship between the growth/degeneration of cartilage and apoptosis, and cultures of chondrocytes and tumor cells. Projects including biomechanical studies of the spine were also performed as an international collaborative research.
2006-2021 Professor Eiji Itoi
Prof. Itoi has advanced expertise in shoulder arthroscopic surgery, osteoporosis and biomechanical research on shoulder joint mechanism. Now our department extensively is also treating many patients regarding, spinal disorders, hip and knee joint diseases, rheumatoid arthritis, musculoskeletal tumors trauma and sports medicine.
