Every spring, as the cherry blossoms on the University of Washington’s quad start thinking about blooming, students from the Institute of Science Tokyo (IST; formerly known as Tokyo Medical & Dental University) come to Seattle for a two-week study abroad program. Participants, who are both undergraduate and graduate students, get a first-hand look at the U.S. health care system through connections with faculty and students from School of Nursing & Health Studies at the University of Washington Bothell and the School of Nursing at University of Washington.
The two weeks are packed with hands-on learning opportunities. Study abroad participants tour UW affiliated health care facilities including Harborview Medical Center and University of Washington Medical Center, often participating in real world trainings alongside UW students. The learning continues in the classroom where study abroad participants join UW classes like NURS460 “Translating Scholarly Knowledge to Nursing Practice”. Here, those visiting do more than listen, they are invited to give presentations about nursing and education practices in Japan, giving UW students invaluable perspectives. Study abroad organizers also host a panel discussion that invites nurses and nursing students originally from Japan but currently living in Seattle to come share their views and experiences.
The curriculum for this program was developed by UW faculty Kosuke Niitsu, Ph.D., ARNP, PMHNP-BC and Mabel Ezeonwu, Ph.D., ARNP, FNP-BC, along with IST faculty, Akiko Kondo, Ph.D., RN. Together they worked with the Foundation for International Understanding Through Students (FIUTS), a nonprofit originally founded at UW that facilitates short term study abroad experiences. The culmination of this work is an opportunity for Japanese and UW nursing students to learn and share not just their medical curriculum but cultural elements as well.
Want to know what participants think of this program? Read summaries from previous years:
- Students from the Institute of Science Tokyo visited UW Bothell (2025)
- Nursing Students from Tokyo Visited the University of Washington (2024)
For additional program information please contact: Kosuke “Ko” Niitsu, PhD, ARNP, PMHNP-BC via email at kniitsu [at] uw [dot] edu