Kenji Kamiya, former RIRBM director, appointed to post of RERF chairperson in that organization’s first open-recruitment process
Jun. 23, 2023
by Kana Kobayashi, Staff Writer
On June 22, the Radiation Effects Research Foundation (RERF; located in Hiroshima’s Minami Ward) announced that its chairperson, Ohtsura Niwa, 79, had resigned from his post that same day and that Kenji Kamiya, 72, former vice president of Hiroshima University, had been newly appointed as RERF chairperson. Mr. Kamiya was appointed to lead RERF in the first open-recruitment process for the position at RERF, with his term of appointment being two years.
Mr. Kamiya’s specialty is radiation biology. He has served as director of the Hiroshima University Research Institute for Radiation Biology and Medicine (RIRBM), vice president of Fukushima Medical University, and as a member of RERF’s Board of Councilors, in addition to other posts. He also serves as president of the Hiroshima International Council for Health Care of the Radiation-exposed (HICARE). In 2022, Mr. Kamiya was the recipient of the Chugoku Cultural Award. As of June 21, he had retired from his post as vice president of Hiroshima University.
Mr. Kamiya’s appointment was decided during RERF’s Board of Councilors meeting held June 21-22 and after an extraordinary Board of Directors meeting. At a press conference held at the foundation, RERF announced that, “We would like to advance our research with the greatest priority placed on building a relationship of trust with A-bomb survivors and second-generation A-bomb survivors.”
Mr. Niwa had served as chairperson since 2015. Given the conclusion of Mr. Niwa’s term of appointment, RERF decided to select his successor in an open-recruitment process aimed at seeking new leadership. The number of applicants for the post was not disclosed. On June 22, Robert Ullrich, RERF’s vice chairperson, also stepped down, with Preetha Rajaraman, an American specializing in a variety of fields including cancer epidemiology, newly appointed to the post of vice chairperson.
(Originally published on June 23, 2023)
On June 22, the Radiation Effects Research Foundation (RERF; located in Hiroshima’s Minami Ward) announced that its chairperson, Ohtsura Niwa, 79, had resigned from his post that same day and that Kenji Kamiya, 72, former vice president of Hiroshima University, had been newly appointed as RERF chairperson. Mr. Kamiya was appointed to lead RERF in the first open-recruitment process for the position at RERF, with his term of appointment being two years.
Mr. Kamiya’s specialty is radiation biology. He has served as director of the Hiroshima University Research Institute for Radiation Biology and Medicine (RIRBM), vice president of Fukushima Medical University, and as a member of RERF’s Board of Councilors, in addition to other posts. He also serves as president of the Hiroshima International Council for Health Care of the Radiation-exposed (HICARE). In 2022, Mr. Kamiya was the recipient of the Chugoku Cultural Award. As of June 21, he had retired from his post as vice president of Hiroshima University.
Mr. Kamiya’s appointment was decided during RERF’s Board of Councilors meeting held June 21-22 and after an extraordinary Board of Directors meeting. At a press conference held at the foundation, RERF announced that, “We would like to advance our research with the greatest priority placed on building a relationship of trust with A-bomb survivors and second-generation A-bomb survivors.”
Mr. Niwa had served as chairperson since 2015. Given the conclusion of Mr. Niwa’s term of appointment, RERF decided to select his successor in an open-recruitment process aimed at seeking new leadership. The number of applicants for the post was not disclosed. On June 22, Robert Ullrich, RERF’s vice chairperson, also stepped down, with Preetha Rajaraman, an American specializing in a variety of fields including cancer epidemiology, newly appointed to the post of vice chairperson.
(Originally published on June 23, 2023)
