Fukushima and Hiroshima: Two Years After the Great Eastern Japan Earthquake, Part 5
Mar. 21, 2013
Intellectual contributions: Human resources making use of Hiroshima’s expertise
by Michiko Tanaka, Yuki Kuwata, and Taichi Yamada, Staff Writers
There are no houses or people as far as the eye can see. The massive tsunami that struck the coastal area of Minamisoma, Fukushima Prefecture, about 20 kilometers from the Fukushima No. 1 (Daiichi) nuclear power plant, caused widespread devastation. Yukari Toyota, 26, a doctor from Hiroshima, is determined to help the people of this region.
Ms. Toyota is an intern at Hiroshima University Hospital, located in Minami Ward, Hiroshima. Along with a colleague, Kiriko Sawada, 26, Ms. Toyota traveled to Fukushima on March 3 and will stay until March 15, studying disaster medical care at Minamisoma City General Hospital.
At many places in the city of Minamisoma, electronic bulletin boards display radiation levels. “I would like to understand the anxiety people here feel and consider how to make the most of the expertise that has accumulated in Hiroshima,” Ms. Toyota said. “For now, that’s all I can do. But one day, I’d like to return and provide solid support to the people of Fukushima.”
Hiroshima University has been providing medical care to A-bomb survivors in Hiroshima, which suffered the world’s first nuclear attack on human beings. The university has also played a key role in lending support to Fukushima residents since the accident, dispatching a total of more than 1,300 doctors, radiation technologists, and nurses to the region. In addition to this medical assistance, scientists have been involved in measuring levels of radiation.
Sending the two interns to Fukushima is part of a cooperative effort between Hiroshima University and Fukushima Medical University. Kazuaki Chayama, 57, director of Hiroshima University Hospital, said, “In order to provide better assistance to Fukushima residents in the future, it’s helpful for us to learn about the current state of the people’s physical and mental health.”
In October of last year, Hiroshima University launched the “Phoenix Leader Education Program” in the doctoral course of its graduate school. The program seeks to foster human resources for the recovery efforts taking place in areas affected by the accident at the nuclear power plant.
Based on lessons learned in Fukushima, the program covers a broad range of subjects, including radiation biology, environmental science, and the history of post-disaster reconstruction. Graduates of this course will make use of what they have learned in Hiroshima by serving at international and medical organizations involved in radiation protection and working for municipalities that are home to nuclear power stations.
Members of the inaugural class consist of eight people in their 20s to their 40s. Before enrolling in the course, Yurika Oba, 26, did research in the fields of plants and parasitic fungi at the faculty of science at Yamagata University.
Ms. Oba is learning how to decontaminate mountains and forests that have suffered fallout from radioactive substances. Her 80-year-old grandmother lives in Minamisoma. Ms. Oba said, “The most extensive knowledge on radiation is found in Hiroshima. I want to learn from this accumulated expertise.”
(Originally published on March 8, 2013)
by Michiko Tanaka, Yuki Kuwata, and Taichi Yamada, Staff Writers
There are no houses or people as far as the eye can see. The massive tsunami that struck the coastal area of Minamisoma, Fukushima Prefecture, about 20 kilometers from the Fukushima No. 1 (Daiichi) nuclear power plant, caused widespread devastation. Yukari Toyota, 26, a doctor from Hiroshima, is determined to help the people of this region.
Ms. Toyota is an intern at Hiroshima University Hospital, located in Minami Ward, Hiroshima. Along with a colleague, Kiriko Sawada, 26, Ms. Toyota traveled to Fukushima on March 3 and will stay until March 15, studying disaster medical care at Minamisoma City General Hospital.
At many places in the city of Minamisoma, electronic bulletin boards display radiation levels. “I would like to understand the anxiety people here feel and consider how to make the most of the expertise that has accumulated in Hiroshima,” Ms. Toyota said. “For now, that’s all I can do. But one day, I’d like to return and provide solid support to the people of Fukushima.”
Hiroshima University has been providing medical care to A-bomb survivors in Hiroshima, which suffered the world’s first nuclear attack on human beings. The university has also played a key role in lending support to Fukushima residents since the accident, dispatching a total of more than 1,300 doctors, radiation technologists, and nurses to the region. In addition to this medical assistance, scientists have been involved in measuring levels of radiation.
Sending the two interns to Fukushima is part of a cooperative effort between Hiroshima University and Fukushima Medical University. Kazuaki Chayama, 57, director of Hiroshima University Hospital, said, “In order to provide better assistance to Fukushima residents in the future, it’s helpful for us to learn about the current state of the people’s physical and mental health.”
In October of last year, Hiroshima University launched the “Phoenix Leader Education Program” in the doctoral course of its graduate school. The program seeks to foster human resources for the recovery efforts taking place in areas affected by the accident at the nuclear power plant.
Based on lessons learned in Fukushima, the program covers a broad range of subjects, including radiation biology, environmental science, and the history of post-disaster reconstruction. Graduates of this course will make use of what they have learned in Hiroshima by serving at international and medical organizations involved in radiation protection and working for municipalities that are home to nuclear power stations.
Members of the inaugural class consist of eight people in their 20s to their 40s. Before enrolling in the course, Yurika Oba, 26, did research in the fields of plants and parasitic fungi at the faculty of science at Yamagata University.
Ms. Oba is learning how to decontaminate mountains and forests that have suffered fallout from radioactive substances. Her 80-year-old grandmother lives in Minamisoma. Ms. Oba said, “The most extensive knowledge on radiation is found in Hiroshima. I want to learn from this accumulated expertise.”
(Originally published on March 8, 2013)
