Corporate Social Responsibility

High School Students Explored PENTAX Medical, Hospitals in Japan and Singapore

November. 13, 2017

PENTAX Medical has created a special lecture for the Tokyo Metropolitan Tama Science and Technology High School to raise awareness of the value of endoscopy used for the early detection, diagnosis and treatment of gastroenterological diseases.

We invited 21 students in the 2nd grade to explore the R & D center in Tokyo, NTT Medical Center in Tokyo, PENTAX Medical’s Singapore Office and Singapore General Hospital.
Dr. Ken Ohata, Senior Chief Doctor of Gastroenterology at NTT Medical Center in Tokyo, Japan conducted a hands-on endoscopy training with the students.

The 21 students also had a chance to observe the endoscopy rooms and learn how to operate endoscopes with training models. One of the highlights of their tour was seeing the actual clinical site where the largest numbers of Endoscopic Submucosal Dissection procedures in the world occur.
The students learned that therapies have shifted towards patient friendly, minimally invasive endoscopic procedures.
Dr. Ken Ohata, known as “The God’s Hand”, met the students and explained his policy of training endoscopists to increase ESD knowledge, a practice that saves lives not only in Japan but around the world.
The students also experienced how team medicine is practiced throughout the hospital alongside state-of-the-art medicine and cutting edge technologies. Learning that the endoscopes developed in Japan are contributing to saving lives around the world was especially exciting for them.
The last day, the group visited the PENTAX Medical facilities in Singapore.
Jimmy Kewalramani, VP, Marketing, APAC presented about the endoscopy market landscape in Asia and how the APAC Team work together.
After the office tour, they visited Singapore General Hospital, the largest hospital in Asia with over 200 years’ history.

The hospital is highly managed by the latest IT system to care the patients efficiently. Dr. Damien and Dr. Chin took the students through Ambulatory Endoscopy Center from the endoscopy rooms until the reprocessing room.
Prior to the program, many of the students lacked an interest in the medical field. But after seeing PENTAX Medical’s engineer’s patient-first mentality and their development of endoscopes, a new group of aspiring medical professionals was born.
PENTAX Medical hope this story raises awareness of the value of early detection, diagnosis and treatment realized with medical endoscopes.
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English Lessons held by PENTAX Medical for Tokyo Metropolitan Tama Science and Technology High School

Jun. 27, 2016

As a global player who develops, manufactures and sells flexible medical endoscope systems to over 130 countries, PENTAX Medical contributes by encouraging high school science students to learn English to enrich their prospects.

English Conversation (December 2015)

PENTAX Medical delivered English lessons to Tokyo Metropolitan Tama Science and Technology High School in December 2015 and March 2016 to teach practical English conversation skills.
In December 2015, cross functional teams conducted English conversation lessons for the 1st grade students. Our PENTAX Medical teachers introduced their daily job, experiences of living abroad and encouraged each student to discuss their thoughts in English. Various stories of interaction with customers, colleagues, studies and friendships were well received by students who are dreaming about becoming engineers and scientists. They are convinced that English is essential in order to share and elaborate ideas and thoughts with many people.

At a special class

In March 2016, we conducted brainstorming in English for future endoscopes with 2nd grade students. Three staff members including two engineers facilitated the brainstorm. The students spoke about their innovative ideas for future endoscopes.

In both lessons, we received positive feedback from the students, that they were encouraged to learn English so that they can discuss their ideas with many people around the globe.

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Support a special class about endoscopic techniques with high school students
Sep. 9, 2014

Presentation about endoscopes at a special class

PENTAX "There is a limit to the number of patients that one doctor can save. But if the number of young adults aiming to become doctors will increase, even by just one person, then more patients can be saved."
High school students nodded in agreement as they listened to these words from Dr. Ken Ohata, a specialist in endoscopy. The excitement was still visible on their faces from seeing a real endoscopy system for the very first time.
The Tokyo Metropolitan Tama High School of Science and Technology, located in Koganei in the Tokyo Metropolis, was the venue and this was one section of the special class held in summer 2014 for learning about the front line of endoscopic treatment. This day proved to be a valuable experience for the high school students as they received a boost in motivation.

Listening directly to a leading expert in the field of endoscopy

At a special class

PENTAX Medical collaborates with specialists in endoscopy to carry out practical demonstration programs about state-of-the-art endoscopic techniques for high school students. The Tokyo Metropolitan Tama High School of Science and Technology, where the program was carried out, has been designated a Super Science High School by the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. The special class entitled "The front line of endoscopy - knowing, seeing and touching!" was geared towards second year students.

The guest speaker, Dr. Ken Ohata, is Chief of Gastroenterology and Director of the Endoscopy Center at the NTT Medical Center Tokyo and a leading expert in the field of endoscopy. Dr. Ohata is a foremost authority on Endoscopic Submucosal Dissection (ESD) and he visits emerging nations such as China and Russia to teach and disseminate ESD techniques.

In the special class, a hands-on session was held after Dr. Ohata's talk entitled "The path to endoscopist." The twenty or so students who took part were very interested in the real endoscopic system which they got to handle for the first time.

Students express a stronger desire to work in the field of medicine

     Totally absorbed in the practical demonstration!

To enable students to understand more about early treatment of cancer, an area was set up in the special class where students could insert an endoscope into the subject's stomach prepared for study and dissect a part of the mucous membrane made to look like a lesion. In another section of the room, students could insert an endoscope into a colon model and manipulate the device through a replica of the inside of a human body, which seemed like a maze.

Although the students may have seen endoscopes being used in scenes in TV dramas, it was the first time for nearly all of them to see or touch a real endoscope. When taking turns to try manipulating the endoscope, even if they were hesitant at first, quite a few of them were able to operate the endoscope fairly well once they got the hang of it.

While watching the students, Dr. Ohata explained that he continues these activities in the hope that the number of people who take up this field in the future will increase.

In response to that, students voiced such statements as "I'll try my hardest so that in future I can become a member of a medical team" or "Today, my determination to work in a medical setting has become even firmer." The students also gained a deeper understanding of endoscopes. Some of them said, "I didn't realize that endoscopes had advanced this far" or "Endoscopes are full of technology that Japan can be proud of."

PENTAX Medical intends to continue such efforts in the future to promote awareness of value of endoscopes and endoscopic treatment.

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Helping to spread endoscopic techniques worldwide

Jan. 20, 2014

Endoscopic Submucosal Dissection (ESD) is a technique that uses an endoscope to remove lesions of the gastrointestinal tract. Already in use in Japan for more than a decade, the technique is starting to see adoption in medical practice throughout the world, based on its major benefits for patients. These benefits include quick post-surgery recovery and a reduced likelihood of complications.

Training was reported in the local newspaper

PENTAX Medical, along with the release of ESD products, is contributing to activities that are expanding this technology globally. In February 2013, we provided backing for a seminar in St. Petersburg, Russia aimed at enhancing knowledge of ESD techniques among local physicians. At the seminar, ten ESD procedures were performed under the direction of two leading ESD practitioners, Ken Ohata (Chief of Gastroenterology, Director of Endoscopy Center, NTT Medical Center Tokyo), and Yosuke Tsuji (Department of Gastroenterology, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo). The physicians in attendance watched intently, showing a strong interest in acquiring the advanced techniques exhibited by the instructors. Following the establishment of an organization in September 2013 for furthering the use of ESD treatment techniques in Asia, we provided support for ESD workshops in October in the Chinese cities of Chengdu and Dalian.

Dr. Ohata commented, "Helping to raise the level of medical techniques overseas will lead to more people being saved." We at PENTAX Medical intend to continue supporting similar training, contributing to worldwide use of endoscopic techniques that minimize the burden on patients.