Message from the Chair
Professor of Dermatology Takuya Takeichi
My name is Takuya Takeichi, and I was appointed Professor of Dermatology at Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine on July 1, 2026. I am deeply honored—and keenly aware of the responsibility—to lead a department with a distinguished history and tradition dating back to 1905.
After graduating from Shiga University of Medical Science in 2004, I completed clinical training at Showa Hospital of the Aichi Prefectural Federation of Agricultural Cooperatives and joined the Department of Dermatology at Nagoya University in 2006. Under the guidance of Professor Yasushi Tomita and many colleagues, I learned the foundations of dermatologic care. I entered graduate school the following year and conducted research under Professor Kazumitsu Sugiura and others. From 2010, under Professor Masashi Akiyama, I studied the clinical care and biology of keratinization disorders, including congenital ichthyoses. Clinical appointments at Toyohashi Municipal Hospital and Inazawa Municipal Hospital taught me the importance of community medicine and multidisciplinary collaboration. I later trained with Professor John McGrath at King’s College London, working on genetic analyses of inherited skin diseases. Since returning to Japan, I have continued research on inherited keratinization disorders, autoinflammatory keratinization diseases, and skin barrier function, translating questions from patient care into a deeper understanding of disease and the development of new therapies.
Our department provides care across the full spectrum of dermatology, from common skin conditions to severe and refractory disorders such as inherited diseases, keratinization disorders, connective tissue diseases, and skin cancers. We will continue to place the delivery of the best possible care first, deepen collaboration with affiliated hospitals, other specialties, and multidisciplinary teams, and contribute to dermatologic care throughout the Tokai region. In education, we aim to cultivate compassionate physicians who understand patients’ suffering, as well as clinicians and researchers who can develop clinical questions into research and communicate their findings worldwide. We also seek to create an environment in which young physicians can fully develop their abilities and build sustained careers.
While honoring our history and traditions, we will actively embrace advances in medicine and work together to remain a trusted department in clinical care, education, and research. We sincerely appreciate your continued guidance and support.
History of the Department of Dermatology
Since its establishment in 1905, the department has supported dermatologic care, medical education, and research in the Tokai region while expanding its role with the times.
The history of the department began in 1905, when the Division of Dermatology and Venereology was established at Aichi Prefectural Medical College and Dr. Futoshi Kusunoki was appointed its first head. Its origins reach back to the early Meiji period and the Nagoya Prefectural Temporary Hospital and Medical School, Aichi Medical School, and Aichi Prefectural Medical School. With the introduction of European medicine, education and clinical practice developed in dermatology, syphilology, and urology.
Professor Harukichi Tamura was appointed in 1916 and led the department’s clinical care, education, and research for many years. During his tenure, Professor Akira Shiga joined from the Department of Dermatology at Tokyo Imperial University from 1919 to 1922, and Professor Masao Ota served from 1924 to 1926. In 1943, the combined Department of Dermatology and Urology was divided into independent departments, establishing the structure for each specialty to develop separately.
After Professor Tamura’s retirement, Professor Kaiichiro Kano was appointed in 1946 and devoted himself to rebuilding and developing the department from the postwar period through the establishment of the new Nagoya University. Following an interval without a chair, Professor Toshio Kobayashi was appointed in 1974 and strengthened the systems for clinical care, education, and research. Professor Masaru Ohashi took office in 1979 and further developed the clinical and research foundations across a broad range of dermatology.
Professor Yasushi Tomita was appointed in 1997 and advanced clinical care, research, and education, particularly in pigment cell biology and inherited skin diseases. In 1998, the endowed Department of Environmental Dermatology was established under Professor Ritsuko Hayakawa, making major contributions to clinical care and research in environmental dermatology, especially contact dermatitis. Professor Masashi Akiyama was appointed in 2010 and developed internationally leading clinical and research programs in inherited keratinization disorders, including congenital ichthyoses, rare intractable skin diseases, skin barrier biology, and molecular genetic diagnosis.
Since 1905, the department has served as a core institution for dermatologic care, medical education, and research in the Tokai region. From the early era of dermatology and urology through postwar reconstruction, development as a university medical department, and today’s molecular genetics and rare-disease research, its role has expanded in step with medical progress.
Source: “One Hundred Years of Dermatology at Nagoya University”